Working With Nature
The major question in terms of sustainability is how to expand people’s understanding of produce. That’s the big challenge. People don’t understand where their food comes from. It’s part of the reason we decided to start Farm of Ideas. It’s asking the question, “What is the agricultural system we are in and what influence can we as chefs and restaurateurs have on it?” For too long, cooking has been focused on availability, uniformity and perfection. Instead, our values need to focus on serving nature rather than trying to dominate it, which requires a holistic approach. One way we’re doing this is by growing more than 150 varieties of vegetables for our restaurants and sourcing products from our own animals. The challenge is that we’re never 100 percent in control, but we have to use our skills and our ideas to make the most out of it for the sake of the produce and the planet.
Benchmark Burgers and Sandwiches
Sustainability has become a buzzword just about everywhere, and that’s a good thing, but people have a hard time applying it to their day-to-day business. There are a few places in Copenhagen that do a great job and one of those is Gasoline Grill. It’s famous for making amazing burgers and it’s also certified organic. The owner goes a very long way to forward the agenda of serving people good, well-sourced produce. The meat is ground on-site daily and sells out every day. It’s undoubtedly the best burger in Copenhagen. There are six locations across the city now, but it started at a gas station, hence the name. In the wintertime, Palaegade is a very nice place to be. It’s a little bit classy, it’s a little bit modern and it serves delicious open-faced sandwiches.
Bringing Mexico to Copenhagen
The restaurant I visit the most is Sanchez by Rosio Sanchez. What makes it stand out is that it brings flavours to the plate that you don’t really find anywhere else in Copenhagen. You also can’t beat Rosio’s inventive Mexican dishes. She has a way of combining acidity with smoked chillies and fruits that’s really special.
An Ambitious Bowl of Noodles and a Long-Time Thai Favourite
Slurp Ramen Joint is an extremely ambitious ramen project. The starting point is quite simple: create a good bowl of soup. But it goes about it in an impressive way. The kitchen essentially runs like a line in a fine-dining restaurant. The chefs are very focused on the quality of product and make all of the noodles themselves. Ranee’s is a Thai restaurant right around the corner from my house and is a place I’ve been going to for years.
Taking DIY to the Next Level
When I entertain, I want to be able to share food with friends, and there’s nothing quite like sharing the burrata at Bæst. Being my own restaurant I’m obviously biased, but it’s also my house really. It has a butchery and micro-dairy upstairs where we make all our charcuterie and raw-milk cheeses – something that is totally unique in Denmark. This means we’re able to produce and serve cheese on the same day that we get our milk delivered from Farm of Ideas.
Sustainable Seafood
If you want to eat where the locals eat, head to La Banchina for some tasty fish by the water. The chef, a former apprentice of mine, makes no compromises and only sources fish that he can serve with a good conscience. This is usually where you’ll find me on a beautiful summer day. I go, I eat and I jump in the water for a swim. It’s a really nice and simple place that also has a sauna.
New Things by Fine-Dining Chefs
Amass is a hub of creative work geared towards the answer to one of the most important questions of our time: How do we cook sustainably and without waste? The chef, Matt Orlando, is one of the most experienced chefs I know and it’s a privilege to have him here in Copenhagen. My former head chef Jon Tam is killing it in his new place Jatak on Nørrebro. I have worked with Jon Tam for more than a decade and his palate, creativity and culinary reflections deserve as much success as one can possibly have. I am excited just thinking about what he will be able to create in this place.
Bakers’ Delights
When I’m on the road, the one thing I miss is sourdough from Mirabelle Bakery. It’s the bread we serve at all of our restaurants. It’s a bit different from a normal bakery and its main purpose is to make great organic bread. We’ve expanded the operation to making croissants and a few laminated doughs that I’m very proud of. It’s a very simple selection: we keep the quality high and the offering limited to have less waste. For me, you need to do this if you’re trying to be a sustainable-minded bakery. There are a lot of incredibly talented bakers in Copenhagen, but I want to point out Juno in particular. It’s struck this magic rhythm of being busy enough and hyped enough to provide a very fresh product, day-in-and-day-out. The bakers there make very nice pastries and it’s important to mention that it’s certified organic.
Drinking Wine
If I have something to celebrate I’ll most likely head to Ved Stranden 10, Copenhagen’s most high-profile wine bar. It’s refined and classy but it still manages to feel casual like a true wine bar – I love it.
Exploring Vermouth
Rudo is a vermouth-focused bar that we have great pleasure working on. We jumped on the vermouth train a few years ago at Bæst, but we wanted to create a space for it to grow. It’s a drink-focused venue, so the food is quite simple. We serve things like house-made charcuterie and we’ve just added a slider using beef from the cows we have at Farm of Ideas and mozzarella that we make and smoke ourselves. The most popular dish though is the stracciatella and black truffle toast.
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