The Copenhagen Report

This week on MyDenmarkTV.com (episode #70) we just couldn't resist comparing the 2 newest burger joints in town - Burger and Bun (in Vesterbro on Istedgade) and Cocks & Cows (on Gammel Strand right in the center of Copenhagen). These aren't just any burger places - these are places claiming to offer a homemade burger that you won't soon forget. If you're in Copenhagen and a fan of burgers, both of these places are well worth trying out and deserving of your hard earned cash, we can conclude - check out the episode to see which one was ultimately our favourite. There is a big price difference between the two - Cocks & Cows is definitely easier on your wallet. But that doesn't necessarily make it the best...

We review the danish yellow pages online (www.degulesider.dk), and offer a few resume writing tips. And finally we suggest a few language schools to check out if you are determined to learn Danish.

Enjoy!



Websites and resources shared in this episode:


http://www.cocksandcows.dk/ (Cocks & Cows located at Gammel Strand 44)
http://www.burgerbun.dk/ (Burger & Bun located at Istedgade 66)
http://www.degulesider.dk/ (Yellow pages of Denmark)
http://www.ojeblikoptik.dk/ (Ojeblik Optik - glasses in an hour)
http://www.aof.dk/ (AOF)
http://www.kbh-sprogcenter.dk/ (København Sprogcenter)
http://www.sprogcenter-ia.dk/ (Sprogcenter IA)
http://www.studieskolen.dk/ (Studieskolen)
http://www.kiss.dk/ (KISS Language School)

Other Useful Resources:

http://www.copenhagenclicks.com/ (An ever-growing collection of web resources to make your stay in Copenhagen more fun and enjoyable)


Episode # 70 - MyDenmarkTV.com from MyDenmarkTV on Vimeo.

This time on MyDenmarkTV (Episode #66) we check out the Copenhagen Cooking Festival (including the energetic MMM Metro event as it rolled across Copenhagen), suggest an inspiring food blog by Trine Lai, who also writes a regular column for the Danish newspaper Politiken (with great Copenhagen restaurant tips), and talk about the Danish working environment with one of DI respresentatives (Dansk Industri). And just for fun we run through a few popular Danish actors - both internationally and in Denmark. But really, it was MMMM Metro that provided us with such a great backdrop for this episode.

Enjoy!


Episode # 66 - MyDenmarkTV.com from MyDenmarkTV on Vimeo.


Websites and resources from the Episode:


http://www.copenhagencooking.dk/ (Copenhagen Cooking Festival)

http://www.verygoodfood.dk/ (A very inspirational food blog by Trine Lai)

www.blog.politiken.dk/trines (A food section on Politiken by Trine Lai)

http://www.di.dk/ (Dansk Industri - representing some 10,000 Danish companies)

This week's episode (#46) of MyDenmarkTV.com is up. It was a fun episode to make - we feature a couple new aspects of Copenhagen this week - the city's first raw food restaurant, and a new way to entertain yourself for a while...on a Segway. We also announced a contest at the end of the episode, and the winners will get a free Segway ride from www.segwayfun.dk.

Episode #46 - MyDenmarkTV.com from MyDenmarkTV on Vimeo.

So episode #40 of MyDenmarkTV.com is up - and I'll let you in on a little secret...a couple of the segments were in fact the very first segments that I filmed when I joined the show, so it was all new for me (and really it still is!). I was also fighting off a case of the flu during some of the filming, which didn't help matters...so we didn't manage to get quite as much humour in this one...but we'll be working hard on that in the future.


Episode #40 – MyDenmarkTV.com from MyDenmarkTV on Vimeo.

Unlike the last episode, this one is in the more traditional '5 segment' format that those who have dug into the shows archives are more familiar with. We continue to intensely discuss the format the show should take in the future, but personally I am much more comfortable with a looser more flowing format (like episode #39) that is less tied to segments. Something that is more 'storylike' and tied to a theme. That said, there is also value in having some structure. In future, there will probably be more of a mix of episodes taking one or the other format.

