Sharky's

Charcuteri: bresaola, smoked pork tenderloin and coppa. A passable glass of chardonnay.

Amazing cheese plate. Goat's cheese, camembert and a morbier with fresh black truffle. Roasted cashews and cinnamon/apple compote.

The best artisanal ice cream I have had in Asia. Rum/raisin, chocolate chip and coconut.

Sharky's
117 Dhammazedi Road
(just north of the Shwe Dagon pagoda)
Yangon, Myanmar

Notes: It all started with a Monocle podcast. B and I are both avid listeners of The Menu and long before I had even considered going to Myanmar, there was a feature on Sharky's in Yangon. Why? The place is rather unique in comparison to Yangon's culinary scene's other offerings where most food is served on the street and made from local prodce and more formalized options are based on imported goods. Sharky's however produces its own charcuteri, cheese and ice creams with locally sourced inputs. Pretty spectacular given the evident lack of infrastructure, especially cold chains and the like. So of course I had to give it a shot during my time in Yangon. 

For the sake of sampling the entire portfolio of their foods made in-house, I went a bit overboard but honestly, the food was so delicious that I finished it all. The charcuteri? Good. Certainly matches the quality of many South European equivalents. The bresaola had some chew, which I really liked, while the coppa was the sort that melts-in-your mouth. The cheese? Obviously, the place specializes in dairy products that do not require too long time for production, why I was only served softer types. All were great and full fat varieties. Especially, the morbier was incredibly delicious and I was baffled by the use of fresh truffle (as much as I know those cannot be sourced in Myanmar, though!). All in all, a pretty exceptional selection where you certainly felt that it was homemade and not of the imported kind. The same goes for the ice cream. Probably the best artisanal ice cream I have tried anywhere in Asia, again due to the high quality of the cream. To me the rum/raisin was the showstopper here. I am sure I could have eaten three more scoops had they been set in front of me.

In total, I had a very pleasant evening at Sharky's. The place is not inexpensive, and for the three dishes and two glasses of wine, I paid approx. 50 USD. The wine I should say, is of the imported kind, and given the fact that Myanmar now produces wine that is more than just merely drinkable, I thought it could had been a great feature. The high price level is naturally also reflected in the clientele, as prices by far exceed what locals can afford. Nonetheless, the atmosphere at Sharky's is light and relaxed. I quickly fell into talks with the couple dining next to me and would most certainly return for a scoop or three of that delicious ice cream. Highly recommended.

Amass (Table 153)

Restaurant entrance.

Apéritifs. I had a glass of sparkling red, pinot noir to be exact, a Charmoire from Domaine Alice Beaufort. B had a glass of Bois san Soif by Olivier Masson, made from romorantin and menu pineau.

First dish. St. John's wort with fillings of fava beans, samphire and crème fraiche. Refreshing. In our glass 2012 Amphibolit Nature from Domain Landron in Loire. Served in jeroboam (double magnum) bottles with beautiful seals of yellow lacquer.

The bread was interestingly one of the highlights for me this evening. Served steaming warm, featuring fermented potato and served with pesto made from greens from the garden. Delicious and certainly different. I love how fermentation is getting popular among Copenhagen chefs!

Raw mackerel and spring onion, topped with crispy mackerel skin. Very simple, somewhat fishy, which I appreciated. 

Chips made from oat porridge, walnuts and grated, frozen foie gras. Very subtle, almost too subtle, and easily forgotten. We had a white wine from Bourgogne in our glass. A 2012 Aligoté by Didier Montchovet.

Crisp bits of chicken skin, egg yolk, virgin butter and a "salsa" of sugarsnap peas and söl. So rich but still a very well-balanced dish. A highlight this evening. We drank an oxidized Savagnin from Arbois in Jura

To round off the savory adventures, there was lamb. Breast of lamb in thin slices, accompanied by raw cucumber and gooseberries and mint. A very delicate dish, which however lacked a wow-effect and left an impression of being slightly insipid and slightly unbalanced, as the gooseberries and mint almost took up too much space in the mouth. Our wine pairing was a blend of Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanch and Chardonnay from Anjou, a 2010 Sauvageonne from Domaine Les Griottes. Evident fruity aromas and as such a very good match.

