Winter lunch at Aamanns v2.0 in a thousand word...

This is only a minor visual contribution to the Christina's fantastic blog on Aamanns Etablissement.


3 pieces of smørrebrød...


Salmon marinated in spices, citrus and dill served with apple, horseradish, crispy rye bread and lots of watercress...


some pate...


and Danish cheese toasted rye bread and relish for the end.

Unfortunately I did not made a picture of Aamanns tartare - himmerland beef with crisp pot atoes, mustard cream, tarragon, capers, gherkins and shallots; simply delicious!

Winter lunch at Aamanns Etablissement, a guest blog post

I try to go beyond my abilities to make the world a better place and a few exceptional contributors and their stories are an inspiration to me, so please guys and girls; we are looking forward for more!

This is a contribution from Christina, welcome ;-)


On what must have been the coldest day yet this winter, I decided to pay hommage to the Nordic spirit and enjoy smørrebrød for lunch at Aamanns (Østerbro, CPH).

Mind you, this was neither the everyday liver paste and pickled beetroot squashed into your lunchbox. Nor the grotesque pile of smelly shrimps on bone dry and sour bread that tourists usually stumble across.
No, this was smørrebrød in a contemporary and truly Nordic sense: simple but with decent ingredients and presented in a minimalistic, elegant way.

Unfortunately I didn't think of bringing my mobile :-( (sorry guys!).
I still believe I should share the experience, though. So hopefully, you will still find this post inspiring.

Professional restraint
The menu immediately reveals that you're in for 'simple and restrained'; Aamann is a pro and knows his stuff. He has no need to boast about it by presenting more than he can cope with.

I chose 'Aamanns lunch', which is the chef's selection of fish (herring), meat, patés, veg and cheese.

First..
The herring was served first. Two kinds, pickled and fried. Strutting their stuff on a small, wooden board, looking gorgeous and delicate and very comfortable on small slices of perfectly moist and smokey rye bread. A single layer of snow white shallot was lying on the edge of the board, longing to be picked up by the herring. A cheeky detail that I loved.

Second..
Next, a platter of three small dishes
- Salad of cod in a light, yet still smooth/ creamy dressing (yogurt?)
- Home made paté (postej) with hazelnuts and pork, decorated with watercress
- Fried goose with dried cranberries

Third..
A soft, danish cheese (Christian something...) full of taste, garnished with a relish made from pears and mustard seeds

All of the dishes were accompanied by plenty of rye bread as well as delicious bread made from a mix of rye and spelt (hmmm don't know the English word for this, and cannot be bothered to look it up right now)

Drink
I chose a light beer to go with the food, which suited the food nicely.
For those of you who are into snaps, Aamanns has quite a few homemade ones to try out.

Impressions
The goose was a little too dry for my taste, but no fault of the kitchen. Everything had been prepared perfectly and true to the traditions of smørrebrød, but with a modern touch.
Towards the end of the meal, I found myself lingering, not really wanting to finish and be forced to leave. Somehow Aamann succeeds in giving you the rich, full taste of Danish winter cuisine without leaving you constipated for days and swearing to give up meat and fat forever :-D

A perfect Danish winter lunch.

Check out the full menu (and a cool image gallery) on Aamanns homepage.

Psst
Remember to book a table in advance! The place was packed.
Kugger

Smørrebrød at Hansens Gamle Familiehave

It is unfortunate that until few days ago, I haven't visited this institution in Copenhagen, or to be correct, in Frederiksberg. I've been walking or driven around Frederiksberg Castle, CPH Zoo and other landmarks in the neighborhood so many times... and yet...

This restaurant dates back from about 1623 and it has started serving Danish cuisine, Smørrebrød in particular, "only" last century or so. Literal translation of Smørrebrød is buttered bread and for more info see the other post.


The entrance of the garden...


and it's rustic/traditional interior.


Danish style of sweet sour herrings with onions...


Danish style meatballs (frikadeller) and prawns salad with asparagus...


egg, tomato, chives and onions, with home made mayonnaise.

I've been twice in just couple of days, and I already love it. Looking forward to check the dinner menu as it's sounds quite tasty. Not to mention the comprehensive wine and aquavit menu...

If you are up for very danish frokost (lunch), serious old-timer waitress, and good place to have fun, go for it.

Rating: -

Hansens Gamle Familiehave
Pile Allé 10-12
2000 Frederiksberg

A Julefrokost v5.0

Here's (hopefully) the last Julefrokost I had this year (see other post).

Not that I don’t like the food and the great company! It is because the snaps and beers are like Molotov cocktail for me and I can’t handle the day after :-/

Anyway, a few former colleagues and I head to Ida Davidsen restaurant, arguably the best Smørrebrød (open-faced sandwichs) restaurant in Denmark.

Literal translation of Smørrebrød is buttered bread... but in essence it's a slice of bread piled up with different meats, fish, veggies, cheeses and such.


Various smørrebrød

After this, I can say quite confident that nobody, and I mean nobody, makes a better smørrebrød in Denmark. This is a very cozy family restaurant in Copenhagen and the family has it for 2-3 generation. We eat couple of different stuff, and everything was great.

However, I need to stress that the smoked salmon (homemade) is the perfect food match for the aquavit, especially the one we had!


Niels Jørgen Kaiser - smørrebrød with homemade paté, bacon, mushrooms, horseradish and fond-jelly


Smørrebrød with sweet-and-sour fish


The duck :p


Kurt and Henrik skål-ing


At the other side, me and Kim. I hope Kim will give me a tip on the aquavit name.

For me, it’s amazing that Ida’s recipes seem so trivial, and yet once you taste her sandwiches, you just feel a pure delight.

Probably one should not specially head to Copenhagen for a smørrebrød, but if you are around, than this is a must!

Rating: 8.0 (out of 10.0)

Restaurant Ida Davidsen
Store Kongensgade 70
1264 København K