If you're living in Copenhagen and looking for food and entertainment ideas, you'll probably be interested in the last 2 segments in particular Nørrebro segment and Julie's museum tip. I'm a big fan of Ranees, the fantastic Thai restaurant at Blågards Plads (which I have previously reviewed here). Which is not to say the other segments, about joining a car sharing program and Danish Højskole's might not be interesting and useful for you, as well.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

By: Tim Anderson (timothyanderson2005@gmail.com)

"Så crooner vi igen" ('So we crooner again') announced the sign above the bar as we sauntered into Kassen on Nørrebrogade one Wednesday night not all that long ago. As the band set up the Rhodes kyeboard, double base and drum set, we had a hunch we just might have stumbled on to something. Casting our eyes over the classic bar menu, and the classically decked out bartenders, we decided we had to pull up a bar stool and find out.

Indeed we had.

There's almost nothing better than discovering a new mid-week diversion, even if it's actually not all that new and has (presumably) been there right in front of your blissfully ignorant eyes for some time. Precisely this was what happened Wednesday night about 3 weeks ago when, rambling around Nørrebro looking for just the right place to fit our mood that evening, 'Kassen' came up as a suggestion. It was a place we had been ignoring for some years.

And what do you know, turns out Wednesday at Kassen is 'Crooner Night'.

This means a special classic menu of cocktails (you know the ones, Manhatten, Martini, Cosmopolitan, etc., etc), and, best of all, a nice little lounge band playing in the corner.

Any band that can coolly finish off their evening set of crooner classics with a casually lounge-like jazzy version of a classic-in-its-own-kind-of-way 'Eye of the Tiger', just chilled-out enough to make you want to tap your feet as you throw back one last martini, is absolutely good enough to fill a few hours on an otherwise non-descript Wednesday night in Copenhagen. You gotta love it.




'Crooner night' every Wednesday at Kassen 20.00-01.00


Just right for a Manhatten...

I dislike Carlsberg beer. My reasons are legitimate. There are plenty of beers - both Danish and non-Danish, that frankly have a lot more (and a lot better) taste. Until a few years ago, Carlsberg played every trick in the book in order to choke the beer market in Denmark, which created a pretty dire state of affairs in the shops and cafes across the country. Carlsberg is still pretty good at it, but the jig has now been up for a few years since the door swung open to a wider selection of beers. In particular, thanks to micro-breweries around the country, it seems there is no going back. Supermarkets, kiosks, restaurants and cafes around the city are now stocked with a remarkable selection of beer - many of which didn't even exist a few short years back. Which means that Carlsberg is fairly easily avoided these days.

But the other day, I had an experience drinking a Carlsberg beer that was frankly and utterly novel. That is, I enjoyed it. I mean deeply, truly and sincerely enjoyed it. But allow me to explain, for though this was seemingly a normal Carlsberg, it was in fact not quite a normal Carlsberg.

Rather, it was a 'slow beer', poured at Vinstue 90 on Gamel Kongvej, apparently the only place in Copenhagen that actually knows how to serve a proper Fadøl (draft beer). Little did I realise there was actually an art to pouring a Carlsberg.

I should also add that while Vinstue 90 looks at first glance like a typical bodega, smells at first smell like a typical bodega, and serves a lot of Carlsberg just like a typical bodega, it is in fact not at all a typical bodega. On second glance, you realise the crowd is not that of a typical bodega, nor is the service. And the atmosphere is pretty good, as well. Let's call it a 'chatty' kind of place.

At Vinstue 90, it takes 15 minutes to pour a single draft beer. Yes, you read that right: 15 minutes! This is exactly the same sort of Carlsberg pilsner served at countless other establishments around the city. These is only one difference - and that is in the pouring.

First, it's poured with a lot of foam that is allowed to gently and slowly settle, before the glass is further filled and again allowed to settle. It's not unlike the way a properly served Guiness is poured, in fact. That's indeed why the sign outside the bar proclaims 'slow beer'.

