Kristian Mortensen

Kokkeriet
Menu from that day below
This day we were impressive 16 people out eating at kokkeriet.
I had a conference that ended at kokkeriet. It was surprisingly good. This was the first time I ate there.
Besides having a room for ourselves, we had good service from start to finish. The food was good, extraordinary was the deserts and petit fours. Chicken skin in milk chocolate just worked.
I have been there afterwards and will come again.

Amuse-bouche
crab - glass bowl - chamomile

Menu
potato - elderflower - bird grass
scallop - green strawberries - almonds
lobster - chanterelles - gooseberries
monkfish - cauliflower - tarragon
mackerel - green tomatoes - hazelnut
beetroot - hay cream - truffle
pork jaw - celery - nut oil
poussin - scorzonera root - rhubarb - parsley
oxtail - beetroot - mustard
cucumber dill - mint
white chocolate - rye bread - lavender
apple - buttermilk - taste of brownie

Wine menu
2006 Zalas Perle, Galsgaard Vin, Falster
2015 Riesling In der Wand, Pichler-Krutzler, Wachau
2015 Viré-Clessé, Domaine Saumaize-Michelin
2006 Cava Gran Reserva Brut, Celler Battlé Gramona, Penedés
2016 Baco Noir, Henry of Pelham, Ontario
2014 Guiry Sangiovese, Tenuta Mara, Emilia-Romagna (B)
2010 La Sabina, Las Moradas de San Martín, Madrid
2016 Rieslaner Auslese, Weingut Phillip Kuhn, Pfalz

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Kiin Kiin second (or third) time.
Once again we found ourselves at the theater menu at kiin kiin, this time around it was more a spontaneous act rather then planned. We had work the following day, so we took the champagne starter (Like in supersize me, where he never said no to the supersize menu, we never say no to the champagne starter) but I only had a beer, and my wife a glass of wine, since it was a work day the next day.
The food was again, good, but surprisingly the same menu as two years prior. And we became aware that there was not a lot of fresh produce in the products. It was still very good, just an observation.
Will come back, we still owe ourselves the full menu.

