Grønbech & Churchill*

Roll, glazed in licorice and topped with fennel seeds. Whipped butter with yogurt to accompany.

Spring onion, salad onions, pearl onions, chives, and ramsons atop brill in vinegar and green pepper. In our glass, a white 2009 number from Jean-Marc Boillot's Domaine Les Roques in Languedoc. Made from 95% roussanne and 5% viognier the wine appeared mature and very aromatic and with a deep finish, which seemed almost oxidized.

Different bread for the second dish, this time rolled in polenta, ground ginger and cumin.



White asparagus from Søren Wiuff and black lobster, in a creamy velouté of aspargus and Arla Unika's Havgus. In the glass, a grüner veltliner from Anna & Martin Arndorfer in Kamptal. Very refreshing, but in my opinion also rather forgettable in itself.

Braised and glazed leg of duck, abricot in its pure form and as a purée, turnip and thin slices of radish, raw leaves of endive as well as thin slices of dried duck breast. On the side a manitoba bread, a high-protein and high-gluten flour variety. In our glass, an organic number made from 100% tempranillo by Corral de Campanas.

Poached kiwi, brushed with a curry-infused oil with white chocolate snow, thin strips of fresh mint, a yogurt parfait, all set atop a white chocolate ganache. The accompanying wine was a chenin blanc "L'Étoile" from Domaine de Petit Coteau in Vouvray, Loire.

An espresso to round off with chocolate served from a cigar box. One featuring crunchy praline, another one smoky Islay (if I had less shame, I would certainly have asked for second helpings of the latter one).

Grønbech & Churchill
Esplanaden 48 / Amaliegade 49
1256 Copenhagen K

Notes:
Grønbech & Churchill had been on B's radar for quite a while, and though the place certainly is affordably - especially considering its Michelin star - we had not managed to get around to actually trying. So when we found out that the place offered a PolitikenPlus offer, including champagne, four courses and accompanying wines as well as coffee and sweets for just 800dkk we knew we had to pay the restaurant a visit. We were started off with a glass André Clouet as well as almonds, tossed in a curry mixture of sorts, which somehow did not quite do it for me. First dish quickly arrived, a very picturesque dish of brill and onions. Accompanied by a bread glazed in licorice and a glass of almost oxidized roussanne, this pairing stands among the most memorable I have had in recent time. I should mention pairs each dish with a different bread - quite a cute idea, and in this first instance the concept was very successfully employed, while the other two savory dishes did not come together quite as well as the first. I was however a huge fan of the dessert, featuring curry and kiwi, quite un-Nordic and very liberating to try something completely different, though the dish was still incredibly tasty. This generally goes for all dishes. They are beautiful and tasty, though in the end the restaurant left me with a weird feeling of not having displayed any personality other than in the dishes. The staff was friendly but not very talkative. Service was very quick. And generally the place does not ooze much personality. We did however leave the place feeling very satisfied about the food, though the surroundings just lacked... something. If you however want to try affordable Michelin-star food in Copenhagen Grønbech & Churchill is certainly a decent option.

Brasserie Entré

Roasted white asparagus with shrimps, cream of smoked cheese and cress.

Beef tartare with ramson mayo, caper berries, shallots, radishes and crisp bread.

Brasserie Entré
Godthåbsvej 30
2000 Frederiksberg

Notes:
Godthåbsvej has seen a gastronomical blossoming recently, now hosting places like Meyers Deli, Det Rene Brød, and The Coffee Collective among others. One of the latest additions is Brasserie Entré, which opened its doors a few months ago opposite Axel Møllers Have and right next to Den Blå Hund. Apparently, it is also this neighboring café that has bought the old café spaces, made it into a decent French brasserie, and hired a chef from Michelin-starred Søllerød Kro to run the kitchen. 

I visited the place with my mother on a Friday for lunch. The menu is limited but featuring plenty of interesting and appealing choices. I opted for the beef tartare, while my mother went with the roasted asparagus with Rømø shrimps and smoked cheese. Before our dishes arrived we were served some gorgeous wholemeal rolls, fresh from the oven, alongside salted butter - wonderful. And the kitchen did not let our now high expectations down with the dishes we had ordered. My mother was extremely pleased with the asparagus and especially the addition of smoked cheese to the dish. As to my tartare, the beef was undoubtably of excellent quality, and structurally the dish was well put together. The only but was the ramson mayo, which did not really showcase much of an identity. All in all, the quality of the food was top notch and certainly worth the 120dkk we had payed each for our dishes - especially considering how this amount will only buy you boring nachos next door. The service was furthermore very attentive and friendly. In total a great experience, and I will most certainly return.

Restaurant Chili

Friday night burger feast!

No skimping on the blue cheese!

...not on the mushrooms à la crème either for that matter. 

Very cheap Rioja.

Restaurant Chili
Vandkunsten 1
1467 Copenhagen K

Notes:
On a springy Friday night in May, B and I had commenced a small cocktail crawl but suddenly found ourselves in need of a quick pitstop to inhale some solids before moving on to the next watering hole in line. Chili became our spontaneous choice. Located right in the center of Copenhagen, the restaurant has been there for years. The concept is easy to understand - decent burgers at decent prices. Being quite the blue cheese lover, I naturally went with this option and was not disappointed to find what resembled an entire package of Danablu atop my burger. B went with creamy mushrooms, no skimping on the toppings there either. The burgers were grilled to a medium perfection level, and now comes the fun: little carrousels of bowls are served alongside, comprising all sorts of condiments from chili relish over aioli to good old fashioned ketchup. Alongside this burger feast we decided to have a ridiculously cheap bottle of Rioja (less than 200dkk), which was really not properly tempered. We threw in a few cubes of ice, French style, and it went perfectly with the very unpretentious meal. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my burger, which by the way are extremely affordable, and Chili left me with an impression of being a no-fuss but very honest place. Highly recommended.