And the result is truly remarkable. One ends up with a Carlsberg that is smooth and full of taste. In a blind taste test, I would never have guessed it was a Carlsberg I was being served. The normal sharp bubbly bitterness that (at least in my opinion) makes Carlsberg so unbearable after more than a couple bottles (and sometimes only a couple sips) is entirely absent. It's a remarkable transformation.

And to prove that it wasn't just a quirk of the taste buds on this particular evening, to end the night we ordered a normal bottle of Carlsberg - rather than the on tap version. And there it was again - that characteristic bitter and essentially unpalatable Carlsberg taste. We left the bottle unfinished. But I will soon return to Vinstue 90 - for another slow beer or two.

This is one place in Copenhagen that is all (bad) style and no substance. Yes, it looks sleek and spiffy. But it's complete devoid of atmosphere and character. And to top it all off, the prices are hopelessly lousy. Trust me, there is much much better out there. If somebody in your group suggests a visit to Grillbar, do everything you can to re-direct them someplace else instead. You'll be happy that you did.


A 50 kroner bottle of Heineken...what a deal!

To many, Temple Bar on Nørrebrogade in Copenhagen is surely a dependable 'standby' kind of place, pretty much any night of the week (and especially on weekends). A place that is very much like an old - very old - comfortable (and rather ugly) sofa that you just can't bring yourself to throw out. In fact, Temple Bar is filled with ratty sofas and chairs upstairs that they really should bring themselves to throw out.



It is perhaps for this reason that year after year living here in Copenhagen, I have resisted the urge to frequent the place. In fact, until last week, I had never even set foot there. This was not because I doubted that it was a dependable place for having a drink and a chat with a friend or two. Rather, whenever it has come to finding a place to grab a beer in Norrebro, there was just always some place else that always pulled us in. Temple Bar just seemed like it would always be there when, eventually, it was needed. And so the years went by.



So I stumbled in there the other night (late afternoon, actually) with a friend. It's about what you'd expect. Smoking upstairs, along with a lot of ratty furniture and seriously neglected toilets - one with a partially kicked-in door allowing no privacy and a sink missing part of the sink. Yes, you read that right.



But it's cosy and if you went there enough, it is the kind of place where everybody might know your name. Or come to know it, in time.

Slightly sunken into one of the (opposing) corners of Sankt Hans Torv in Norrebro, Kaffe Plantagen (meaning 'the coffee plantation'...) is one of those place one hesitates to publicise - a place that is best when busy, but not too busy. Then again, it's a not exactly a hidden gem and that its not exactly unknown (at least to locals).

Aside from consistently producing a fine cup of coffee, what's special about Kaffe Plantagen is the comfortable efficiency of the interior design that has gotten it just about right - great for grabbing a quick java before perusing the fantastic little clothes shops of Elmegade or having a little pseudo-intellectual conversation with a friend or two, but also as a fine premises for those hoping to productively wile away a few solo study hours with a few books and a laptop, be it mid-week and mid-weekend. It's this last point that sets the place apart - and keeps it busy. It's not every cafe that one can enjoy hanging out on their own, whether to read, study, or just gaze out the window watching the often colourful passers-by.

"Excellent! No, more than excellent - the best coffee place in Copenhagen!", as my girlfriend, perhaps one of the biggest fans of the place, succinctly sums up the overall experience.

Dark, dingy and crowded. And fully of wacky, tacky adornments. Now that's the formula for a successful cafe, wouldn't you agree? Well, alright, if you throw in excellent and affordable brunches served late into the afternoon, very reasonably priced dished served during the rest of the day, a decent selection of beers extending well beyond Carlsberg and Tuborg and plenty of cosy corners to squeeze into to, it just might be enough.

Apparently it's worked for Bankerot (on Nansensgade) which is certainly one of my favourite 'stand-by's' in Copenhagen. Maybe not the place to hang out on a sunny summer day, or for that matter any other sunny day falling something during the rest of the year, but given how relatively few of those there are anyway, it still leaves a lot of days that are just about perfectly suited for an hour or two at Bankerot.

