B.A.R krog & vinbar

To start off with, two different glasses of bubbly. The rosé number being a cava from Gala Wines in Penédes - refreshing by easily forgettable. The other was a non-dosage variety, a Saumur Brut Zéro Tête en l'Air by the house Manoir de la Tête Rouge made from 80% chenin blanc and 20% chardonnay, which proved to be deep and complex in flavor.

For our sparkling wines, we also had a snack plate. Radishes accompanied by Jerusalem artichoke puree; Baby gem lettuce with egg cream, capers, and fried onions; Crispy fish skin dusted with vinegar powder; Malt crisp bread with a cream of smoked roe and dried anchovy; Pickled cucumber with mousse of rooster liver, cress and crunchy pork bits.



The first dish consisted of salted cod, creamy smoked roe, grilled cucumber, shallots, and nasturtium - very similar in presentation to a dish we recently tasted at Bror. This dish was however in comparison much more intense in flavor due to the addition of smoked roe, though by no means overpowering to the. In our glass a 2012 sauvignon blanc from Domaine de Bablut in Anjou.



Next up was tartare! A very delicate version, certainly chopped by hand, covered by thin slices of daikon, samphire and grated horseradish. The wine pairing was an interesting blend of sauvignon blanc, sauvignon gris and chardonnay - a Cheverny Blanc Frileuse by Clos du Tue-Boeuf in Loire.

For the main course we had braised ox cheeks. Alongside there was smoked bone marrow, beets, glaced as well as thinly sliced, charred leeks and garlic mayonnaise. So delicious but still extremely comforting. This time around our wine companion was a red, interestingly a merlot (can you think of a grape less modern at this point in time). Well, it was excellent - a 2008 Vin de Pays d'Oc from Clos de Barbejo

We decided to share a cheese plate. Unfortunately the exact varieties have slipped by mind, but they were all good. The final wine pairing was a Coteaux du Layon from Chateau de Passavant in Haut-Layon, Southern Anjou, made from 100% chenin blanc.

B.A.R krog & vinbar
Erik Dahlbergsgatan 3
211 48 Malmö

Notes:
For Kristi Himmelfartsdag I had taken the oppotunity to plan a short but exotic getaway for B and I to... Malmö. After having read rave reviews of B.A.R by both Helle Brønnum Carlsen and Søren Frank, I was quick to secure us a table one of the evenings. A 7pm the place was fully packed and the atmosphere was great. Our server was quite busy but also extremely engaging in his storytelling of both food and wines. We opted for a four-course menu (at 350sek quite a bargain) and in addition hereto a snack plate and cheeses to share. Further, our waiter found us some different wines to accompany each dish (all wines are supplied by Danish importer Rosforth&Rosforth, specializing in natural wines). As you can tell from the pictures, the cuisine is modern Nordic, and similar to our experience at Bror I found the dishes to be innovative but still incredibly tasty. I particularly enjoyed our cod starter, the ox cheeks, and the dessert, which I somehow forgot to snap a picture of (fyi, it was packed with bold flavors including dark chocolate ganache and dill sorbet - exquisite!). In total, our bill added up to approximately 1700sek, which I find to be amazing value - especially considering the average cost of alcohol in Sweden. Highly recommended!

Bror

Bubbles to start off with - here a Blonde 2011 made from chardonnay and viognier by Andre Calek in Ardèche.

Snack #1 - Fried ox testicles. Great idea, but the execution needs a bit of work. We felt that the testicles were probably too water-y for the breading to stick properly. The tesicles in themselves by the way, did not taste like much, but the breading was very well-seasoned.

Snack #2 - Squid, söl, and white wine. B was not a huge fan, but I loved this snack. Ultra tender squid in a rich white wine broth, the consistency was almost like a pasta of sorts.

First dish was pike perch with cucumber, spruce, and nasturtium. At the table we were also served a broth made from grilled cucumber and spruce to pour over. Very delicate dish, maybe even a bit too understated in its final expression. In the glass, a Rhône number - more specifically a 2008 Saint Péray by Japanese winemaker Hirotake Ooka.

As a little intermezzo we shared a tartare - a very memorable one at that. The meat being very coursely chopped, but still tender, and incredibly flavorful. The dish also featured rhubarb, which was an excellent addition to the meat, leaving us with an impression of a very simple but pure dish.

Catfish with two sorts of seaweed and pickled onion. Accompanied by a glass of Mâcon-Prety by Alexandre Jouveaux this was one of the evening's highlights.

Onglet with charred leek and shredded cauliflower...

...with a scrumptious green sauce to accompany.

The details of the dessert have unfortunately slipped my mind, though I do remember it as being very pleasing. The main stars of the plate were white chocolate parfait, rhubarb and a lovely, sweet crunch to end it off.

Bror
Skt. Pederstræde 24
1453 Copenhagen K

Notes:
There are few places that are open in Copenhagen on Sundays, but Bror is welcome addition to the little club of restaurants that are. For B's birthday, which incidentally fell on a Sunday in April, we set out to try Bror. As you enter the restaurant you immediately sense the welcoming, buzzing atmosphere featuring dark wood, dim lighting, and a clientele that appeared to represent most corners of the world. The service is friendly and knowing but also quite unstructured and not very speedy - not that we did mind very much as we had great natural wine in our glasses and plenty to talk about. As to the food, I had initially feared that the courses would be too Noma-inspired, but fortunately I was wrong, though you can certainly see where the two head chefs have plenty of their inspiration from. I was instead pleasantly surprised to experience that the dishes at Bror leave you not only with an impression of something that certainly is a take on Nordic cuisine but also something with little pretention and where the main objective is to serve food that is well-tasting rather than just interesting - impressively Bror manages to do both. A four-course menu will set you back 350dkk, which I consider quite a bargain at this level. Highly recommended!