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Kiin Kiin
Henrik Yde and Lertchai Treetawatchaiwong opened Kiin Kiin in 2005, they received their first Michelin star in 2008, and they have held that until this day. As far as I remember they are the only Thai restaurant outside of Thailand that have held a star and actually at one time where the only Thai restaurant in the world with a star. Today Kiin Kiin is a chain of restaurant, with Kiin Kiin as the flagship, they have one in Bangkok and have delivered gourmet meals for Thai airways.
I am unsure if this is the first time we ate at Kiin Kiin, I actually think we have had one time before, I just can’t find any info on it anywhere.
Back in 2005 when they where situated in Nørrebro, the area was not gentrified, so it was a troubled area with drug dealers in the street, and the restaurant was placed in an old hash-club, Henrik told us on the way out of the restaurant (incidentally, first time I was at Relæ, with collegues from London, one of our colleagues said what fresh young men that stood outside the restaurant, little did he know they were gang-deals, that area is now gentrified as well)
We had the theater dinner this friday afternoon, and was surprised on the level of quality delivered to us, a cheap meal, but quite fulfilling. The next time we came we realized that the meal was almost identical, and that much of the dishes was not a la minute, but could be prepared in advance and easily be made in large quantities.
The eating experience was split into two, first in the lounge area downstairs and then led up into the dinning room.
Copenhagen in 2018 was a very New Nordic wave, and to be honest I was getting sick of tartar on dairy cow and asparagus with foam – every midrange and quite a lot of the one stars had that menu. So getting an experience with both a bit of food magic and different flavors was a welcome experience indeed. I have never been in Thailand, but ordered a million take away meals, and the flavors was recognizable, but the plating and preparations had a very different approach, and even provocative. The starter, a chicken stick, smoked in scooter engine smoke (or so they said) – the curry ice was quite good, and interesting.
We opted for the none alcoholic and beer to the food, which fitted quite nice (all though the non-alcohol drinks were quite sweet, almost sodas)
A very good experience, which we did again, and will do again, and we have eaten at their sister restaurant, quite a lot of times.
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Kadeau
This was my 40th birthday dinner my wife gave me. I was familiar with the restaurant, but not in depth. So it was actually a bit of a surprise to eat here.
I had at this point eaten at two – two star Michelin restaurant. A watered down version of AOC and the awkward Bibidum dinner (alone in the restaurant), so at that point of going into the restaurant I had not really, eaten at high level restaurant.
The interior was beautiful – wood color and sheets skins and low lighting. A welcoming room with welcoming staff. Being let by the kitchen by the waiter and everyone said hi to you.
The wine menu, honestly I forgot how it was, it seem like a lot of old world wines, and classical names. I remember it being very good – but was it sweet? Was it acidic? Was it funky? I cannot recall.
The food – it was amazing. These was taste of danish produce and danish flavors. There was an oyster, with something fermented, what flavors I forgot, but it tasted of going to the beach as kid. So, the tastes was of Denmark, of childhood and summer. I was blown away.
Maybe the dishing was not perfect, compared with eg. Jordnær, but it was amazing.
I will go back and go to the Bornholm version as well.
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There are good restaurants, there is great restaurants, and sometimes there is extraordinary experiences.
Jordnær is the latter.
The last years I have followed the restaurant scene in Copenhagen quite closely, getting familiar with names, chains, and paper reviews. And the place in Gentofte, Jordnær, made a stir quite quickly, and it made my to-do list quick as well. It open in 2017 and already ten month after opening it received the first star. Prices for the menu quickly became in the very expensive end and when they received their second star in February of 2020, I immediately booked a table for the following month.
I have got a new Job and we wanted to celebrate, so we splashed out and went all in. Eric Kragh Vildgaard is brother to Torsten Vildgaard, who have been a big part of NOMAs success and had his own Studio (which we tried as well when he was there, and it was amazing). Eric have been in several kitchens before starting Jordnær, among other NOMA.
I had read up quite a lot on the experience, so we had a preconception of what was going to happen, and that preconception quickly disappeared.
Jordnær is situated in the humblest surroundings, a three-star hotel in the ARP Hansen chain. And you are meet with a typical hotel reception (coca cola vending machine and lifestyle magazine on the sofa table on the reception).
You are meet by staff from the restaurant and lead into the more fine-dinning room that is the restaurant. The wife of the power couple that leads the restaurant Tina Kragh Vildgaard is responsible for front of house. And what a service. You could not put a finger on that experience. Even when I accidently dropped the fried and battered leaf of herb it was exchanged faster from the kitchen then you could blink your eye.
Perfect sommelier and very good interior design. White tablecloth and dark heavy drapes made the perfect frame for this experience.
The wine tasting had elements of “naturale” wine flavors (we got an amazing champagne we bought at Rosforth & Rosforth afterwards – Charles Dufour Bistrøtage I don’t remember the vintage) – perfect wines, mostly variation of white – and I think one red from a cooler climate (cant remember it)
The food – oh my god the food – it was out of this world. Mostly centered around shellfish and with a lot of broth, foams, liquids and generous amounts of caviar. technically it seemed to have a lot from the Japanese kitchen. The balance was perfect, so was the plating’s. Small pieces of art, in perfect patterns. No meat – I think it’s an ethical decision. The meat was not missed either.
The whole experience was amazing. But a few dishes I remember now and stood out. There was the signature dish of the raw pawns with horseradish and dill. The lobster, grape and fermented asparagus was surprising and amazing.
We booked the table right after they received their second star, and the menu was not changed or pricing changed (it is today) – it was one of the most expensive meals I have had, and it was worth every kroner. I will go here again.
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This was the first time we eat at AOC. Unfortunate it was one of these offers, where you buy a voucher cheap and get a watered-down version of the restaurant set-menu. Back in 2015, for me, the chance to eat a two-star Michelin star restaurant for small money was just a chance I didn’t wanted to miss. I wish I did. It was only three course deal, and while it was good, it was not great – it made me question what made AOC a two star Michelin restaurant. We ate at (now closed) Grønbech & Chrurchill which had one star, and it was a better menu. And it actually put me off AOC for a while, which after having eaten there In 2020 I regret that immensely , it is in my top three list of restaurants experiences (1: Jordnær, 2: Kadeau, 3: AOC).
As shown on the menu, it was fish, chicken and fermented berries. Not bad, not amazing. There was possibility for a winemenu – 3 glasses for 250 kr – which was actually a very fair price.
As mentioned, we went again, and I will eat there again.
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Hærværk
I have had quite a lot of restaurant meals, and I am quite familiar with the Michelin ranking. So when a restaurant have the ranking Bib Gourmand – I have assumptions and ideas of what to expect.
This was the case for Hærværk as well. These assumptions was put to shame. What a delightful experience. One of the best of 2020
Between lock downs there was a week where we tried a couple of Copenhagen restaurants (H3, Lola) A Michelin stared in Jutland (amazing Ti Trin Ned) and a couple in Aarhus (Awfull Det Glade Vanvid) among them, Hærværk.
Hærværk is situated in Frederiksbjerg, and apparently is a bit of an institution. I used to live in Aarhus (but that was a lifetime ago, back then I did not have the pallet or the money for such a place) am I never would have imagined that Hærværk would be something from the city of smiles.
Modern interior (wood planks, dry aging cabinet, cooking books and wine bottle casually put all over the place). It has fairly priced menu (500 kr for set menu, 400 kr for matching wines and water, and 100 krs for bubbles – 1300 for everything) We opted for the full experience this evening.
And what an experience. Local produce, sharp technical execution, good taste balances and beautiful presentations, just look at the duck – almost beef-ish presentation and taste. This could, if any other country or if made 5-10 years ago, have earned Hærværk a Michelin Star (Just look at the now closed Relæ) . The wineparing was naturalish – not funky but more fresh, a bit on the sweet side but I am okay with that in Wine.
This was among the best meals of 2020.
Will definitely come back.

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H3 is a fairly new restaurant that is created by an old fish shop, which is an institution in the part of Copenhagen called Amager.
A quite small place, maybe seating around max 20-25 people inside and 10-15 people outside.
Cozy and warm – with candles, water in winebottles and sheepskin on the chairs. Its welcoming and the waiters/owners are open and welcoming.
I love to eat a seashell dinner – once a year (Then I am quite full of the taste for almost a full year) The same this evening. We had a champagne glass for starter, and shared a bottle of (typical, dry, mineral) Riesling. The seashell plate consisted of a starter of oyster (which I took all of, my wife hates it) and a mixture of langoustine, lobster, crab claws, both boiled and smoked shrimps. Bread, butter mayonnaise and aioli.
The produce could not have been much fresher then this, directly from the shop next door. I have nothing negative to say about this food.
It was exactly what I expected.
We will be back to H3 – its out of the way, but you want to go out of your way to eat here as well
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