We slept in and had a lazy morning. We got to try out the Nespresso pods we bought the day before, and then we headed out for breakfast. I actually spent my morning surfing the web looking for the one clothing item I probably can’t easily find in Copenhagen. It occurred to me that everywhere we’ve been on this trip I’ve notice that people at work have a very distinctive style of pants. Almost anyone doing road work, construction work, any kind of trade work seems to wear a similar kind of pant. They look very utilitarian, they usually have pockets and high visibility fabric worked into them. I look it up and sure enough there is a European work pant design that I’ve not seen stateside. The knees even have knee pads built into the pant. When I get home I’m going to try and track down a pair because they look perfect for working around the house.
For breakfast we go to Atelier September. I have a croissant and Dawn has a hardboiled egg and rye. After that, we stopped by a rare book store that I’ve had my eye on. A few weeks before leaving on this trip it occurred to me to check to see if there were any books signed by Claude Shannon available. I actually found one that claimed to be a Bell Labs journal that was a signed first edition. I was surprised when I looked at the bookseller and realized that it would be a few blocks away from where we were staying in Copenhagen. The bookstore was serious business with ancient books piled everywhere. I gave them the inventory number and a lady disappeared amongst the books and later returned with the one I was interested in. Upon inspecting it I learned that it was not in fact a signed edition. I inquired why it was marked as signed on ABE and the lady said that the system just does that some time. Very disappointing. At least I didn’t have to pay $50 in shipping to learn that it was misrepresented.
There was a hat store that Dawn and I saw yesterday that we managed to walk by again today. It was open so we stopped to see their wares. I asked if they had any summer weight hats and the proprietor said that it was the wrong season for that….but after a bit of searching he did have some silk and linen flatcaps. I tried a few on and found one that I really liked. He told us that they were the second old hat shop on Europe (there is one in London even older) and they had been continuously selling hats out of that location since mid-1800’s.
After that, I checked out a Skagen store. I really like Skagen watches, and being that they are a Danish brand, I was happy to visit the mothership. Unfortunately in the store I learned that Skagen watches are cheaper in the US than they are in Denmark. So, even though they had a very nice watch, it makes no sense to buy one over here when I can do better through Amazon at home.
We also visited what we were told was the oldest bakery in Copenhagen, Conditori La Glace. The sweets looked very appetizing so we got a few as takeout for later and took them back to the room. After that, Dawn suggested we visit The Round Tower (Rundetaarn) which I was initially not excited about. Once we got there I changed my tune. It’s a 17 century observatory with a giant spiral ramp up the middle. It was actually pretty damn cool.
We wiled away the afternoon shopping. The shopping district in Copenhagen is really quite nice. Eventually we stopped by BrewPub Copenhagen for a lunch snack. I meant to only order one Brewer’s Cutting-board, which includes: marinated barrel herring, fish cake, egg & prawns, chicken salad, and pulled pork cheek… but due to misunderstanding we each got a cutting-board. The beers was excellent and our snack was a bit more substantial than we had planned. Fortunately we still had five hours or so until dinner to shop and walk it off.
The main event today was the 15 course dinner we had reservations for at Kadeau. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to say enough good things about this meal. Since Noma is closed this was our big splurge on new-Nordic cuisine. The Kadeau concept is rooted in Bornholm, an island in the Baltic sea. Kadeau has their home restaurant there and they grow their own produce on the island and harvest from it. Basically, Kadeau is an exploration of what you can seasonally do with ingredients from that island through fermentations and preservation. The Copenhagen location brings the experience to people who do not have time to travel to their island.
The food was on point. Fun, playful, beautiful. The pacing was good...but more than anything else, I was super impressed by how intensive the service was. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a service team as on the ball as at Kadeau. From being greeted by a line of chefs when we entered the restaurant, to a cocktail while we waited for our table to be prepared, everything was smooth and effortless. I was not able to sit down without someone already being at my chair to help slide it in. I noticed that all the tables had the exact number of chairs that they needed. If a person was dining alone, they did not have to look at an empty chair. There would only be one chair at the table. At one point I notice two gentlemen go out and smoke, and when they came back they swapped chairs. Instantly a person showed up at the table and swapped their water glasses for them.
What really blew my mind was when people paid their check and left, someone would come by and remove the spotlights from above that were lighting their table. Only tables with diners are spot lit. The rest only have candles. There was a metal track system hanging from the ceiling and all of the spotlights were magnetic. That’s crazy.
While I enjoyed all of the courses, two really stood out. They made a tomato tart with dehydrated tomatoes, crab, and kelp that was amazing. I could have eating a plate full of them. They also made a dish with thinly sliced raw scallops, horseradish, carrots, and pine buds that was transcendent. Oh man, this meal was so good.
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