I was excited to start my very crazy, almost dizzying trip around the Nordics. I planned this trip when the nearly-bankrupt SAS offered an almost too-cheap-to-believe roundtrip to Europe, albeit with some twists. It was cheaper for some reason to have extra connections from/to Copenhagen before the transatlantic flight…so of course I took advantage of it.
I arrived at CPH after a relatively good red-eye flight. I had paid for a better seat, and the aisle bulkhead seat was the best one on the plane by far. Consider it was cheaper than a checked bag, that was money well spent.
Alas I was a little early for their 12 midday opening, so I went to buy a discounted thin coat from shops trying to unload them as spring is here. I see in my itinerary some weather that may be worse than I had anticipated (I didn’t bring a jacket with me), so I bought one that was conveniently 50% off.
I headed up to Mash and relaxed with a much-appreciated cocktail overlooking the bustling terminal around the B gates entryway. I usually don’t like to drink or eat before a flight, but the next one is a quick one. Then not long after the good stuff arrived.
Yep, what I always get here, the excellent Danish ribeye. Lovely flavours, good temperature. Considering the plague of overcooked beef I’ve had in the US recently from “top” steakhouses, this was very welcomed!
A side of mushrooms, which is a change from my usual jalapeños, but it worked very well. A lovely lunch to have when you have a little time, and you almost forget you’re in an airport. Probably one of few places in an airport anywhere in the world I would be happy to eat at.
My flight is not far, so I decided to enjoy a last tipple and even a dessert…
Far bigger from what I usually have (especially as a non-dessert person), but this is the start of what should be a very fun trip, so i went with this nice combo. I was very happy and fuelled up for the second flight, and I thanked my excellent servers and walked down the stairs towards my gate for Bergen. What a great start!
Or was it? To be continued…
Mash Københavns Lufthavn Terminal 2 Kastrup, Danmark
This list is very different, but related, to the previous post, as it undoubtedly influenced this particular list. I tried not to replicate any from the previous list, but two were just too good not to add here… But overall, I tried to avoid listing things twice, although a few other dishes from the previous list would come very, very close to making this list.
Anyway, hope you enjoy this second look back at my food journey in 2023!
Stunning dish. Maybe the best tripe dish I’ve had in my life, and I eat them all the time as my readers know. I make it at home quite often as well. This version captured the essence of tripe for me, easy to eat but retaining the necessary unique texture and flavour. Oh, and that crab and sauce… Absolutely stunning, worth flying across the country for.
Again, sorry for another repeat from the previous list, but this was ridiculously good. So good, I ordered a second dish! I love eel, and these large European eels are getting harder and harder to find. No need for any unnecessary smoking, cooking these things fresh is the best way to capture its flavour. So good.
Finding something good in Michigan’s capital was unexpected, but getting one of the best braised short rib dishes in your life was ridiculously unexpected. Cooked to absolute perfection, this oft-ruined…ah, let’s be honest, ruined 99% of the time…dish retained flavour and texture without losing the unique qualities of the short rib in a way that’s hard to describe without you tasting it. But needless to say, it made a huge impression on me, and makes me want to visit Lansing again and again.
Just look at this crudo plate. I waited years to return to Napoli to have its amazing seafood, and this was a welcome reward for my first night back. The gamberi rossi were especially delicious. This tiny eatery has become world famous for its daily crudo selection, and it’s easy to see why! Most people stop off here just for this dish on their evening stroll. If I lived in Napoli, that’s what I’d do!
I honestly did not expect to have such a good night at this new and very popular Denver eatery, but the kitchen and front-of-house staff surprised me – especially with the perfectly cooked duck. The additions of pea shoots and morels turned a fabulous dish into a spectacular one that landed on this list. It’s not easy that a duck dish beats something from Boka, which consistently makes some of the best dish in the world, but this certainly did that night!
It’s hard enough to find proper tira de asado in Chicago, but this version was done so darn well it turned me into a devotee of El Che for a short time – until they blew it a few months later with poor quality meat and wonky service. But the memories of this first visit, where I enjoyed very high quality rib meat, plus a very generous portion, remain. So delicious… Question is whether I should give them another chance in 2024 – will I get something nearly as good as this, or will I get another dud like the last visit?
Really, Mel? Even with that amazing whole plaice you ate, you’re picking the soup? Yes. It was a spectacular dinner at Iluka in Denmark’s capital, but what really made it amazing was the opener. This tomato broth was so intense and refreshing it’s something I would dream of bottling up and drinking all the time! Of course the oysters and samphire made this even more memorable, but I totally stand by adding this as one of the top ten dishes of 2023!
