Mikropolis

Dog on a leash

Gimme Gimme Gimme

Notes:
Mikkeller & Friends is getting too crowded for you? Or maybe just too turquoise? You're in the mood for a cocktail? Maybe a beer? Something alcoholic to sip on? Head to Mikropolis, the latest Mikkeller offspring! Mikropolis is Mikkeller's attempt at a casual (yet ambitious) cocktail bar. We visited on the bar's second opening day where customers were few and the atmosphere relaxed. B opted for a beer (they have around 15 on tap if I remember correctly and an extensive bottle list), while I jumped straight to the cocktails. First up a Dog on a leash featuring Mikkeller's White Dog, an un-aged whisky, citrus, egg white and freshly grated raw licorice as the final touch. Excellent cocktail (so excellent that I will forgive the use of licorice, which is excessively overused. Marketeers will put it in anything edible at these latitudes). Second up, Gimme Gimme Gimme, another sour. This one featured Del Maguey mezcal, which provided a nice backdrop for other ingredients including cinnamon and Dry Curacao. The cocktails are reasonably priced at 75-85dkk, in other words competitive prices in a Copenhagen context where cocktails easily can set you back 120dkk. Go now, before the presumably upcoming hipster invasion!

Mikropolis
Vendersgade 22
1363 Copenhagen K

Mikkeller

Pizza Port A.B.L.E. (Achievement Beyond Life's Experiences) Stout + Frederiksdal cherry wine.

Mikkeller
Viktoriagade 8B-C
1655 Copenhagen V

Notes: A shout-out for one of Copenhagen's finest beer bars! B and I dropped in before heading for NOSE2TAIL on a Sunday evening, where the place was semi-full - I don't think there is such a thing as off-peak hours here. Understable as Mikkeller always has 20 different (and oftentimes rare) beers on tap, and they are in heavy rotation! This time B was intrigued by an American stout by Pizza Port Brewing Company, while I was almost ashamed not to order beer as well. I had however spotted that they were serving Frederiksdal cherry wine by the glass for just 50dkk. For those who do not know Frederiksdal, the product that they produce is unlike any other cherry wines, quite dry and complex. I have been served it at Radio previously and it can be found in renowned restaurants like Le Sommelier, Kødbyens Fiskebar and even noma. A collaboration between Frederiksdal and Mikkeller is by the way coming up, taking form as Spontan Cherry (check out the beautiful artwork, too!), which should be hit the bar quite soon. I should note that Mikkeller is open every, single day - and that they are expanding with a new and larger bar, named Mikkeller & Friends to be opened on March 16 (take note, 1000 beers will be handed out for free!). Highly recommended - and looking forward to seeing the new space in Copenhagen N.

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!

Café Blågaards Apotek

Anchor Brewing Company's Brekle's Brown + Weston's Old Rosie Cloudy Scrumpy.

Café Blågårds Apotek
Blågards Plads 2
2200 Copenhagen N

Notes:
Before heading to Radio last Friday, B and I met at Blågårds Apotek for an after-work drink. The place does not look like much but boasts an impressive selection of beer and is usually always packed. B chose a brown ale by Anchor Brewing Company which did the job perfectly, nothing mind-blowing, but a good brown ale. I had a cider by Weston's (after the waitress numerous times had mentioned that it was nothing like Somersby - fine, thanks!), which as the name implies was an unfiltered, dry number that I very much enjoyed. All in all, a very enjoyable visit. Low-key ambience, good atmosphere, and fair prices. Recommended.

The Globe

Wychwood Ginger Beard Ginger Beer and Fuller's Organic Honey Dew from tap.

Ciders! Watkin's Taffy Apple and Sheppy's Oak Matured Vintage Reserve.

Morrocan spiced shish kebabs with preserved lemon yoghurt.

Fried halloumi with lentils, tzatziki, kalamata olives and beets.

Puff pastry goat cheese tart with honey and pesto.

The Globe
Garley Building
45-53 Graham Street
Central, Hong Kong

Notes:
I am not sure how long The Globe has existed but I feel fairly confident that it has been a Hong Kong craft beer institution of some sorts for quite of a while. They feature a very liberal, every-day happy hour from 9am to 8pm, where most beverages are around 2/3 the normal price. We went in the late afternoon at a point wheres a refreshing beer in the humid, Hong Kong August heat sounded just right. Their selections of both beer and ciders is quite impressive and we made a serious effort to try a lot of different things, e.g. I really enjoyed the Ginger Beard ginger beer, which was new to both of us. We decided to stay for dinner and try some of the tempting offers from the food menu. The goat cheese tart was not bad, but just ok though we both adored the halloumi cheese dish and the shish kebabs. Generally, The Globe is a casual but lively place to go. Service is friendly and good craft beer aplenty. What else can one really ask for? Recommended.

Japanese FMCG

Sushi lunch and Pepsi Black Lemon from depato Matsuzakaya in Ginza. 

Pre-dinner drinks and snacks: tonkatsu chips (tasted more like the sauce, sweet-ish) and black Sapporo

Oreos - Pina Colada flavor?

Sushi, sashimi and wakame salad dinner from Precce Premium in the basement of Tokyo Midtown. 

...Where we also picked up this Rosé de Japon to go with our meal. Not a very memorable wine but surely interesting to try. 

Late night snacking and drinking: A flat (?) ice cream cone and Häagen-Dazs crêpe glacé with Tiramisu flavor (B loved this one). The Strong Zero being a R2D mixed drink, and pretty bad-tasting as much as I remember.

Coffee break: Van Houten Cocoa and Roots Aroma Black from 7eleven + Pain aux raisins from local bakery

Another depato lunch.

Best of FritoLay: Mike popcorn, Doritos and Cheetos. B was very fond of this chips compilation.

Cod roe chips (we did not buy these, though).

Lemonade, squid and salad from 7eleven.

Lemon/squash mentos + Melon Fanta

Notes:
B and I are FMCG nerds. Whenever we go traveling be spend a great deal of time in supermarkets and seek out local products and brands. And as you know Japan is a haven in this context. We thus spent every possible occasion to try new products during our Tokyo trip. Some was good, most just interesting, but we surely did have a great deal of fun with it.

Misc. Tokyo Eats and Drinks

Ramen in Shibuya.

Pickles, karaage and biru in an Akasaka izakaya.

Yakitori of all sorts in Akasaka izakaya.

Yakitori, umeshu and biru in 400yen izakaya in Roppongi.

Octopus and fried smelt in a Shinjuku izakaya.

Tamagoyaki in a Ginza izakaya.

Late night tempura snacking in a Shinjuku izakaya.

Bento dinner in a Shinjuku izakaya. 

Omu rice in a Shibuya izakaya.

Noodle okonomiyaki in Shibuya.

Soup and salad from a lunch set in a Shibuya café.

Pasta gratin from a lunch set in a Shibuya café.

Steak salad and baked risotto from a Shibuya café.

Breakfast set with croissant with actual butter (a rarity in China) in an Omotesando bakery.

Coffee break with brownie in Rose Bakery in Dover Street Market.

B and a green tea soft serve. 

Mandatory cocktails in the New York Bar in Park Hyatt. Bland, overpriced and tacky cocktails. Who serves a negroni in a martini glass?

Japanese food road kill.