Dessert was a lovely composition of unsweetened milk ice cream, topped with wild cherries, bread croûtons and olive oil. In our glasses, we had another wine by Alice Beaufort, Le Petit Beaufort, Demi-Sec. Unfortunately bit too acidic and dry in the given context.

Avecs. Which could not afford. We had a lovely, Danish apple brandy instead.

Warm and buttery madeleines with pepper, to be eaten with rhubarb compote.

Amass
Refshalevej 153
1432 Copenhagen

Notes:
Frankly, it's about fair time that I get to blog about my experience at highly anticipated Amass, fronted by former head chef at Noma, California-born Matt Orlando. B and I visited more than one month ago amidst a heavy final thesis spurt and time has thus been scarce. Better late than never, though and as it appears that the food in the mean time has been more than sufficiently described in detail (as well as photographed from every possible angle), this review will refrain from just that. Rather I will provide my later reflections on how we experienced the concept of table 153 and the restaurant as a whole.

Turning the clock back to mid-June, tables for Amass were first released for reservation. B had expressed a distinct desire to visit since the restaurant launch was made official in early 2013, and I was quick to book us a table at the Table 153. According to mr. Orlando the concept of the table, hosting a maximum of 10 diners each night, is to bring all sorts of people together. One may call it a communal table, which is a concept I think the concept to some extent succeeded with. 

As we entered the restaurant we were brought to the lounge area for an apéritif with our fellow diners. These included two hardcore and very well-off gastro-tourists from NYC, a Dubai-based Australian heading for an ironman in Sweden, an Austrian-Danish couple and two twenty-something female brits. Quite a mix, and most of all, it was interesting to hear their take on Amass and the Copenhagen dining scene in general. A good start to the evening.

We were seated for dinner and were all served the tasting menu. Both B and I felt slightly disappointed that this "special" table provided nothing but a different, interactive setting for our dinner. Unjustified maybe, I don't know. It was however especially in the light that Amass' acoustic conditions by no means supported the concept of a communal table that disappointment set in (as also pointed to here and here). I was put at the very end and was only able to speak to B and one other person across the table. Further, it was really hard to identify the details of the food and wines when presented by the waiters.

These are thus the main points of criticism of the night. But all in all, what is the conclusion? No doubt Amass is the single-most hyped restaurant opening in Copenhagen, which I have ever witnessed. I can thus only imagine the pressure that Mr. Orlando and the rest of the staff must have felt at opening, particularly in the light of how everyone will compare it to Noma. I think the restaurant showcased a number of sympathetic features, especially the little menu tweaks from day to day is a detail that I really appreciated. The food as such did not blow me away. Was it good? Yes. Mind-blowing? No. I found much greater attention to detail at Bror for instance, which by the way comes at a lower price tag and is set in a cosy venue, too. So as the food certainly was good, I felt like too much attention had been brought to the non-food features of the restaurant. The location, the space, the 153 concept, "lets do a Mikkeller-colab", "always spaces reserved for walk-ins" stressed and so on. And I certainly understand how the restaurant would like to clearly establish its own identify from the very beginning. 

In total, the 153 concept has potential to become really great. Unfortunately, the surroundings when we were visiting did not quite support the proper execution of its mission, to bring people together, and somehow our dinner at Amass did not turn out to be the holistic and sensory experience, which he had hoped for. Too little interaction and too little engagement. Will we visit again? Possibly, but not until the first half year has passed and the fundamental components of the restaurant have been further established.

Geist

Tartare of Norwegian lobster (more like a carpaccio really) with yogurt and hibiscus.

Raw salmon with pearls of soy, ginger and lime set atop.

Shaved raw cauliflower with truffle foam.

Raw beef, lumpfish roe and chili.

Buttery potato purée with crab.

Heart of lamb, shitake mushrooms, and yuzu.

Geist
Kongens Nytorv 8
1050 Copenhagen K

Notes:
On a summer day where everybody our age group had seemed to disappear to some place called Roskilde, my friend L and I decided to take advantage of the peaceful state of the city and enjoy a night out. After kicking off the evening with ridiculously expensive but quite generic dirty martinis at fugu we had put in a reservation at Geist. Once entering you immediately sense a more cosmopolitan, almost club-y feeling from the place. The restaurant is tastefully decorated in dark hues with long counters for diners and only a few actual tables. The music is of the upbeat lounge variety and was in fact rather load. We were seated at the bar with a view of the "warm" kitchen, which boasted plenty of activity for us to observe throughout the evening.