I didn’t expect much when I saw this dish as exclusive to one of those dreaded “restaurant week” menus, but turned out to be a complete surprise. Strong flavours, with a perfectly cooked (and generous) piece of monkfish that worked super well with the rest of the dish. A true feast for seafood lovers! And more impressive this came on that dreaded “restaurant week” menu!
I usually don’t order tartar because of the multitude of variables, from quality of the meat to the quality of the meat cutter. You can have fabulous quality meat but the tartar ruined due to poor cutting. And even a good cutter can rescue poor quality meat just so much. But this so-so food at Matū was absolutely highlighted by this dish. One of the best tartar dishes I’ve had in ages.
Nothing reminds me of Ukraine more than enjoying some salo, and the version I had at Chicago’s newest Ukrainian restaurant, Anelya, was absolutely spectacular. One of those you just put in your mouth and experience two minutes of pure pleasure as it melt away. It really sums up the whole concept of the “best dish of the year” for me. Mmm…
Again, this list is subjective, but looking back at so many good dishes through 2023 it’s not easy to extract the best from the year. This just represents 10 times that something jumped out at me so significantly that it left a memory that’s hard not to cherish.
I was tired. It’s been days of non-stop exploration and the jetlag is starting to finally affect me. So after that good dimsum late lunch, I just took it easy. And plus, my short trip to Copenhagen is ending, so I had to deal with some trip logistics for my departure tomorrow morning.
But whether my Copenhagen food curse is really over will depend on tonight, where I am having dinner at Iluka. Again, the menu intrigued me when I looked at it. Plus, it’s one of the very few good restaurants that’s open on a Tuesday night. So after a Metro ride on the new line that wasn’t here the last time I visited, I got to Iluka.
Busy night, but I fit right in at the bar. Relaxed and was surprised (or was I?) by mostly American accents all around the restaurant (alongside a very broad Aussie accent cutting through it all). And my bartender/server was from Scotland, so it was a sign of Copenhagen 2023 that’s for sure. It’s an international magnet for food lovers and lovers of a good life.
I enjoyed a tipple as I looked over the menu. I thought about the tasting, but I felt like I wanted to control the food this evening. So I ordered some dishes to start. Let’s see where this goes.
And it starts off quite amazing with the tomato broth. This was absolutely stunning of a dish, graced by oysters and samphire, which I absolutely love. The flavours are so deep and rich I almost had a reminder of Chef Andrea Camastra’s style of cooking from Nuta a few nights ago! A wonderful start!
The baked corn was odd, to be honest. Tasty, but odd. The corn was cut in a way that you need to almost eat it separately from the other major elements in the dish, squid. It was messy, but pretty good.
Next up is the pike skewer. It’s a fish I’m very familiar with having lived in Northern Europe for many years, and this was a delicious rendition – powered on by a bit of squid innards. Excellent idea, and made it even more interesting!
I’m pretty confident this kitchen is skilled and able to bring out the best of the high-quality ingredients, so I decided to order a big dish for a main course. I enjoyed some wine as this cooked, and when it came out I was very pleased.
Yep, local plaice. This was delicious, helped on by some seaweed butter and choice selection of herby greens, as well as the unexpected cockles that was very good. The meat was tasty, but one of the best things is to have the entire fish – meaning the head. I spent some time devouring it to the point that you can’t even tell this thing had a head. Some of the kitchen staff that walked by nodded their approval at my appreciation of the entire fish.
So many people would waste some of the best parts of this dish because they don’t know how to enjoy all of the fish. That’s too bad, as they are just missing out. Oh that was good, but very filling!
I was full, like last night, but needed a dessert. A good bit of chatting with fellow diners and staff, and I ordered their one dessert: a red chocolate sorbet, which sits under a merengue. Pretty good, worked well with the scotch that the Scottish bartender suggested. I did some post-graduate studies in Aberdeen, near this distillery, so this was a welcomed treat.
Oh, so good, my Copenhagen curse is certainly lifted, with tonight and last night’s excellent dinner at Contento! I thanked the crew and headed out, and luckily a bus came by soon after so I didn’t even dive underground to get back to Københavns Hovedbanegård for my short walk to my hotel.
