Well, if you want to come back from holiday with an empty purse but a mind full of great memories and inspiration, Copenhagen is your destination.
My mum and I have just returned from a 4 day trip to Copenhagen and I LOVED IT. I mean, the temptation to drop everything and stay there working in restaurants was high. So, here's a little recap of what went down.
First of all, we stayed in a youth hostel, primarily because we booked everything last minute and it was pretty much either a youth hostel or a 5 star hotel, and since the youth hostel was already the price of a 5 star hotel anywhere else in Europe... our decision was made for us.
Nevertheless, we found a central one which meant we were in walking distance of everything. I say "walking distance", Copenhagen is actually massive and we ended up walking about 16km every day because we wanted to see every corner of it. I have to say, it was worth it.
As always, I'm mostly talking about food experiences here. But, I'd like to share a little bit of the Copenhagen experience. Yes, the city is very expensive, taxes are outrageous and therefore everything seems unaffordable. However, just walking around the city is relaxing enough. I would say that it gave me "Fancy Large Amsterdam" vibes, with canals running through the city (well, in this case I think they're lakes...), a port, lots of boats, everyone on a bicycle, a hippy neighborhood with a "no photo" policy, and hipster spots on every corner. On top of that, it's the capital of design and the focus point of many current trends that centre around hygge, such as reclaimed wood and candle lighting. This all contributes to a trendy and calming surrounding with lots of possible discoveries.
Most of my discoveries were, I have to say, food based.
So, let's get down to business... aka The Food.
It was easy to spot a lot of major food trends around Copenhagen. From the hipster coffee shops, Korean food, vegan stalls and restaurants, food served in bowls, etc.
However, I got a lot of new ideas from this city.
So, let's talk about Smørrebrød. I've heard not everyone's a massive fan. Mostly because, if you really focus on rye bread, let's be honest, it can have the texture of a shoe sole. But, it's also very allergen friendly (for example, I can eat it), and quite flavourful. On top of that (literally, the slice of bread is topped with all sorts) come so many new flavour combinations. It's not just about herring, cream and potatoes now. For example, we had a truffle potato and vinegar jerusalem artichoke version that blew me away. Not to mention a tomato and herb one which, although it sounds simple, was very very complex flavour-wise. Anyway, all the ones we tried (in Aamans and Kompasset) were topped with chock-a-block of flavours.
Another discovery was the fine-dining restaurants. Stand outs were Høst, which used great cooking methods such as smoking and fermentation (see review:
https://www.sofelicity.com/recipes/h%C3%B6st-_-n%C3%B8rre-farimagsgade-41-1364-k%C3%B8benhavn-denmark), Veve, a completely vegetarian set menu restaurant (see upcoming review), and Admiralgrade 26 where they served a spiralised potato, lemon and salmon egg dish that blew us away.
Special shoutout has to go out to the morning kaffehygge (I hope I'm right in saying that's a hygge coffee moment...).
And finally, my favorite discovery of the trip, which I still find so cool and surprising... porridge.
No, I've not completely lost my mind and, No I've not suddenly become a member of the cast of Oliver. Grød is a chain of restaurants in Denmark which serves sweet and savory porridge all day. They have traditional porridge, grain porridge, lentil dhal (aka indian lentil porridge), chicken congee (aka Japanese rice porridge) and all the toppings you could imagine. I just thought this was the best idea for comforting food on-the-go with a trendy twist.
And there you have it, that was pretty much my 4 days in Copenhagen. Add a few touristy sites such as the Palaces and the little mermaid, a spectacular botanical garden, some flødeboller, amazing food and you've got our trip in a nutshell.
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