As to the food, the menu is simply constructed, dishes being described in few nouns only. This is the very essence of Bo Bech's culinary style, using few ingredients to create powerful and unusual combinations. We settled for three dishes each and ordered a bottle of natural non-dosage bubbles to accompany the first two heats. In this case a Mauzac Nature by Robert & Bernard Plageoles in Gaillac. The wine expressed clear natural wine characteristics, notes of apple peel being very evident (may also very well be because of the mauzac grape from which it is 100% made of), and it provided a refreshing backdrop to the first few dishes.

Given the simplistic dishes I think that they are very hit or miss. We had a number of stunning dishes this evening, especially the salmon/ginger/soy/lime (salmon seems to be very underrated among chefs in fine dining contexts in my opinion!), ox/lumpfish roe/chili and crab/butter/potato purée combinations spring to mind, which left us with new and exciting taste impressions. On my own part I found the cauliflower dish to be a bit too large if to be enjoyed with it become slightly insipid at the end, while the yuzu was slightly overpowering in the lamb dish, which otherwise was excellent. My L was not a huge fan of the addition of yogurt to her Norwegian lobster dish, though I enjoyed it, and in the end taste is of course a matter of subjective opinion.

To be noted is that the selection of wine by the glass is very limited, in fact there were only three whites and three reds, not advertised in the menu. I had a glass of generic syrah, which certainly did the job of accompanying the lamb but I certainly did not consider it a 110 DKK glass of wine. L had a glass of Chablis, which paired well with her crab dish, though given the very differing identities of the dishes, adding a larger selection of glasses to the wine list would certainly be a place where Geist could easily improve.

All in all, we had quite an enjoyable evening, which in the end added up to 750 DKK per head. While I did enjoy the food very much the price level would however be a natural barrier for Geist to become an everyday sort of place, that Bo Bech also intends it to be. For a special night out in good company the restaurant however delivers magnificent surroundings, a lovely ambience as well as food and wine to fit the bill.

Manzel

Fataar (pastry with spinach), baba ghannouj (eggplant and tahini spread) and kibbeh nayeh (tartare of lamb (?) spiced with cinnamon) on lettuce with pinenuts, zaatar (cracker with sumak, thyme and sesame).

Fresh bread, Khadra (green beans and snap peas topped with with hazelnuts, chili and nigella seeds), labneh (yogurt dip with mint), Mouhamara (red peppers, nuts, and chili) and hummus (no introduction for this one!).

Falafel with yogurt dip and poussin and chickpeas.

Bread stuffed with minced meat and pine nuts and topped with pomegranate syrup. 

A light dessert of knafef (mozzarella-stuffed pastry soaked in rose syrup), caramelized nuts, watermelon and Medjool dates. 

Manzel
Rosengården 18
1174 Copenhagen K

Notes:
Behind Manzel stands Sammy Shafi, owner of Group Shafi, which amongst other features Michelin-starred Kokkeriet in its portfolio. Shafi himself is of Lebanese origin, which is also the culinary theme of Manzel. B and I visited the restaurant during its soft opening period, where we had the chance to sample the set menu for a mere 150dkk, which provided us with excellent value. Today the price equivalent is 375dkk, which I honestly would find a bit on the excessive side. We did however have a lovely experience at Manzel - the concept of sharing mezze is always a winner, and seeing that Middle Eastern cuisine generally is little represented in Copenhagen, Manzel is a welcome addition. Few dishes during the night however left me with large impression, naming the few it was the tartare, falafel and the knafeh. The remaining dishes were executed and presented very well, though left me with a feeling of being good but not great. Further to be noted, is that the atmosphere is very clubby, and it appears that the place turns into a night club during (the last and very bad pictures should be evidence enough!), so keep this in mind if you book a table at Manzel - authentic Lebanese atmosphere is not a part of the package. If you're looking for a cosmopolitan atmosphere and do not mind paying a price premium for standard Middle Eastern fare, Manzel may very well be your best option in Copenhagen at current stage.

Den Røde Cottage*

The restaurant, set in the glade of a forest, just by the sea.



