Kristian Mortensen

The day after eating at Llama, where there was both drinks and generous wine pairing (and wine and beer at the now closed 108s bar area) we needed something for a heavy head.
A good fresh bicycle ride from home to Gaarden and Gaden we sat down to eat.
The goal was coffee and fat and salty food, with sparkling water as rehydrate.
After getting sight back and start realizing where we were, we realized we were at a very nice restaurant. Modern and aesthetic pleasing interior. Light colored wood and open kitchen with a about a fourth of the room a wine room with glass walls.
I got a Croque Monsieur which was perfectly made and my wife got a morning set, which was a bit small. We got curious for the evening menu, and it looks very nice, and inexpensive.
This seems like a genuine modern avantgarde restaurant with natural wines on the menu.
We have this on the list of places we need to try in the evening.
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Okay
Maybe this is not fair. Was eating a pizza at the bar in a Michelin star restaurant a meal? I am unsure.
But I got a good idea of the place. It is very sure that Gotham Bar and Grill prime was some time ago. A long time ago. It was a bit run down, the patterns the furniture had was very 80th. The was heavy drapes and big white tablecloths. Big marble bar desk.
The age of the customers would also indicate it’s regular customers have been guests in the restaurant for decades.
The pizza in itself was decent, not great, but expensive.
Even if it was a small meal, I have no intention to come there again.
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This is my second review of Gorilla
Basically, I feel the same after this experience as the first time. Mediocracy and the negative connotation of modern.
But I had to bring some of my non-gourmet friends out. I thought it as about time they experienced something like an eating experience which was not a steakhouse or a burger-joint.
Middle of the road Gorilla seemed to fit the frame. Inexpensive yet a proper many course meal.
The wine menu also entails natural fermentation – which these guys was reluctant to experience (they feared vinegar tasting wines).
It was such a success that at least one of the guys took his partner to a romantic dinner there. I wanted to follow up the success with something different, but unfortunate corona closed down Denmark soon after.
Honestly I have no recollection on what we eat that day.
Will probably eat again (if nearby, hungry and the weather is good)
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Copenhagen is a restaurant mecca. Especially the mid-range priced restaurants where you can get a set menu for less than 500 kr (The now closed one-star Michelin restaurant relæ was incredibly in that range)

There are some chains that specialize in that mid-range. We have Cofoco (noticeable in their chain is Llama) we have Copenhagen Concepts, who was initiated by one of the godfathers of modern cusine in Denmark, Francis Cardenau (who gave Denmark’s its first two star Michelin restaurant with Kommedanten) and the two entrepreneurs Jesper Boelskifte og Erik Gemal who had the gourmet lighthouses and now closed Le Sommelier and Umami in their empire, today they have the gargantuan chain MASH in their portfolio (Cardenau have retired from the frontlines of gourmet world, but he is still around). There is a couple of other (eg. Lertchai og Henrik Yde-Andersen Thai gourmet chain Kiin Kiin, with the flagship restaurant claiming a star in 13 years and there is also the two separate sushi chains Sticks and Sushi and Letz Sushi)
And then there is the bearnaise king Rasmus Oubæk (who worked for Francis Cardenau in MASH) and his partner Jesper Madirazza-Marcussen chain, they have the steakhouse chain Retour, Restaurant Maison, Pluto, Barabba and Gorilla in their chain.

This day my wife and I ate at Gorilla.

Without a doubt it’s a cost-benefit restaurant. What is the acceptable cheapest for the price that gives us as customers an good-ish experience. It’s the same set menu as we seen in the other “new nordic” restaurants in Copenhagen. Honestly it was quite forgettable, and if I did not have the pictures I wouldn’t have remembered. The less is more plating with simple seasonal dishes. It kind of works. Not top quality foods, but more the cheapest kinds. Your product is only as good as the produces, and here the product was kind-off mediocre

We were waited by young hipster dudes (man-bun, tattoos up the arm and that annoying lets-be-friends idea of service attitude) with identical Hawaii shirts. The plates and interior could have been bought at IKEA (but I don't think so)

