Few restaurants face a tougher test than replacing a Michelin-starred chef. Frederiksminde found itself in exactly that position when Jonas Mikkelsen left after 16 years in the kitchen and 11 years with a Michelin star.
The new head chef is Mulla. Just two days before my visit, the restaurant retained its star, but the owners clearly have bigger ambitions. Naturally, the biggest question going into the meal was what the new style of the kitchen would be and whether Frederiksminde still deserved its place in the Michelin Guide.
Præstø, where the inn is located, is a beautiful historic town by the sea. Even before you arrive, your body starts to relax. You feel the history of the inn everywhere, from the old-fashioned beds and artwork to the small squeaky sounds that only an old building can make. Calling the rooms large would be an overstatement, yet they remain cosy. That is also the feeling you get walking through the hotel, where everything has been kept as close to the original as possible. The pictures on the walls remind me of those hanging in my grandparents’ house, adding to the homely atmosphere.
The town itself is just as old and charming as the inn, making a stroll through the cobblestone streets highly recommended before ending on the terrace overlooking the water. It is the perfect place for a pre-dinner drink if the Danish weather permits.
The menu starts with the traditional array of snacks designed to awaken both appetite and curiosity. They did exactly that. A croustade with pear, horseradish and oyster, a snail with salsa verde that made me think of ceviche and miss Peru, and an incredible tartlet of cockles in a sweet carrot shell. Three very different snacks, all balancing flavour and texture beautifully. The first signs were very promising.
The love for the ocean was already evident and continued with the most refreshing dish of the evening: razor clam and seaweed. A dish full of salinity and florality. It was followed by hiramasa wrapped in a Chinese radish “dumpling” with a clear broth. Pure, refreshing flavours.
After a sequence of bright and delicate dishes, Mulla shifted gears with his signature brioche toast topped with mussels, lardo and a rich mayonnaise based on mussel stock. On the surface it seemed like a simpler, less technical dish, but it was packed with comforting umami flavours.
From pure deliciousness we moved into more experimental territory with almonds presented in different textures and preparations. A walnut sauce added depth while dehydrated strawberries brought sweetness. It was a great example of a style of cooking where technical and almost philosophical dishes coexist with more classical and comforting ones. Everything about the dish felt different from the Frederiksminde of the past. Its experimental nature combined with strong technical execution was refreshing and hinted at what this kitchen may be capable of in the future.
Sometimes bread is an afterthought. Sometimes it is merely a vehicle for sauce. And sometimes it becomes one of the highlights of the meal. At Frederiksminde it was definitely the latter. A classic baguette and the lightest, fluffiest and most buttery brioche imaginable. The craftsmanship and flavour were among the best I have experienced outside a three-star Michelin restaurant.
Generosity can sometimes be too much. It was with the next dish: Rossini caviar with grilled romaine lettuce and a lettuce juice. The serving of caviar was so generous that it affected the balance of the dish. Of course I finished every last bit of it, but to create the perfect bite you only needed about half of what was served. It was the first and only real mistake from the kitchen, but if you are going to make a mistake, serving too much caviar is probably the best one.
Most of the menu leans towards New Nordic flavours with plenty of brightness and acidity, but traditional French techniques are also part of the restaurant’s DNA. What is more classic than a pithivier? Here it was filled with langoustine and served with a rich shellfish sauce. Comforting, elegant and delicious. A pithivier is a technically demanding dish and a good test of a kitchen’s craftsmanship. Needless to say, they passed with flying colours.
A dish of lobster with saffron sauce was the only course where I felt the balance was slightly off. That was quickly forgotten once the final savoury dish arrived: grilled summer roe with grilled cabbage. To me, a rich and satisfying expression of classic French flavours.
For the first dessert we returned to Denmark with a lemon custard similar to one I remember from childhood. However, this was not the version I grew up with. Finger lime added both acidity and texture while lemon verbena brought floral notes. Complex and delicious.
Our final stop of the evening was a marriage between France and Denmark in the form of a sea buckthorn soufflé. Soufflé is almost always delicious, but the tart and acidic sea buckthorn made it particularly successful.
While enjoying a canelé, I reflected on the experience I had just had. The level of one-star Michelin restaurants varies considerably in Denmark and, with only six months under the new head chef, I honestly did not know what to expect.
The conclusion was very clear. I was genuinely impressed, and Frederiksminde is now one of the better one-star Michelin restaurants in Denmark. For me, it starts and ends with flavour, and they got that absolutely right. The menu balances creativity with comfort, while moving naturally between New Nordic and French influences. That combination is not unusual in Denmark, but here it feels coherent. It is also obvious that the kitchen is deeply inspired by the surrounding landscape and produce, which means vegetables naturally play a significant role during spring and summer.
After just six months, they are off to a very promising start. With a talented team in place, there is clearly much more to come.
In the words of Michelin, Frederiksminde is definitely worth a detour.
Practical information
Website: https://frederiksminde.com
Headchef: Mulla Yalcin
Menu: 9 course tasting menu 2200kr (€350)
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