Cured salmon with panko crumbs, chives and creamy dots of something I unfortunately have forgotten what was. In our glasses there was Champagne, a non-vintage blanc de blancs by Franck Bonville, to be more exact.

For our second amuse lobster was the main star.

Our final amuse was fried sweetbread of veal with an apple jelly.

Two kinds of bread (one light wheat variety and a darker one) and two kinds of butter (one plain salted and one whipped with buttermilk and pumpkin seeds).

Fried turbut with young carrots and peas, later topped with sauce nage. We had a gorgeous, quite oaky 2011 chenin blanc in our glass, from Chateau Yvonne in Saumur.

White asparagus by Søren Wiuff in different textures. Steamed heads and long strips of pickled stalk, accompanied by a poached egg. Not too excited this dish, though the asparagus were undoubtable of exceptional quality.

Roast chicken with steamed spring onions and cress. For this course we enjoyed a surprisingly powerful 2009 pinot noir from Haute Cotes-de-Beaune.



Danish Thybo cheese set atop morels, crisp bread, mayonnaise (a bit too overpowering for my taste) and topped with cress. In the glass a Blancs de Noirs Champagne.

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! A cake of chocalate in different textures and a woodruff sherbet on the side. We had a glass of 2005 Late Bottled Vintage Port to accompany this.

Petit fours for our teas and coffees, including little nut baskets with frozen cream, financier, madeleines and chocolate truffles.

Den Røde Cottage
Strandvejen 550
2930 Klampenborg

Notes:
Anita Klemensen belongs to the very exclusive Copenhagen club of female Michelin-starred chef - in fact, she's the only member. With previous experience from Søllerød Kro and Kommandanten she's schooled at classic, dare I even say, traditional places, which was also evident from our visit to Den Røde Cottage. The restaurant is set beautifully in a clearing in the woods along the coast line North of Copenhagen. The reason for our visit was the celebration of my father's 60 year birthday, and I shall therefore excuse that only mental notes were taken and unfortunately quite a few details have slipped my mind. In any case, we had a beautiful dinner! The service was probably the most attentive I have ever received in Copenhagen and the staff were generally good at creating a relaxed atmosphere in the restaurant. Among the culinary highlights I will mention the turbot and the dessert, which I found to be prime example of the tastiness that the restaurant represents. However, and to be honest I would not be able to pinpoint any dish that really blew my mind. The  dinner was a such flawless, the dishes were comforting and executed to perfection, but I missed the little quirky details that differentiate a meal from being good to being memorable. The location is however absolutely unique and I will certainly not reject that we might return, as the place also counts among most affordable Michelin-starred restaurants in Copenhagen, and the visit surely made me want to visit the sister restaurant Den Gule Cottage a few hundred meters down the road. Recommended.

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.

Brasserie Entré

Roasted white asparagus with shrimps, cream of smoked cheese and cress.

Beef tartare with ramson mayo, caper berries, shallots, radishes and crisp bread.

Brasserie Entré
Godthåbsvej 30
2000 Frederiksberg

Notes:
Godthåbsvej has seen a gastronomical blossoming recently, now hosting places like Meyers Deli, Det Rene Brød, and The Coffee Collective among others. One of the latest additions is Brasserie Entré, which opened its doors a few months ago opposite Axel Møllers Have and right next to Den Blå Hund. Apparently, it is also this neighboring café that has bought the old café spaces, made it into a decent French brasserie, and hired a chef from Michelin-starred Søllerød Kro to run the kitchen. 

I visited the place with my mother on a Friday for lunch. The menu is limited but featuring plenty of interesting and appealing choices. I opted for the beef tartare, while my mother went with the roasted asparagus with Rømø shrimps and smoked cheese. Before our dishes arrived we were served some gorgeous wholemeal rolls, fresh from the oven, alongside salted butter - wonderful. And the kitchen did not let our now high expectations down with the dishes we had ordered. My mother was extremely pleased with the asparagus and especially the addition of smoked cheese to the dish. As to my tartare, the beef was undoubtably of excellent quality, and structurally the dish was well put together. The only but was the ramson mayo, which did not really showcase much of an identity. All in all, the quality of the food was top notch and certainly worth the 120dkk we had payed each for our dishes - especially considering how this amount will only buy you boring nachos next door. The service was furthermore very attentive and friendly. In total a great experience, and I will most certainly return.