I will probably come back (I have after this experience) if I am in the area, need something to eat at I can do a walk in. Only because of the prices.
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Koblenz, a small beautiful tourist city where Mosel and Rhine rivers meet.
Germany is in many eyes not a tourist attraction, and that is a shame, it have so much to offer, specially around this area. The possibilities are many, from cycling along the rivers, meeting at the playgrounds, living at the nice hotels, wine tastings or gourmet foods.
In the small city of Koblenz (around 100.000 inhabitants) there is 2 michelin stars, 1 bib gourmand (Gerhards Genussgesellschaft) and 3 plate. A gourmet haven.
Obviously Riesling reign supreme in this area, and with good reasoning. Its made in the hills surrounding the city.
Gerhards Genussgesellschaft is placed in the park surrounding the Basilica of St. Castor the oldsest church of Koblenz – right where the two rivers meet. It have a beautiful courtyard serving – where the children play. The food is a nudge up from german farmers food. Its seasonal regional food and it tastes of more then it costs. Rewarded the Bib Gourmand, it is very much this type of food, affordable gourmet food.
Will come back to this

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Era Ora was an institution in the Copenhagen Gourmet restaurant world. Open in 1983 by Elvio Milleri, and have claimed best Italian restaurant outside of Italy, three times winner of best restaurant in Denmark and claiming the Michelin star 23 years in a row, had the little sister restaurant l'Altro who claimed a bib gourmand for a number og years.
Era Ora was, as far as I remember, the first star I ate at.
Beautifuly and theatrical room and a very fine dinning experience.
I meet the concept of Sous Vide for the first time there (and grown tired of it afterwards – but back then it was amazing). I got so much food I was so stuffed that I had to lie down on the floor when I got home. Full dishes were served (a full steak, a full potion of risotto). I didn’t know then that it was to much, so I just enjoyed it.
I ate a lunch with my wife some years later, and It was quite good then as well.
If opened I would eat there again.
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Ekstedt
Attending a conference in Stockholm, we were a couple of attendees that wanted to have a good dining experience now we were in Stockholm.
We were lucky to get a table at Ekstedt - the place was very popular.
Our taxi driver thought that a tour of Stockholm was part of the journy from the hotel to the restaurant, we can in time for our booking and to a full restaurant.
Ekstedt specializes in heat from a stove - which all the dishes in some form or other was cooked with. No electric appliances were used for cooking in any form, they told us. We got a bit of a show as well, we were lead to the stove and saw fat being heated and dripped, on fire, onto oysters.
The restaurant from 2011 was build with light wood, rustic presentations (on rocks and stone coloured plates). The food was very modern, besides the technique focused on shellfish and fish, with one meat element which is not beef.
Would recommend, will return
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Formel B
Formel B is a piece of Copenhagen food history.
After Era Ora lost it star and afterwards closed, it is now the longest running Michelin star awared restaurant in Copenhagen (of course other have had the star before Formel B, Kong Hans Kælder and Søllerød Kro among others, but they lost them, before reclaiming them)
Many prominent chefs have been in its kitchen, opened by Henrik Boserup, Christian Ryge and Claus Jørgensen in 1997. Among others Paul Cunningham (Now running two Michelin star restaurant Henne Kirkeby Kro), Pernille Skjødt (Henne Kirkeby Kro, Saison, Jan Hurtigkarl, Kommandaten, Auberge) and Nikolaj Kirk.
Formel B have carried the star since 2004 – impressive 17 years today.
We were at Formel B in 2017 – for a four-course meal. The room is very nice, light drapes, low warm light and sand-colored walls, brown chairs and dark wooded tables. Our waiter was present but not standing over our shoulders.
The food was very good, modern, zeitgeist food, that menu we eat that day echoed though other dinners the following years. Time have been very favorable towards this dinner. It was better then we thought it was that day.
Starters with fresh vegetables, a fish, a tartar (I am honestly tired of tartar today) a tender pork and a berry sorbet. That is today something that you meet in a million midrange resturants, back then it was foreseeing the future.
The wineparring was, as remember, quite classical and nice.
Will visit again.
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In the summer of 14 we travelled around north Spain and with train from Bilbao to Paris with stops along the way.
We ended up in Bordeaux for a couple of days. A charming French city with a lot to offer, also on the food front.
We passed the now permanently closed Dubern and made a walk in. We were placed at the outside tables with a good view to the beautiful Allées de Tourny and the lazy summer life.
As you can see the prices for a set lunch menu was extremely fair, 26 Euro for 3 dishes.
They made a special main dish and dessert for our 3 year old daughter for a fair price.
Even if it was “only” a bib gourmand, the level was surprisingly high. Not filly a star worthy, but if the restaurant was placed in Budapast it was better than the one star we ate at there.
Unfortunately I cannot find anything about the chef or what happened to the restaurant, it would be interesting to se what happened with that kitchen
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