Moro, Exmouth Market

London is so big and buzzy and there’s always so much happening that it can be quite confusing at times.

Many a new-comer to the city has asked me where they should go first, and my answer is always the same.

Walk around, take buses and wander until you find your own little pocket of London. The one that feels like home and makes you go all heart-eyed.

As far as I’m concerned, I found mine a long time ago.

Minutes away from Farringdon station, Exmouth Market has it all: fairy lights, too-cute-to-be-true shops and, most importantly, a fantastic line-up of restaurants (including my London #1 and the best pizza this side of the Alps).

I’m afraid I’m not quite in the position to afford living around the corner just yet, so in the meantime, dinner it is!

This time at Moro, my beloved Morito’s grown-up sibling.

Compared to next-door’s buzzy & loud tapas bar, Moro is a very civilised affair.

Elegant surroundings with a rustic edge to them and service to match, it’s a great spot to take business partners or visiting parents, and an even better one for a romantic date!

Especially with crusty bread and a couple of cocktails, including a blooming lovely Rose & Lime Martini, to start!

Much like Morito, Moro build its menu around seasonal ingredients given a moorish treatment with touches from Spain and North African and carefully balanced spices aplenty.

Seared pigeon breast with rainbow chard, pine nuts, currants and rose jam being the perfect example of this.

With perfectly cooked, just pink pigeon meat, melty chard, crunchy pine nuts & sweet currants, it’s basically autumn on a plate and everything I want to eat at the moment.

Cecina (dried beed) with carob rusk, tomato, preserved lemon & olive salad.

The perfect end of summer salad, combining ripe tomatoes, zingy condiments with delicate, umami dried beef rolls, all rounded up with smooth walnut oil.

A moorish take on the Italian panzanella, and a very good one at that.

But then, it seems ‘very good’ is the norm at Moro…

Wood roasted cod with braised celery, cauliflower, coriander, barberries and chickpea purée with harissa.

Charcoal grilled lamb with chopped grilled aubergine and red pepper salad, cumin yoghurt, walnuts and chilli butter.

Chocolate and apricot tart wasn’t quite what I expected it to be, but in the best of ways.

I anticipated a rather homely slab of roasted-apricots-topped-with-ganache tart.

What we got instead was this lighter-than-air yet intense warm chocolate mousse sort of thing and it was divine.

But the true highlight of the meal was our last dish (and the simplest of them all): Rosewater and cardamom ice cream. Fragrant and delicate, it took the BF straight back to his childhood and within seconds, he declared it was the best thing he’s had all year.

A pretty bold statement and the number one reason why you should book a table.

More-ish, moorish, food doesn’t get much better than that!

Moro, 34-36 Exmouth Market, London EC1R 4QE

Chocolate Madeleines

There are few dishes that everybody loves.

And while I have met a few of those people with rather unusual dislikes (apparently, some people do find ice cream repulsive. Shocking, I know!), I am still to come across anyone that doesn’t like madeleines.

But then this small, bite-size cake originating from the Lorraine region in northeastern France is utterly irresistible.

With its distinctive shell-like shape, domed top and light, delicate sponge-like texture, madeleines are commonly served as a mid-afternoon snack in France and make for the perfect bite-sized treat.

Based on a light sponge batter, madeleines can be made into many different flavour variations, from plain vanilla to more extravagant combinations such as chocolate & orange.

The chocolate-enriched version below lays somewhere in the middle and makes for a brilliant, indulgent tea-time treat.

Chocolate madeleines (makes 30 small madeleines)

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• 130g granulated sugar
• 60ml milk
• 75g melted chocolate
• 185g self-raising flour
• 3 tsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp chocolate extract
• 175g melted unsalted butter

1. Prepare the batter: In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar. Stir in the milk and melted chocolate, then fold in the flour, cocoa powder & chocolate extract. Add the melted butter and mix until well combined.

