Relæ*

Snack: Taco of celeriac with fillings of baked and grated celeriac, buttermilk, several types of cress and grated, dried egg yolk.

In the glass: Eureka 2009 from Coulée d'Ambrosia in the Loire Valley

1st course: Eggplant, seawater and elderflower.

In the glass: Amétrine 2008 by Joël Courtault in Touraine.

2nd course: Carpaccio of Havervedgaard lamb, onion, dill and shrimp powder

In the glass: Pink Rabbit 2010 by Nicolas Testard in Beaujolais, made from Gamay.

3rd course: Potato "spaghetti", hazelnuts and grated bergamot.

In the glass: Originel 2010 by Julien Courtois, Soings en Sologne.

4th course: Veal sweet bread, fried on one side, with basil and grated cauliflower.

In the glass: Vieilles Vignes 2005 by Domaine de Peyra in Auvergene.

5th course: Cream cheese of goat's milk from Swedish farm Hagelstad and parsley emulsion.

In the glass: Sauvageonne 2009 from Les Grittes in Anjou.

6th course: Italian meringue with ice cream of corn, pieces of corn, bread crumbs and marjoram leaves.

In the glass: Une Poire pour la Soif

Relæ
Jægersborggade 41
2200 Copenhagen N
Wed-Sat 5:30pm-00am

Notes:
B and I really had no clue what to expect when we entered Relæ that Friday evening. We had read tons of reviews, many incredibly positive, some very sceptical. Would we like it? Or would it be too avantgarde for us old-fashion, foie gras-loving people? In the end I must say, we had a very enjoyable evening at Relæ. First of all, I very much like Relæ's ambience, it is light and unpretention. 70's music makes a nice and relaxed audiovisual backdrop. Further, you set your own table with cutlery from the drawer in your table, and as the night went out we managed to spread bread crumbs all over the table, which the waiters did not pay much attention to. Very un-Michelin Star-y. But as to the food, we were pleasantly surprised. It was challenging, but well tasting. Highlights of the evening included the lamb and shrimp powder, the potato dish and the sweet breads, which were exceptionally well prepared. On the other hand, I found the cheese dish to be rather bland though the presentation was new and interesting. And though I did not dislike the dessert, I will just never love having put vegetables in my dessert (I have even lived in China so I can fairly say that the corn ice cream concept is tried and tested - but not so much to my taste). Finally, I very much enjoyed the beverage pairings of natural wines, which Relæ's is well-known for. They were knowingly presented by our waiter who by the way delivered a flawless service throughout the evening. Recommended. And we will surely return at some point in the future.

Manfreds & Vin

Snacks (cured olives, unriped peaches, smoked Marcona almonds) and natural wine by Alain Allier

Shank of pork, braised and grilled endive, potato puree

Manfreds & Vin

Jægersborggade 40

2200 Copenhagen N

Tue-Sun 12-22

Notes:

My friend S and I had not seen each other for a while and we decided that newly opened Manfreds & Vin would be the perfect venue for a good meal, a decent glass of wine and lively atmosphere. When we arrived 15 minutes before our reservation time we were assigned to the bar, which was packed. On the recommendation of the sommelier we got a bottle of Pitchounet, priced competitively at 250dkk. Manfreds & Vin specializes in natural wines of which I have little knowledge. This wine was a pleasant experience, made from 100% Cinsaut, a grape unknown to me up until then. 

The service of Manfreds & Vin is friendly, knowledgable but not super attentive. We did not get our table until 45 minutes after our arrival. Not a problem as it was the day of the Beaujolais Nouveau release and we were thus provided with a new take on the concept. In fact, it was not bad at all. But lets get back to the food! When we were finally seated we were offered snacks on the house because of the waiting time. Especially the almonds were delicious. We both opted for the daily special priced at 135dkk - on that particular Thursday it was pork shank, endives and potato puree. The meat was extremely tender, the puree had certainly been fed a good amount of butter but the endive was a nice contrast to the otherwise very rich dish. When we left a few hours after, the place was still full, thus reservations is a must. Highly recommended.