In recent years, Copenhagen has fast established itself as a hot spot for gastronomy. The fact that it’s home to Noma (the restaurant which has held the top spot on the “World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list for the past 3 years), has helped to set the bar pretty high indeed. While I can now say I ate at the “world’s best restaurant” (our reservation was the second night I was in Copenhagen), I’m happy to say that the food that still makes me most happy is simple, healthy fare served without pretense.
Don’t get me wrong; I did appreciate the vast amount of work that went into the 20-something tasting course menu we had at Noma. However, I was relieved that the dishes were all small, since few of the flavors were so delicious that I wanted to keep eating. Unsophisticated palette? Maybe. But I tried everything served that evening, including the dishes garnished with forest ants.
I think I’ll stick to regular sea salt.
What I did love and look forward to each morning, was the breakfast buffet at the hotel.
It wasn’t served in Royal Copenhagen china (the photo above is from the display window in the Royal Copenhagen China store), but it did consist of a variety of fresh fruit, cereals, hot oatmeal, dried fruits, cheeses, chorizo, ham, rugbrød, peasant breads, soft-boiled eggs, yogurt, danishes, and rolls.
Yum!
After such a breakfast, you’d think it would be hard to eat anything else all day, but coming on the heels of time spent sightseeing, an early afternoon coffee and pastry was the perfect pickup.
My favorite pastry shop was just off the main pedestrian avenue in the old section of downtown. The shop girls were charming, helpful and, like most of the Danes, spoke beautiful English.
Even though the choice of pastries was so enticing…
My husband and I ordered the same delicious pastry – a small almond tart with shortbread crust and delicate marzipan filling – on both of our visits to the shop. The relaxed ambiance was conducive to talking and people-watching. I also perused a free copy of Bitchslap Magazine…
Which contained an interesting editorial combining Danish Fashion and New Nordic Cuisine.
(My husband wasn’t so convinced about the red elastic-waistband pull-up pants; however, I’m going to have to get a pair of the “caviar” polka-dot tights.)
While I did eat some delicious savory foods, I was even more excited that the Danes have a love-affair with my own favorite…LICORICE!!!! I made short work of two bags of Tom’s Pingvin Lakrid in just the week I was in Copenhagen…
(and I plan to order more here!)
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