If it was just about the food and drink, Bankerot would be just another cafe in Copenhagen (though still notable for its reasonable prices). But it's not really the food and drink that sets Bankerot apart. It's more about the ambiance.

Describing Bankerot is not unlike describing a kind of weird dream you recently had, or a strange scene from a low budget sci-fi flick. It would go something like, "so I sitting drinking a beer and there was this bear looking over my shoulder the whole time...really...then I went to the bathroom and there were all these naked people watching me taking a piss, but that was cool, along with a severed head and a strange goat man who sort of welcomed everyone into the toilets as they wandered by...". And so on.

You get the idea...maybe. If you're looking for a place to drink a beer or coffee while reading the newspaper or chatting with a friend or two, or just want to grab a simple meal, check it out.




Yes, I'm enjoying the company of this bear, uh, I mean beer!


My friends just call me Mr. Goat....


'Please flush the toilet...'

Tucked around a little corner of Vesterbrogade, not far from Enghavevej, lies a troika of late-night temptresses that many a late-night reveller in Copenhagen has succumbed to on one occasion or another. If you've been there once for a late night rollick, you've probably been there twice. Perhaps it last occurred during the late hours of a festively glowing December night, as each of the evenings for the next three weeks will be, following one of those infamous schnapps-and-herring-fueled Danish Christmas lunches. Maybe it capped off one of those rare Copenhagen warm summer nights in July, as the sun was rising in the east. Or a frosty night in January as early-hour cyclists bravely laid tracks in the freshly-fallen snow sprinkled over the street as they peddled their way home. Or perhaps it was some other random evening, a mid-week drinking session which would otherwise have been forced to a premature ending at the hands of one in Vesterbro that was less willing - and certainly wouldn't have you after midnight.

In any event, what is certain is that whichever of these three ladies-of-the-night it was that caught your eye, it was surely the foggy distortion of a pair of thick beer-goggles that attracted you to one or the other. Their names are Ludvigsen, Hacken Busch, and the incomparable (and still-smoke filled) Mørkbar. Lying within eyeshot of each other on Vesterbrogade, they are shameless in their overtures at these late hours. But they are also deceitful, for in truth they are three thirsty vampires who under the moonlit sky of the night want nothing less than fresh blood. And as it happens plenty are willing to oblige them. Time and again. Punters lusting after one, two, three of four final late-night barley-wurlitzers (or worse) which they can and do willingly and shamelessly provide.

And so it was last night as I left the clutches of Mistress Hackenbusch (and a half-emptied shot of noxious black Små Grå) in the wee hours of the morning and headed home to the comforts of my soft bed that I found myself thinking about this unlikely yet powerful seductive pull that these three late-night Vesterbro temptresses possess, and wondering if it really had to be like this.

Saturday night's Thai food experience took the prize. Ranees at Blågårdsplads in Nørrebro. If you're a fan of Thai food, write that name down. Then go there. Even while travelling in Thailand did I rarely manage to taste such deliciously picante Thai food. Naturally, being something of an amateur Phad Thai aficionado, I had to try Ranees take on that one. My dinner companions for the evening went for a couple of equally delicious curries. The Phad Thai was a plate of steaming fresh noodles, sprouts and spices along with five or six giant tiger shrimp, a pile of crush nuts and a wedge of lime - the last two items being necessary to even be considered as a serious Phad Thai. And indeed, it had just the right taste and texture on the tongue. I've previously raved about the deserving Phad Thai at Sweet Basil, but this one managed to top it. Not an easy feat, but it was the freshness of the ingredients that did it.

But the highlight of the night was actually the starter (pictured above, photo courtesy of aok.dk). Thankfully the waiter was not afraid to push us to order it (not that we were hard to convince...). Eight little bowls filled with nuts, dried shrimp, coconut flakes, fresh chili, ginger, onion and tiny chunks of chopped lime and a pile of leaves (I can't remember their name). It look strangely like nothing as it arrived, like some kind of 'inside' Thai joke being played on the unsuspecting. It was not. After taking a leaf and forming into a bowl-like shape, putting a bit of each ingredient inside, topping it off with a bit of the chutney-like sauce (if chutney was Thai...I know, I know, more detail would be nice but I'm not getting paid to write this, so I didn't figure out precisely what this sauce was) it's "ind i munden!", as our waiter helpfully explained ('into the mouth').