Thank you, Copenhagen, this short trip was delicious and fun! Hope next time won’t be 5 years in the waiting!
Now why would I be eating dimsum in Copenhagen? Why am I not having a pølse for lunch instead? Well, this goes back several trips. As I mentioned before, I tend to stay at hotels very near the central station for convenience sake. And almost every time, I’ve been absolutely knackered from exploring the city so I wanted food near my hotel. And it happened again, and a return to Fu Hao – where I have eaten many times before.
Gruff service as usual. I relaxed with the odd combination of beer and soy milk (not together, in separate glasses!) and ordered my lunch. I was sore as heck. I went a bit out of town early in the morning past Roskilde, before heading back to explore various places – including the amazing Thorvaldsens Museum, celebraing the work on one of my favourite sculptors, Bertel Thorvaldsen. I love exploring this place…
But I was tired. Only about 15km today, but cumulatively I was tired, so that’s a good excuse for my dimsum. And I love the fact they bring you a tub of sugar with the soy milk so you can sweeten as you like – without getting ones that are ridiculously sweet. But this one-sip-of-bitter-beer-and-one-sip-of-mildly-sweeteened-soy milk seems to work…
As does this. The first item to arrive is some tripe. This is always done very well here, a touch of spice too. Really delicious. Then some tofu skin rolls.
Also good, so far enjoying this lunch. Then the brought out the sticky rice.
I love this, although not totally traditional (no huge huck of pork belly inside) it was very tasty.
A wee break then the second set came out. First was some ribs.
Quite nice, a generous portion for the price. Then finally, shumai, which oddly came out last.
But as good as always. This was a delicious lunch. Not too expensive, and quick. I finished my beer-and-soy milk double pairing and thanked the server as I headed out. Ouch, my feet hurt. Lucky my hotel isn’t far…
I sadly departed from Warsaw early this Monday morning, headed to a city that I have visited over a dozen times over the years, Copenhagen. It’s certainly changed plenty since my very first trip there, also in 1994. For one thing, the area around Københavns Hovedbanegård (the central station) – especially the western side – has cleaned up immensely.
I dropped my bag off at my hotel in the aforementioned neighbourhood and had a extremely long day of exploration. Even after a dozen trips, there are still plenty to see in this amazing city. By the end of the day, skipping lunch, I was exhausted having covered another 20km (12 miles) on foot. I’m glad I got a bit of an upgrade at my relatively nice hotel. I don’t need anything fancy, just a clean, convenient place and I’m good.
I’ve not been back to Copenhagen since February 2018, so was looking to see what has changed in the food scene. Was it still stuck in the acid-heavy style of the 2010s that utterly destroys my GI track and tastebuds? Or has it evolved? Tonight I’ll find out at Contento, which focuses on Iberian cuisine. I was intrigued by what I heard. Plus, it was one of very few good restaurants in town open on a Monday night!
It began well with an extremely friendly crew taking care of me at the bar. A good cocktail in hand and I looked over the menu. Wow, so many good things! I ordered a few snacks to get started, and soon it began to appear.
Mmmm, a delicious deviled egg with anchovy and shrimp. A very tasty combination, it made me even hungrier. I could have had more of this, but my attention quickly fixated on my next item.
Oh. My. Goodness. These txistorras were absolutely amazing. Perfect flavours and perfect texture. I could have eaten about 20 plates of these and be absolutely happy.
These padrons are excellent, balancing things out with the amazing but rich txistorras. I’m loving this food so far!
I’ve got a lot of confidence in this kitchen (and wonderful service staff) so I went with a big main item for the next item. I shouldn’t, but why not… So I enjoyed some good wine as this item eventually drifted out from the kitchen…
Yeah, I got a txuleta. Why not? I skipped lunch and burned a lot of energy all day now clean over 20km on foot. And this was delicious. I love excellent beef, especially when cooked right. With a lot of wine, I devoured everything on the plate, smiling as I do it. Oh, so good…
I was full, but couldn’t pass up a cheesecake. A delicious way to end the feasting! Lovely stuff. I had a few more drinks chatting with the fun and excellent crew. This was a wonderful way to spend a Monday evening!
And for Copenhagen, this place was ridiculously inexpensive. Good and easy on the wallet? It’s a winner!
I thanked them and headed out for the long walk to the nearest bus stop that would get me back to my hotel, with a nice evening stroll through the central station. Oh, so worth it. And the big question: is my Copenhagen food curse finally breaking?
melhuang1972 