|
|
Seaside dining, Danish style
The coast north of Copenhagen is dotted with culinary jewels - restaurants whose food and uniquely soothing atmosphere you will want to return to again.
We don't know have any scientific proof of this as such, but there
is something about dining with a view to the sea that seems to help the
digestion. Food just tastes better beside the sea. Maybe it is the
irresistibly relaxing affect of the light on the water, or the movement
of the waves, who knows. If you would care to take part in our very own
(un)scientific investigation into this most enjoyable phenomenon, there
are plenty of superb sea view restaurants close to Copenhagen that we
can recommend.
The Øresund Strait, which divides eastern
Denmark from Southern Sweden, is an especially tranquil stretch of
water, with a unique light and atmosphere. If you travel north of
Copenhagen along the coast this is the sea that will accompany you all
the way to Helsingør at the closest point to Sweden.
The first of our recommendations that you will come to is Skovriderkroen,
a large seaside inn dating from 1937. Skovriderkroen is much more than
just a restaurant. Located just opposite Danmarks Akvarium (Denmark's
Aquarium), by day this is an excellent family venue with its large,
open, mahogany furnished dining room, open-air grill terrace, mini-golf
course and ice cream kiosk. What?s more, Charlottenlund beach is just
across the road. The staff are formally dressed in black waistcoats and
bow ties, but the atmosphere is informal and welcoming, especially on
Friday and Saturday evenings when the venue transforms into one of the
main night spots along this stretch of coast, one of the wealthiest
residential areas in Denmark (and sometimes referred to as the Whisky
Belt).
Charlottenlund beach is a fine stretch of sand, but a
little further up the coast at Klampenborg is one of the loveliest
beaches in the area, Bellevue. This is also home to two of the most
distinctive and special restaurants in the entire region, each
radically different from the other. Restaurant Jacobsen is
internationally renowned not just a shrine to one of Denmark's best
known and most prolific designers, Arne Jacobsen, but also for its
exquisite food. With a kitchen now run by a new chef and inspired by
the legendary French cook Alain Ducasse, the food (which blends Modern
Italian, with French and Danish cuisine) is better than ever. The
restaurant, which is part of one of Jacobsen?s seminal designs ? the
Bellevista Housing Complex - has one of the finest interiors around,
with numerous examples of Jacobsen?s designs. Diners sit on his famous
Swan, Egg and Ant chairs, and eat with his futuristic cutlery (as used
in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey). In summer there is outside dining
with a view to the sea.
Just across the road, beneath ancient oak trees is the charming Den Gule Cottage
(The Yellow Cottage), a tiny, single-storey, half-timbered cottage,
built in 1844 as the house for the beach's caretaker. The cottage was
designed by the famous Danish architect Gottlieb Bindesbøll (also
responsible for Thorvaldsens Museum and the Carlsberg label). With its
thatched roof (now the wine 'cellar'), yellow-washed walls and the
clock above the door it resembles something from a Hans Christian
Andersen fairy tale. Inside, are two simple, cosy dining rooms where
lucky diners are served dishes of the very highest quality, blending
the freshest seasonal Danish ingredients with contemporary French
techniques. Again, in summer there is an outdoor terrace overlooking
the lawns that roll down to the beach.
Once the home of composer Hakon Schmedes, the traditional Danish farm Mikkelgaard
is now a renowned restaurant set amid lawns which stretch right down to
the water. Since 1990 this has been one of the undiscovered' pearls
along this stretch of the coast with its beautiful, light dining room
and unbeatable views of the Øresund.
Not far two other prime Rungsted restaurants, both located in the harbour itself. Nokken
is a stylish, modern harbour restaurant. Its large, light, white dining
room and outdoor deck blend an American West Coast atmosphere with
Modern Scandinavian style. Nokken is also one of the top nighttime
destinations along this part of the coast, when it draws an affluent,
stylish, younger crowd who bring with them a unique, vibrant
atmosphere. The food is modern Mediterranean, again with a Modern
Scandinavian touch.
Right next door, still in the harbour, is Røgeriet
(the smokery), renowned for its home smoked fish. In the old days,
virtually every harbour in Denmark had its own smokery, where fish and
meats would be preserved for the winter by smoking in an oven.
Rungsted's has been transformed into a super restaurant (the smoking
oven is actually inside the restaurant), with outdoor dining beside the
boats in summer. Not everything on the menu is smoked, you might like
to know.
Continuing further up the coast towards the world
famous modern art museum Louisiana you first come to the small coastal
town of Humlebæk whose traditional harbour inn, Sletten Kro has a very nice view from the restaurant across the small harbour.
As
we continue round the coast, past the town of Helsingør (famous as the
home of Hamlet) we come to restaurant of one of Denmark's most
creative, cosmopolitan chefs, Jan Hurtigkarl. Each year Jan is
famous for the summer menus he creates based on his global travels.
Indian, Chinese and Creole cooking have all inspired him in seasons
past, but this year it was his recent visit to Japan that has set the
theme for 2006. Together with his chef, Jakob Mielcke Hansen (who has
worked for the famous French chef Pierre Gagnaire in both his Michelin
starred restaurants in London and Paris), Jan has yet again concocted a
menu bursting with creativity and fresh thinking. This spirit of
innovation extends outside to the grill area, where Jan has designed a
unique pyramid grill, to fend of the Danish wind and rain.
This
stretch of coast on the north of the island of Zealand is a very
popular summer holiday area for Copenhageners which means that, though
the villages here are small and based around fishing harbours, there
are plenty of excellent restaurants, shops and hotels. Søstrene Olsen,
a little further along the coast from Jan Hurtigkarl at Hornbæk (one of
the most popular of these seaside resorts), is housed in a charming
thatched cottage beside the town?s fine sandy beach. The food here is
Franco-Danish, with an emphasis on superlative presentation and the
best fresh ingredients - freshly caught fish a speciality. This simply
styled restaurant lies two minutes from the harbour, with golf, riding
and sailing opportunities close at hand.
The eastern stretch of
the north coast begins at the fishing village of Gilleleje (another
popular holiday spot) and end at Tisvilde, an exclusive seaside village
of thatched, clapboard houses with a wonderful sandy beach. Right in
the harbour at Gilleleje is the cosy, traditional Restaurant Gilleleje Havn,
a former seaman?s inn dating from 1895. Here, in the old inn building,
the accent is on traditional Danish cuisine, with smørrebrød (open
sandwiches) for lunch, plus of course the catch of the day fresh from
the harbour. In summer the new extension to the old building houses a
restaurant which serves food with a French influence.
Finally, if you are thinking of lingering longer on this stretch of coast, Helenekilde Hotel
would be an excellent choice. This traditional 'badehotel' (bathing
hotel), dating from the early 20th century, has recently been revived
by new owners (with care taken to preserve its unique atmosphere) and
now attracts a younger, hipper clientele during the summer. It has a
wonderful restaurant and its four-to-seven-course meals are now an
integral part of the summer Tisvilde experience.
|
|