2. Cover and refrigerate for at leats 2 hours or overnight.

3. Pre-heat the oven to 230°C (gas mark 9) and grease a madeleine tray or tin.

4. Scoop the batter into the prepared tray, filling each mold to about three quarters (about a small tablespoon in each).

5. Insert into the oven and immediately lower the heat to 180°C (gas mark 6). Bake for about 15 minutes, until the madeleines are domed and set, then remove from the oven and unmold immediately.

6. For subsequent batches, get the oven temperature back up to 230°C before inserting the tray, then down to to 180°C after inserting.

(For an even more indulgent version, dip the cooled madeleines into melted chocolate and allow to set on a sheet of baking papper before serving)

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Quinoa Fried Rice

When it comes to cooking, I still have so much to learn.

I’ve always been a very decent cook, probably mainly because I’ve been free to experiment in the kitchen from a very young age, with my parents encouragingly eating up sometimes-far-from-perfect said experiments.

This learning-on-the-job sort of experience obviously has it limitations, the main one being that for a long time, I’d have to work with whatever was already in the fridge.

But every limitation has its silver lining, and in that specific case, it’s made me really, really good at cooking with leftovers. And actually enjoying it.

There’s something truly magical at making something with nothing, and that’s how I feel when I turn a simingly empty fridge into a bountiful meal, always to my boyfriend’s great surprise.

(Even though, quite honestly, he should really be used to it by now!)

This is exactly what happened with this Quinoa Fried Rice.

Ready in minutes and requiring only a handful of ingredients, most of which are absolute staples in my house (and I’m sure many others’), it’s just as delicious and comforting as the original, but made a bit healthier with the addition of protein-packed quinoa.

Below is the basic recipe, which is absolutely delicious as it is, but feel free to add additional toppings or any leftovers hanging around in your fridge, turning your Quinoa Fried Rice dish into the most delicious way to use up meat, fish or vegetable leftovers.

Who knew fighting food waste could taste that rice?!

Quinoa Fried Rice (serves 1)

Ingredients: 

• about 100g cooked quinoa, preferably fridge-cold
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 egg
• 1 spring onion, thinly sliced
• salt, pepper
• facultative: any cooked meat, fish or vegetable leftovers you have laying around, sliced thinly

1. In a small bowl, whisk the egg with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

2. Heat up the sesame oil in a frying pan or wok, then throw in the quinoa (and leftovers if using) and cook on high heat until it starts smelling nice, then push the quinoa to the sides of the pan and add the egg in the middle. Cook until the egg is slightly under-set (usually about 20 sec or so), then mix together with the quinoa and cook for a little longer.

3. Transfer to a bowl, top with the thinly sliced spring onion & eat immediately.

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Curried Cauliflower Salad

When it comes to cauliflower, I go through phases.

I won’t cook it for months and months, and then I have a bit of a cauliflower-frenzy time, when I’ll have it every day, two times a day.

And guess what… Right now, it’s cauliflower time!

While cauliflower cheese is a staple in my house and my absolute favourite way to cook it (I mean, helloooooo, melty, cheesy gratin of dreaaaamz!), cauliflower can also take on some more exotic flavours, as proven by the recent explosion in the number of roasted cauliflower dishes at some of my favourite London restaurants (including The Barbary‘s gorgeous version).

The below recipe for the easiest, most delicious, sweet and savoury Curried Cauliflower Salad is my take on this trend, and a serious contender for my favourite way to eat cauliflower, ever.

And since cauliflower is packed full of vitamins (especially the C & K kinds), this salad is basically the perfect way to build up your immune defenses before winter hits up, so you should broccoli try it…

Curried Cauliflower Salad (serves 1, with some leftovers)

Ingredients:

• a small head of cauliflower, carved into small stalks
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 small handful raisins
• 10g pine nuts
• 1 tsp tahini
• 1 tbsp Greek yoghurt (skip for a vegan version, in which case you might want to double the quantity of tahini)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• sea salt, black pepper

1. Pre-heat your oven to 200°C (gas mark 7).

2. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the cauliflower and poach for 3-4 minutes or until cooked but still quite ferm. Drain.

