Orangeriet

Herring pickled in Christmas spices with endive, aquavit and cress

Cured duck breast with pickled cranberries, horseradish cream and thyme

Roast beef with grated horseradish, fried onions and pickles

Beef tartare with raw beets, horseradish, pickles and egg yolk

Orangeriet
Kronprinsessegade 13
1306 Copenhagen K
Mon-Sat 11:30am-00am, Sun 12am-4-pm

Notes:
Beautifully located in Kongens Have with a view of Rosenborg castle, Orangeriet is an idyllic setting for a lunch in the light hours during the dark, Danish winter. B and I went on one of the darkest days of the year and were very content with  the restaurant, the ambience, the food and the service. The menu features a wide range of Danish smørrebrød but also a two/three course menu as well as French brasserie dishes like chèvre chaud and confit de canard. We opted for two pieces of smørrebrød each. The pickled herring was an interesting take on a Danish classic with its spicy and sharp notes from the aquavit and the addition of endive. So was Bs choice of duck. Our latter choices were a tad more traditional featuring roast beef and beef tartare. Both well-cooked and hit the spot for both of us. In total, we had a lovely experience at Orangeriet. If one sticks to just two pieces of smørrebrød the price for a meal clocks in at around 150 excluding drinks, making it fairly price competitive compared to other places around the city. Recommended.

Lumskebugten

Curry-egg herring with (apparently) spicy greens.

Artichoke purée soup with baked cod, sautéed artichokes, fried capers, and chives.

Lumskebugten
Esplanaden 21
1263 Copenhagen K
Mon-Sat 11:30am-3:00pm, Wed-Sat 5:30-10:00pm

Notes:
For our annual Christmas lunch, my mom and I went to Lumskebugten. She chose this place as she is very fond of Erwin Lauterbach, who has been a central person in teaching the Danes to eat vegetables through the past decades. Now he is fulfilling one of his dreams, running a lunch restaurant. The place has existed for well... more than a century and is located right next to Mærsk and in an otherwise very mondane part of CPH. This was naturally reflected in the clientele, when I arrived at 1pm the place was already full, mainly elderly and business people. For the food, we started out with pickled herring with chopped eggs, what was supposed to be spicy greens and a lot of cress. With a side of fresh rye bread it made me feel much more Christmas-y. The main course was a very rich artichoke soup, fed plenty of cream. Very delicious. After a cup of coffee we went out into the cold, feeling comfortably ful and fulfilled. All in all, I would we had a pleasant experience at Lumskebugten but I do not think I will return any time soon, mainly due to its location, which is slightly off compared to where I usually come in the city, and the steep prices. These two dishes, two bottles of mineral water plus two cappuccini set us back around 650dkk, and though I certainly enjoyed the meal I think you can find much better value other places around the city (for instance here or here). Reservations necessary - especially in December.

Signatur Spisehus

3 x smørrebrød.

Signatur Spisehus
Kongens Nytorv 16
1050 Copenhagen K

Notes:
On a casual Wednesday my mother and I impulsively decided to have lunch and opted for newly opened Signatur Spisehus. The place was packed with business men and we did also choose their business lunch special of three pieces of smørrebrød priced at 175dkk, thus not exactly a bargain. When the food arrived it quickly occurred to us that Signatur wants to belong to the group of restaurants that do "new takes" on the classic smørrebrød. We were served thinly sliced pork belly, topped with cress and "Italian" salad of peas, carrots and mayonnaise. Then there was smoked mackerel with egg yolk and bitter frisée. And finally there was potatoes with mayonnaise, cress and crispy chicken skin. The first two pieces I found to be very well-tasting but hardly memorable. The last piece was a really unbalanced experience, and to be honest I did not enjoy it very much. It was too rustic and fragmented in its expression - and I have honestly never seen crisp chicken skin this thick! All in all, we had an ok experience at Signatur but I doubt that we will return.

Aamanns Etablissement

3 x smørrebrød

Aamanns Etablissement

Øster Farimagsgade 10

2100 Copenhagen Ø

Open every day 12-16 for lunch

Notes:

I am leaving Denmark in a few weeks to spend half a year in China for an internship (and before that a month of vacation in India), so I try to inhale as much Danish food as possible at the moment. This was lunch for my birthday where my mother treated me to smørrebrød at Aamanns. Previously I have only tried the food next door in the takeaway venue which I am a huge fan of. At this time of year the smørrebrød restaurants are highly sought after and for this lunch the restaurant was also packed. My mom and I both had 3 different smørrebrød. There was chicken salad with curry, apples, baked root vegetables and crisp Skagen ham. Then there was head cheese of pork with pickled savoy cabbage and lingonberries, and finally roast beef with pickles of root vegetables, grated horseradish and fried onions. All completely delicious but at 165 for three pieces not exactly a cheap lunch. I however still highly recommend Aamanns - next time I will try the beef tartar which looks no less than like a piece of art.