Wow!!

Snap, crackle, pop, that's a lot of flavour! An explosion of sweet, spicy, salty, and sour - especially spicy, be warned.

Don't be deceived by the ambiance at Ranees, which is admittedly basic (but something far more original than the typical Thai restaurant). Wooden tables, some nice pics and almost funky florescent lights on the walls. Yes, florescent lights. Because the food is so damn good, it really doesn't matter.

Ranees at Blågårdsplads. Go there. You won't be disappointed.

Mofo Steel at Boutique Lize

Copenhagen has an astounding capacity to genuinely surprise. This is perhaps the biggest strength of the city. Then again, there are quite a few strengths of the place, which I've mentioned in a few articles on this blog in the past.

So wandering along Istedgade last night turned out to be a good choice - in fact, it was something of an instinctive feeling, an intuition you could say, that lead us there. I could almost a little voice in my head at the beginning of the night saying 'even though it's Wednesday night and there's always some interesting music at Cafe Tjili Pop on Wednesday, skip it and go out in Vesterbro tonight instead!'.

I don't know what went on at Tjili Pop, but Vesterbro indeed proved quite a more than worthwhile diversion on an otherwise quiet Wednesday night.

The evening began in Boutique Lize (okay, actually it began with a drink at Darling across the street, but it reeeealy began at Boutique Lize). There we discovered, much to our surprise, that a band was playing. This was the first time I'd actually seen a band playing there. In my mind, the place is only a cocktail bar, but apparently they are trying to branch out a bit.

The band very quickly caught our ears - it was a Danish one that we'd never heard of called Mofo Steel.

And what a band they were - 5 fantastic musicians, clearly with a wide range of influences, and a style that would be impossible to pin down to anything other then fantastic songwriting. I can only hope that they keep at it - they're the kind of band you want to see go far - it would otherwise be such a tremendous waste of potential. A extremely tight and immensely talented ensemble from the keyboards (often on the wonderful Hammond organ setting), through the bass player, guitarist, drummer and lead singer.

Their next gig, we found out, is at Loppen in Christiania on Sept. 27 if you're curious. I'm certainly considering checking that one out after what I heard last night. If I was from a record label and had stumbled into last nights show at Boutique Lize unaware, I would have been crapping my pants in excitement at the prospect of the discovery.

But the night was not over.

Following the show, we were wandering along Istedgade discussing where to go next (it was still not even 11) when we heard plenty of noise coming from a little clothing shop called 'Dig' (a shop that I had never noticed before) and people spilling out the door onto the sidewalk. As we discussed whether or not to check it out (of course sheer curiousity would compel us to) I noticed that none other than the suddenly famous (in Denmark) Trentemøller was behind the decks in this tiny place. We wandered in, handed over 20 kroner for a couple glasses of punch (the only drink being served), and proceeded to dance along to frantically energetic Trentemøller DJ-set (accompanied on the decks by another female friend whose name I never found out) for the next 90 minutes. You really can't ask for anything more fantastically spontaneous then that.

Two surprises in one evening - and both within 100 meters of each other. Now that's Copenhagen at it's best.


the sight and sounds of an unexpected street-level party on Istedgade...


the man of the hour - Mr. Trentemøller

...'Verdens Mindste Kaffebar' ('The World's Smallest Coffee Bar)

Copenhagen is at its best when it is at its quirkiest. And there are few quirkier establishments then 'Verdens Mindste Kaffebar' - 'The World's Smallest Coffee Bar'. Located on the little known street in Vesterbro called Tullinsgade (which runs of the more well-known streets, Vaernedamsvej). There's room for about 2 people inside (or 4 squeezed).

Drop by if you need a shot of caffeine. Or on a nice day, if you're in the mood for a game of table tennis - on a miniature table, naturally.