2. In a big mixing bowl, combine the curry powder with the olive oil and a good pinch of salt. Add the cauliflower and mix until evenly coated.

3. Transfer to a roasting tray, sprinkle a little bit more curry powder and bake for 35-40 min or until golden.

4. Heat up a frying pan and roast the pine nuts until slightly golden (about 1min).

5. Combine the tahini & the Greek yoghurt to make the dressing. Season to taste.

6. Arrange the cauliflower on a plate, sprinkle with the pine nuts and raisins, then drizzle with the yoghurt/tahini dressing and eat immediately.

(If you’re having this as a packed lunch, pack the salad and the dressing separately and combine at the very last minute)

What’s your favourite way to cook cauliflower?

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Padella Pasta, Borough Market

On a Saturday afternoon, few places in London are as buzzy as the Borough Market.

A must-see for any resident or visiting foodie, the London mecca of all things food is the place to go for top-rated ingredients, delicious bakery goods and any cheese-related quest.

And if you’re in the area, you have to stay for dinner.

With some of London’s finest restaurants just round the corner, it’d be rude not to!

Padella, a little pasta bar just off the main road, is the latest addition to the market’s bustling restaurant offering.

And a very popular addition it is, with crowds happily queuing up for platefuls of the best hand rolled pasta to be found this side of the Alps.

Lined with marbled counters & lit by understated designer lamps, the place itself is a bit of an Instagram dream.

If pans, pots and a nice bit of pasta cooking is more your thing, there’s plenty of that to salivate over as well…

There’s a short but perfect formed, seasonally changing menu to choose from while breathing in the delicious aromas of browning butter and rich, beefy ragu coming from the open kitchen.

Burrata comes topped with green, slightly bitter Puglian olive oil and a good crack of black pepper.

Quite simply a cream-y dish!

The Taglierini with slow cooked tomato sauce is the house’s speciality, and one I thoroughly recommend.

But you really can’t go wrong.

Pici with marjoram and golden garlic.

Rustic, hand-rolled pasta, swimming in herb-y butter and heaped with fresh parmesan, it’s a proper Italian treat.

Pappardelle with 8-hour Dexter beef shin ragu.

Rich, yet surprisingly light and incredibly satisfying.

And a couple of scoops of salted caramel ice cream to finish things off because, well, SALTED CARAMEL!

Serving simple, perfectly executed Italian pasta dishes, Padella is anything but a pasta im-pasta, so join the queue and make sure you bring your favourite person along…

Not only will you get to try twice as many dishes, but it’ll also make the wait time pasta away quicker!

Padella, 6 Southwark St, Borough Market, SE1 1TQ

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Fiskebaren, Copenhagen

Much like New York’s, Copenhagen’s Meatpacking District (in Vesterbro) is one of the city’s hip-est areas and very much the place to be from dinner time onwards…

The area used to be home to Copenhagen’s meat industry businesses and still consists of three separate areas, referred to as the White, Grey and Brown “Meat City” for the dominant colour of their buildings.

In recent years, it has changed into a new creative cluster with a trendy nightlife and a broad range of high quality restaurants.

Amongst them, Fiskebaren, an casual fish-focused restaurant nestled within the market building itself.

With an informal atmosphere and quite rough interior with loads of second-hand décor elements, Fiskebaren is a modern-day ode to the meat halls of the past, but with much more refined food, the restaurant having a Bib Gourmand in Guide Michelin Nordic Cities 2015.

Whether you come in for just a few nibbles and a glass of wine or want to treat yourself to the full experience, there’s something for everyone on the seasonal & ingredient-led menu, with a strong focus on fish & seafood.

