Weekends - gotta love them

We decided to start our weekend early. It was freezing (for a change) on Friday, so we wrapped ourselves up in plenty of wool before driving up to Jægersborg Dyrehave for a walk. When we arrived at the Raadvad gate it was already dusk and the icy wind was blowing in from the nearby coastline. (Okay, it's Denmark, the coastline is always near by.) It would just have to be a short walk, we decided, and at a brisk pace.

It was worth it. The forest rangers had spread out winter feed along the road, and some hundred deer were in the middle of dinner when we interrupted them. The red deer are so big they don't much care about a couple of curious two-legged observers, but the fallow deer moved away and the little sika deer of course sprinted off (only to stop 15 metres away and wait for us to leave).

We drove home and thawed out with some hot lasagna.

On Saturday we went out for brunch at Toldboden restaurant. Wauw. We thought the menu looked good on paper, but it was so much better in real life. And expansive, to say the least! Hot dishes on the counter included traditional Danish liver paté, tiny fish cakes, sausages, spare ribs, vegetable pie and French toast with homemade syrup. The juice bar offered 3 different kinds of juice, I don't even know how many kinds of tea and coffee they had - I just ordered my much needed caffè latte and explored the rest of the brunch menu.

4 different kinds of bread, 6 types of cake and pastries, 5 kinds of homemade jam and apple butter. 7 organic Danish cheeses, 4 types of salad (one of which was seafood), and of course yoghurt with muesli and more of that homemade apple syrup that was also offered for the French toast. If this reads like "The Twelve Days of Christmas" to you, you're not far off. I felt like humming "and a partridge in a pear tree" to myself as we helped ourselves to a little bit of everything. I'm sure I forgot something. It was all delicious.

Toldboden is climate friendly and uses local produce - no need to import ham from Parma and syrup from Canada when you can get something just as delicious right here. I say again: Wauw. We will be coming back.

After that strenuous ordeal we walked through the city to Kongens Have. The park is charming even when there's not a single leaf on the trees. We found our way to Latinerkvarteret and a second-hand record shop, then to Vesterbro and a tea salon that sells great homeroasted coffee beans.

Oh, and what do you know, then we were right next to a Paradis ice cream shop and we just had room for a little free ice cream. Again: Wauw. We had actually forgotten how amazing their ice cream is. The mint-lime sorbet is a new favourite, it was an explosion of taste. Good thing the ice cream season is now kicked off!

I love weekends.

L'education nationale

L'education nationale is a small bistro located in Latinerkvarteret. Authentic French cuisine and decor. The best medicine for the "I miss Paris"-blues. It's a popular spot, so you may want to book ahead.

3 courses for 325 kr or a main course for 199 kr. Lunch courses from 49 kr.

12 Larsbjørnsstræde, 1454 København K
Tel.: 3391 5360
Email: mail@leducationnationale.dk
Open: Mon-Sat 11:30-24, Sun 16:30-22
Krak map
Google map

Recipes

I have obtained official permission to share with you some recipes by my favourite Danish cook book authors, so you can look forward to mouth-watering posts in future. (As if all the restaurant reviews aren't enough.)

And more happy news: Temperatures may creep above freezing point in the coming week! I smell spring, people. Soon.

Free ice cream!

In keeping with tradition, ice cream producer ParadIs is kicking off the 2011 season on Saturday 26 February with free ice cream.

Read more about the deliciouis ice cream here (English), and find your nearest ice cream shop on the map/list here (Danish).

Please note that a handful of shops are not opening on 26 February, in Copenhagen it is the shops on Nørre Voldgade and Store Kongensgade.

Magstræde 16

The name of the restaurant is its address; Magstræde 16. The cuisine is Italian – the simple, authentic and quality-conscious kind of Italian. Only the best products are served here, most of them hand-picked and specially imported by the owners (don't even get them started on the wine...). And it is even very affordable with prices starting well below DKK 100. Everything here is charmingly old and crooked – the street, the building, the floors. What's not to love?

This place is all about the litte pizze which the restaurant is understandably famous for. In addition to the set menu, there are the season dependent "signature pizze" of talented chefs who have visited the kitchen of Magstræde 16. The pizze are small because the restaurant aims for a tapas-style experience, this way 2 people can share 3 different mouth-watering pizze. 

This place is a personal favourite of mine because it is extraordinary value for money, the best Italian food I have enjoyed outside Tuscany, and the staff are very friendly and enthusiastic. I had my graduation party here and my family was floored.

16 Magstræde, 1204 København K
Tel.: 3316 1292
Email: info@magstraede16.dk
Online booking
Open: Mon-Thur 17-22:30, Fri+Sat 12-23:30, Sun 17-22

Krak map
Google map

Wondercool

WonderCOOL is the "umbrella" for a lot of different events taking place in Copenhagen in February. And it was certainly cool today as I was out to document the Copenhagen Cooking festival - wind chill factor minus 13 celsius to be exact. This is why we have wool, people!

I made it to Gråbrødre Torv just as the wild boars were being carved. And since I was already out in the glorious sunshine, I enjoyed a nice walk through Latinerkvarteret, over Gammeltorv-Nytorv, made a stop in Magstræde where one of my favourite restaurants is located (more on that in a separate post), continued down to Stormbroen and over to Christiansborg (our parliament) and snuck a peek at the always pretty Bibliotekshaven (the library garden) before I decided to head home and "defrost" with a cup of tea. And a selection of cupcakes from Agnes.

Huks Fluks serving wild boar with bread and salad

Vor Frue kirke - church of Our Lady

Skt Petri kirke - St. Peter's church, parish church of the German-speaking community

The colourful Latinerkvarteret

Gammeltorv - Nytorv



Strædet (Kompagnistræde)



Strædet (Kompagnistræde)

Magstræde

16 Magstræde houses one of my favourite restaurants!

View from Stormbroen - I'm guessing the tour-boats are not sailing today

Nikolaj kirke in the background



The back of Christiansborg Ridebane



Thorvaldsens museum

The National Museum

The entrance to Christiansborg Ridebane (the riding grounds) with the back of Christiansborg itself in the background

No horses today, but then if I was a horse I'd rather be inside in the warm stables too

Of course our Folketing have their own bicycles...

The doorway to the Bibliotekshaven

Library garden rules - no swimming in the fountain

I love this place. It's tiny and peaceful.

I know it doesn't look like much, but in a few months those bushes will be blooming - imagine sitting on one of those benches under a cloud of little pink flowers.

Testing cupcakes is serious business. I recommend the vanilla flavour, top right-hand corner.