Cafe Tjili Pop (Ranzenzgade 28 in Nørrebro) is one of those place just off the radar that shouldn't be though it's probably a good thing that it is. It's located in a rather unlikely location, one not known for it's cafe's and nightlife. As a friend of mine remarked as we wandered in on Wednesday evening, "I hadn't even considered that there could be an interesting place in this part of town". Indeed, there very much is.

Actually,, its not an entirely fair charge to make against the area - given that it's within walking distance or a very short bike ride from the central part of Nørrebro (Blågårdsgade and Sankt Hans Torv), an area very well known for its numerous cafes.

I must confess it's been at least a couple years, perhaps even longer, since I've dropped by. That is going to change. Finding these sorts of independent places with a kind of underground feel is both a worthwhile and a challenging pursuit. Frankly, there isn't a whole lot of them in Copenhagen - but there are a few around.

If you're going to check the place out, I suggest dropping by on Wednesday when it's singer/songwriter night, or on Friday or Saturday when the place is open late. Of course, with a decent selection of beers, really any evening will do just fine. Just tuck yourself into one of the cozy corners, be open to chatting with others - there isn't a load of space - and enjoy.





Or check out the review over at Something Rotten - apparently I'm not the only one who things it's worthwhile.

By: Tim Anderson (timothyanderson2005@gmail.com)



Once you’ve had a great Phad Thai – the classic of classic Thai (noodle) dishes - there’s no going back.

Personally, as a consequence of some travels in Southest Asia and an extended stay in Shanghai last year - home of a number of excellent Thai restaurants – I’ve been left craving a certain and specific version of Phad Thai that has proven rather challenging to find in Copenhagen. One with a certain and elusive combination of flavours, texture and spiciness.

That is, until a recent visit to Sweet Basil (danish link) in the center of Copenhagen (Grønnegade 33, tel: 33151565).

There are a fair number of Thai restaurants in Copenhagen, and some of them are quite good. In true Thai street food fashion, the best of them I've tried are actually take-out joints.

Probably Lai-Thai (Toldbodgade 2 - at the bottom of Nyhavn) would be the best, with a fairly close second place going to Thaiherb 2 (Fiolstraede 30, near Norreport). For something more leisurely then take-away, a few of my friends can’t seem to get enough of the Phad Thai at Thai Esan (just off Istedgade close to the main station).

Before I go further, allow me a brief Phad Thai digression.

Although every respectable Thai restaurant has a version of Phad Thai on the menu, there is no such thing as a ‘correct’ or ‘perfect’ Phad Thai. Each and every Thai cook, each and every Thai restaurant, and for that matter each and every Thai street stall - whether in Bangkok, elsewhere in Thailand, or someplace else in the world - make it just a little bit differently. Which is why Phad Thai - amongst countless classic national dishes in the world - is such an endlessly fascinating dish to taste at countless Thai restaurants. Each has their own take on the combination of hot, sour, salty and sweet - the fundamental four elements of Thai dishes - that should be used in it.



And hence why, if you are a person with an appreciation for Thai food, finding just the right version of your favourite Thai dishes to suit your tastes can be quite a preoccupation.

Sometimes Phad Thai can be outright spicy, still other times it can be rather sweet. Sometimes it’s made with thick rice noodles, sometimes thin ones (yes, in Thailand there are specific names for each of these dishes, but Thai restaurants outside of Thailand don’t typically get down to such specifics).

Though it isn’t always, Phad Thai should be served with a slice of lime - which when drizzled over top of a steaming Phad Thai brings the flavourful ingredients to life on your tongue, as few things can. To their credit, at Sweet Basil they did. I’ve seen Phad Thai served with a small bowl of sugar and a small bowl of dried crushed chillis, useful if you prefer your food on the slightly picante side, as I often do. As it was at Sweet Basil, it’s also often served with some uncooked sprouts on the side and a bowl of crushed cashew nuts, both of which, when mixed in, add that extra and highly satisfying crunch that is characteristic of so many great Thai dishes.

Indeed, the food at Sweet Basil was outstanding, though the service was not quite so.

