Day three the food adventures continued. To be honest, we were both so blown away the night before at Noma that eating at any other place seemed uninteresting. But we knew there was so much more to try so we bundled up in our down jackets and hit the pavement.

 

Manfred’s

After our long, cold but gorgeous walk through the Cemetery we landed at Manfred’s, an affordable casual restaurant by Chef Christian Puglisi of Relæ.


Sadly Relae was closed.

Christian like many chefs here in this culinary mecca, has a rich history: He was born in Messina Italy then found himself in Denmark in the 80s. Before opening Relæ  with Kim Rossen in 2010, Christian was working in some of the most famous kitchens: Taillevent, El Bulli and Noma. Quite the pedigree.
Manfred’s interior is a clever space. Everything is very well thought through and is a perfect example of what you can do with a smallish budget. The Materials, such as the plywood are simple, honest and remind us of their natural orgins. The detail that I liked most at manfred’s are the leather aprons worn by the waiters. (Look below) These leather aprons were so simple yet uber hip. They slightly reminded me of the blacksmiths garb from my horse riding days. I loved the simple brass buckle that anchors the neck strap. If only they would sell these!!  I would take 2!

Design

As I mentioned before, the design at Manfred’s is wonderful. Like their approach to the interior, the menu and graphic treatments are effortless , simple and clever. I love branding systems that use stamps. Sometimes it’s all you need to make a statment.

The menu is what you may expect given the previous listed details. It is rustic, simple, and all about the quality of the ingredients. I welcomed this menu with open arms, It was exactly what I wanted…something more basic. The food, while straight forward was far from boring. In fact this was one of our favorite meals after Noma. (we must do Relae when we go back) 

Beets

Copenhagen seems to be the place for me!  They love their beets and so do I. Beets for every meal!!

Ribbons of kohlrabi tossed with marinated oysters

Poached eggs

We read many places that Manfred’s eggs are the best poached eggs in the world. This sounded a bit crazy to me, but they did not disappoint.

Leeks and Parmesan

Very rustic and delicious.

Kale and Bone Marrow

This dish was mindblowing! So simple, So delicious and bearing some nutritional value. haha. This was a memorable day, for on this day Jose fell in love with Kale. (The it veggie)  He has been experimenting with it ever since.  Let me tell you… It’s about time.

Pork Belly with raw onions and ashes

This dish was good but of course very heavy and fatty. Not our favorite after a weekend of non stop eating.

Karamel, yoghurt & rapsoli

 

We Loved this place! The quality of ingredients was top notch, unbelievably creative and affordable! If only there was a place like this on our block in here in Brooklyn! They would make a killing! Hint hint…

Manfreds
Jægersborggade 40
2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
3696 6593
http://manfreds.dk/ 
Brunch, Sat-Sun, 10:00-14:00

 

 

Geist

The last dinner of a trip is always a bit melancholy for me for it is the last hurrah before going back to the normal working routine. aghh. I wish this Copenhagen vacation continued on longer. I just loved everything about this fabulous city! Good things come to and end, and we had every intention on ending it with a bang so we went to the new hot spot Geist.

The location can not be beat! It is smack dab in the middle of the city and most likely is a wonderful place to people watch in the summer. There was not much people watching while we were there. There was hardly anyone to look at, we were one of a handful of people dining in the fairly spacious dining room. I guess the Danes don’t dine on monday nights. (doesn’t surprise me really) Walking into this dark, modern and organic space was a bit like walking onto Tim Burton’s  beetle Juice set. (minus the frightening shrimp cocktail incident) anyways the interior is very well done. The atmosphere is dark and mysterious and great for a date. I especially loved the hand drawn elements on the business card and menu.

 

 

Qual egg and Mushroom

This dish was earthy and savory a perfect companion for a runny egg.

POTATO MASH WITH BROWN STONE CRAB AND SALTED BUTTER

This dish was great. Another foamy masterpiece.

WEST COAST TURBOT WITH FENNEL RAVIOLI OF CHEESE

SUCKLING PIG WITH ARTICHOKES AND BLACK TRUFFLE

We really wanted to love this dish, but the pig was dry and rather tough.

Air in Air in Air Tiramisu

Dessert was a must, given that this was our last night. This dish was incredible. All the flavors of a Tiramisu in air form. Loved every bite!
And that marked the end of our 3 day tour of the Culinary Mecca that is Copenhagen. I always though New York had a stronghold on the food scene but with fresh eyes, it seems a bit lackluster. Come on NYC pick up the pace and catch up with those Danes!