Mielcke & Hurtigkarl feat. Mikkeller

Apéritif - the Mikkeller Mielcke & Hurtigkarl beer, a belgian-style ale, matured on sauternes casks. Lots of sweet, floral notes. Very vinous and a great for accompanying the amuses of charcuterie...

... The first amuse being smoked calf's tongue. The piece I got was way too chewy, but B was a huge fan.

Then there was lardo, which I found quite acrid... We were also served pepper cured duck's breast and smoked pork neck, which I did not manage to snap a picture of.

First beer was Mikkeller's gueuze-type Spontanale to which a fair amount of cilantro had been added by M&H. Accompanied by a dish of fermented cabbage (since December apparently) and oysters...

...and topped with a sauce of smoked bone marrow, bread crumbs and more cilantro. This dish was a great start to the dinner and though neither the beer nor the dish was very "pleasing" to the palate, it certainly sharpened our tastebuds.

Second course was the highlight of the evening for me! The first lumpfish roe of the season served with extremely delicate, almost transparent, lightly pickled skate wing, pickled onions and ramps in a creamy, dashi sauce. There might be snow outside but it made me feel like spring is just around the corner.

It was served with Nelson Sauvignon, which is a very dry Belgian ale stored on Austrian wine casks. M&H had added bonito to the beer, which made for a smoky, slightly sweet, and certainly bold beer pairing. 

Our third beer and course was a really interesting match! It's Alive, Mikkeller's take on the Belgian trappist beer, Orval. M&H had added shiso and umeboshi to such a degree that the beer was almost like salt water. Not entirely pleasing on it's own...

...but it turned out to be a perfect pairing for the third course - a greasy burger! Not any burger, though - it featured wagyu beef which was partly grilled, partly raw, a garlic and miso mayo, spring onions and cress served in a fried, brioche bun. I don't think I have ever had a more indulgent dish, and eating this with our bare hands, this was certainly food porn at it's finest! Interesting, the beer lost all of it's salty edge and was a refreshing pairing to the greasy food.

The fourth course started off like this... Julienned, raw daikon (and wood sorrel?)...

Then this came to our table! A salt dough encrusted halibut to be shared at the table.

None of our fellow diners dared to dig into the fish, and B therefore took the lead.

The halibut was then served with a sauce made with the #1 fish enemy, according to Jakob Mielcke, red wine. The sauce also featured soy sauce, ox tail broth and dashi and a good amount of salmon roe. It went beautifully with the George beer, which is an entirely black, imperial stout with 12,12% alcohol. M&H had added zest and juice of bergamot which made for a very powerful and aromatic pairing to the almost meaty fish. Great dish.

Time for desserts! First up, raw slices of jerusalem artichoke which was also represented in a sort of mousse. It was escorted by a darky, sticky sesame fudge and cookie crumbs of a sort. In the glass, we had Funky E Star, a Belgian pale ale from Sauternes casks that M&H had feed a fair amount of cream caramel. Somehow I did not manage to get a picture of the beer but it looked a great deal like thin Bailey's - and also tasted a bit like it. Not my favorite of the evening, but the sugary beer went very well with the sweetness of the jerusalem artichokes.

Sixth and last course! This was candied yuzu served up with a an extremely aromatic bergamot sorbet, a sponge cake and what I guess was a matcha mousse of sorts. Again, served with Funky E-star, this time on Chardonnay casks, featuring a generous amount of ginger

Mielcke & Hurtigkarl
Frederiksberg Runddel 1
2000 Frederiksberg

Notes:
This is really not representative of a normal evening at Mielcke & Hurtigkarl - but B and I agreed that it is a place that we would love to return to under normal and less experimental conditions. Apart from the appetizers which I did not care too much for, the food we had this evening was extremely delicate, the ingredient quality unquestionably amazing, and the Asian influences were subtly but interestingly incorporated. The meal had a bit of everything - something weird, something rich, something delicate, and we both left full and satisfied. Prior to the evening I had been a bit unsure of quite what to expect as we previously have attended a beer and wine event at Kiin Kiin from which we left with mixed feelings. The idea of letting Mielcke and Hurtigkarl exercise their magic on the Mikkeller beer however turned out to be an unusual but interesting and tasty concept. We will certainly return to Mielcke & Hurtigkarl again, probably during the summer, when justice can be brought to the beautiful settings (and the current renovation of the restaurant is finished). Highly recommended!