Our waitress was lovely, pleasant and somewhat hopeless. When you pay 75 kroner for a premium beer, and it arrives just a notch below room temperature, as a waitress the way to resolve this situation is to offer another beer immediately (making sure it is really cold). It is NOT to say, ‘but it came from the same fridge as all the others – it’s been their since yesterday’. Because clearly it hadn’t, we noted as she wandered away.

But the outstanding food, which took quite some time to arrive, quickly outshone the issues we had with the lousy service, and left us in a rather forgiving mood. The other dishes ordered, classic Thai curries and spring rolls, were equally commendable.


'Thai minimalism' - minimalism with a touch of kitsch

Thai restaurants are normally rather distinct in appearance, and often for all the wrong reasons. The word ‘kitsch’ springs to mind. Budda’s and colourful junk everywhere, along with vegetation not unlike a forest floor.

Sweet Basil is different, much to the owner's credit, apparently espousing an esthetic which could perhaps be termed ‘Thai minimalism’. In other words, not quite minimal, as some tacky adornments are allowed to remain, but they are kept fairly scarce in quantity.

But how wonderful to discover there is another Thai restaurant in Copenhagen serving authentic Thai food worthy of it's hallowed and well-deserved international stature. We shall certainly return.

By: Tim Anderson (mailto:timothyanderson2005@gmail.com)



On a sunny summer day, you could do much worse than slugging back a couple bottles of brew reclined in the sun at Cafe Halvanden. Especially on a Friday after work. It's been around for about 4 years now, just off the beaten path. But it's one of those place to go, if you're in the know. From Nyhavn, if you look over the channel to the left (past the Opera House), you can see it in the distance - the building with 'CAFE' written in huge black letters.

Copenhagen is definitely short on true beach bars - complete with sand and set on the water - so Cafe Halvanden fills a real gap in the scene, in that respect. It's bit of a bike ride from Christianshavn (or a short car ride). Of course, if you happen to have access to a boat, well, there's no better way to arrive in style.

My only complaint: what sort of beach bar doesn't serve Corona (with a lime, naturally)? While there certainly are alternatives, there really is no substitute on a hot and sunny afternoon. It can even cure a hangover.


yours truly, arriving in style (with bicycle in tow)...


just kick back on the beds and chill...


ironically, a traditional Danish thatched straw roof also happens to create a wonderful Caribbean sort of vibe...


as does a bit of sand on the ground...

While Copenhagen has long been considered a leading European city in terms of fashion and design, until recently the culinary delights to be found here were not exactly seen as one of the city's strong points. That is, restaurants (and food in general) in Copenhagen has rather lagged behind other cities of Europe (and elsewhere). But as the restaurant scene in Copenhagen continues to develop, it is fast changing for the better - from the high end on downwards.

And Noma, a restaurant on the waterfront in Christianshavn, has leapt to the forefront of the high end thanks to events over the past while.

Noma was recently awarded it's second Michelin star and has also just been ranked No. 15 in the world on Restaurant Magazine's World's 50 Best Restaurants - apparently a rather influential magazine in this area, if you're into those sorts of things. Naturally, price is not exactly factored into these rankings and awards - so bring your credit card.

Actually, the full Noma gastronomical experience (a 7 course meal with plenty of wine) will set you back about 1500 kroner per person, which some would argue is a pretty reasonable price to pay for the privledge of dining at one of the best restaurants in the world.

However, if you should want to pop by Noma for a quick bite, plan a few months in advance for it as the restaurant is almost fully booked until August. Myself, I think I'll bank a couple more paycheques before I get around to booking a table.

An amusing side note regarding Noma. A friend who dined there a few months back suffered an unfortunate case of food poisoning following the visit - apparently that didn't happen to the critics and reviewers from Michelin or Restaurant magazine.

by: Tim Anderson (timothyanderson2005@gmail.com)



Despite visiting Barbarellah in Copenhagen in a handful of times previously, I must admit I'd never seen the place in quite the right light. Not until yesterday. Or maybe it's just that it's only recently begun to hit it's stride.

