I love marriages between unlike elements and my dinner at Restaurant Jordnær would display some dishes that did just that.
The restaurant is located a bit north of Copenhagen in what some might call the suburbs in an old hotel without being a classic hotel restaurant. They do however serve a small 3 course menu a long with the bigger tasting menu to accompany the hotel guests. Of course, we went the other way for the full experience.
The appetizers quite clearly set the tone for the rest of the menu as it includes some “classics”, caviar, Japanese inspiration as well as New Nordic while at the same time being quite delicious. My personal favorite of the 3 were the yakkatori grilled Hamachi. Nice glace and just great quality. I found the combination of cucumber and caviar refreshing and nice, but the balance would have suited me better had it had just a little less cucumber.
From here we went on to a beautiful but very delicate serving of raw scallops with white currant and different herbs. To me the flavors were too delicate and could have used something to intensify the flavor profile.
This was not the case for the next dish of raw scrimps with a horseradish creme split with a dill oil. The combination of heat and the sweetness from the shrimps was truly great which is of course only possible as the shrimps were of great quality.
The combination of caviar with a cream of a sort is becoming a modern classic and we were to try another one at Jordnær. Here in the case of a salty cream with a cauliflower pure and Belgian caviar. It is a classic for a reason as the creme delicate cream flavor is a great match for the rich caviar. A bit heavy on the salt for my taste though.
From soft and delicate to crispy and delicate in the form of a potato crisp with crab and vinegar with some crispy herbs. A nice touch between two dishes with very soft textures.
Time for the third caviar serving this time with “mash potatoes”, cod end Jerusalem artichoke. Another classic. Delicious. The textures and flavors were spot on.
With a combination of goatmilk, beetroot rhubarb and ramson capers it was time for one of the highlights of the evening. This dish was definitely not classic. The union of GREAT sweetness and the acidity worked amazing together. A was blown away by this dish.
4th and final caviar serving of the night, which I think is a personal record for me, and then together with beurre blanc, truffles and flounder. A combination of classic ingredients that will no surprise you, but it is still just pure deliciousness.
To finish the savory section were two of the more Japanese inspired. First a turbot with a sweet chanterelle broth. The broth was too sweet for my taste and I would have preferred a more umami rich dashi.
After that a monkfish with a rose miso and black garlic. I really liked the texture of the fish and black garlic always boost the flavors of any dish.
The first dessert was one of the best I have had all year. Camilmil tea, lemon verbena, honey merengue and a rhubarb sauce. I absolutely loved the perfect balance between sweet and acidic while still having the “caramel” texture from the mereque. Also, I am pretty sure it is the first time I had camilmil tea play the lead in a dessert which it really suited. An amazing dish that shows the skilllevel of the kitchen balancing high level of sweetness and acidity against each other once more.
To finish was another great dessert in the form of white peach with lavender and raspberry. Soft and delicate flavors that worked well together but couldn’t blow me away as the previous dessert did.
The menu bounces back and forth between classic French flavors, heavy use of caviar fx, New Nordics and just a bit of Japanese flavors as well. Writing this it is clear for me just how much the menu switches back and forth and that the Nordic dishes were also the most experimental but also most delicious. Merging the two have proven possible for other restaurants in a way where the flavors were merged on the actual plate and not just on the menu. On the other hand, there is no need for a restaurant to stick to just one kitchen and it is almost impossible not to be inspired by Japan at the moment. The restaurant has also only been open for two years so still a young restaurant with plenty of time to find its own identity which may just be inspired by a variety of kitchens.
The restaurant earned a well-deserved Michelin star in February as everything in the restaurant flows nicely making it well worth a visit to the Northern part of Copenhagen. The general level of the dishes were great and the goatmilk dish and dessert of camilmil tea were truely standout dishes making my visit memorable. If you are in good time I suggest enjoying a relaxing walk by the lake setting you up for a great evening or lunch.
Chef: Eric Vildgaard
Menu price: 300 $ for a tasting menu including wine
Style: Modern New Nordic fine dining
Menu: Tasting menu of 3, 9 or 12 dishes
Location: Copenhagen (Gentofte), Denmark
Website and reservation: https://restaurantjordnaer.dk/
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