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.