As it turns out, Barbarellah is an excellent place to go to kick-off the night on the weekend. Arriving around 11PM yesterday, the place was standing room only - the first time I'd seen it that way - though previous visits were mostly on weeknights. As the night progressed, it got only busier and busier.


Barabarrellah on Saturday night

Since it opened about 3 years ago, Barbarellah has always been a place in Copenhagen with great potential. From the start, those behind Barbarellah had figured out a few things that most other cafes in Copenhagen hadn't.

For example, there was the insight that couches, being rather comfortable, make a quite good addition to a cafe. And by not filling the entire floor space with square wooden tables (and uncomfortable wooden chairs) squeezed as closely together as possible, a less conventional and more appealing atmosphere can be created - something Barbaralleh has managed to do quite successfully. And as music is a rather crucial aspect of ambiance, it's a good idea to have some turntables and a decent DJ set-up - and not just a stereo behind the bar. So Barbarelleh seemed to be off on the right foot from the beginning.


a couple of turntables in the corner - always a welcome addition to a cafe

Yet in spite of this great potential, Barbarellah has been a consistent underperformer.

The service has always been painfully slow and it seems to have taken a while to settle on a specific food concept for the place. Even now, I'm still not entirely sure what that concept is, in fact. There are worse places in Copenhagen for service (read: Cafe Sommersko - avoid, avoid, avoid) but the staff at Barbarrellah can leave you pretty thirsty while you wait. But last night, at least, it was not all that bad.

Barbarellah has a couple decent beers on tap (Hoegaarden and Leffe) - a prerequisite for even being considered as an interesting cafe - and they can make decent cocktails. But what is really unique is that food is served all night - not only until 10PM, the normal Copenhagen cafe cut-off time.

Meaning that at Barbarellah, it's actually possible to order a bottle of bubbly to cheerfully wash down a late night plate of nachos, cheese and salsa. An unconventional combination indeed, but hey, why not?


it's 1AM: some nachos and salsa with your champagne?

by Tim Anderson (timothyanderson2005@gmail.com)


is there an ice cream shortage in Copenhagen?

On pretty much any hot and sunny day in Copenhagen (in fact, it doesn't really need to be that hot, just sunny), at certain hours of the day you'll find queues like it was a supermarket twenty-five years ago in Eastern Europe suffering a food shortage.

Alas, it's not a shortage of food that drives the crowds toward Paradis in Copenhagen, rather it's a shortage of comparably tasty ice cream to be found anywhere else in the city. Italian style ice cream. Really f#%*ing tasty ice cream.*

How good would I say Paradis ice cream is?

Well, in the office where I've been working the past couple months Ben and Jerry's, one of the most popular American style ice creams, is stocked in the freezer for staff to help themselves to. There's a lot of it and many flavours all there for the taking. And it's free. It's also rather tasty. But it's just not tasty in the way Paradis ice cream is.

Ben and Jerry's ice cream has that artificial sweet kind of taste that Americans (and lover's of American products) go for. So even though I can eat all the Ben and Jerry's I want at work, I instead find myself occasionally opting to pay a few kroner for a hit of Paradis after lunch - it's just around the corner, after all. Because Paradis sells their own homemade Italian style ice cream and, even for free, Ben and Jerry's is no match for that.

At this point, there are several Paradis outlets around Copenhagen - basically one in each part of the city. The first that opened was in Nørrebro at Sankt Hans Torv a few years back, the next a couple years ago in Vesterbro and Amager, the latest ones just opened last month in the centre (on Købmagergade near Nørreport Station) and in Østerbro.

On a sunny summer day, lengthy queues can be found at all of them. And for good reason.


Paradis ice cream lovers...


learning about the joys of Paradis ice cream

*Note: the author has not received any favours from Paradis in relation to the promotion of Paradis ice cream on this blog. However, he would welcome such favours - for example, free Paradis ice cream for the next year - and does feel they would be an appropriate compensation for his wholehearted and unconditional endorsement of the Paradis brand and associated products. He can be contacted via email, address above.