We started with the Char tartare, rye emulsion, capers, dill and burnt onion.

With tender, blushing fish, fresh dill cream, toast-y rye emulsion, sweet roasted & tangy pickled onions, it was a subtle Nordic twist on the traditional salmon tartar.

And what a beauty!

Savoy cabbage, new Danish onions, potato foam, horseradish & chives.

An absolute textural masterpiece and my favourite dish, both that night and of our entire trip.

Mullet, baby corn, chanterelles and chicken skin.

Perfectly cooked, crispy-skin fish, creamy corn & crispy chicken skin, all brought together by a rich, meaty chicken sauce, will always be a winner in my book!

Blackberry, flaxseed macarons, fennel tops and white chocolate.

Another of those herbal-inspired creative desserts Danish restaurants excell at (even if this specific one wasn’t quite as good as Geist‘s…).

Last but not least, Chocolate, cherry, hazelnut, cep ice cream.

Quite a divisive one: I loved the ice cream, the Mr. hated it…

What about you? Do you think there’d be mushroom in your heart for it?

Only one way to find out… Book a table here!

Kødbyens Fiskebar, Flæsketorvet 100, 1711 København

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Copenhagen 3 Days Itinerary

Copenhagen is a beautiful city, with stunning architecture, even better interior design & some of the most interesting food I’ve ever had (can you tell I’m in love?).

… which makes planning a short trip there rather tricky, as there’s so much to do / see / eat but very little time to do so!

But difficult is not impossible, so if you’re heading to Copenhagen soon, this rather comprehensive 3-day itinerary of the very best of city should come in handy…

DAY 1:

9 AM: Pick up coffee & pastries from organic bakery Meyers Bageri (St. Kongensgade 461264 København K).

The bakery opens early in the morning, and is often crowded, which is no surprise considering how good everything is. The cinnamon rolls “kanelsnurrer”, made with Valrhona chocolate and the fragrant blueberry & cardamom rolls are especially worth the wait.

As there is only room for a handful of people to seat, it’s best to haul away your loot to the nearby harbour for a spot of breakfast with a view!

10 AM: Walk along the harbour to the world famous Little Mermaid statue.

Many people seem disappointed to find out how small she was, but I found her languing pose, face towards the sea in the hope of catching a glimpse of her beloved prince, very touching.

Walk back through the Kastellet, one of the best preserved star fortresses in Northern Europe that houses various military activities but mainly serves as a public park and a historic site.

12 PM: Stroll by picture-perfect Nyhavn.

Stretching from Kongens Nytorv to the harbour front, Copenhagen’s ‘New Harbour’ is lined by rows of brightly coloured houses and one of the city’s dreamiest area.

1 PM: All this walking around, pointing at glorious buildings, super-well-dressed people and stunning design-ey interior in litterally every café you passed by probably left you ravenous… in which case, Papirøen (Trangravsvej 14, 7/8, 1436 København K) is the place to be!

Run by The Association of Copenhagen Street Food, Papirøen is the city’s first and only genuine street food market and home to 35 food stalls, food trucks and containers.

Pasta, pizza, burgers, sushi, all the (delicious) usual suspects are available, as well as some less common options, including Korean food, stuffed omelette, tacos and Moroccan stuffed bread.

Plus you get to enjoy your haul with a stunning view over the Opera house, the Royal Playhouse and the harbour of Copenhagen… Not a bad deal eh?

2 PM: Explore the wild side of Copenhagen in Christiana.

Also known as Freetown Christiania, it’s a self-proclaimed autonomous neighborhood with a unique status in that it is regulated by a special law, the Christiania Law of 1989.

The rules forbid stealing, violence, guns, knives, bulletproof vests and hard drugs but are otherwise very permissive, especially regarding cannabis consumption. Home to a mixed bunch, including social security recipients, pensioners, immigrants and clients from social institutions, arts are everywhere in Christiana and its impressive murals are one of the main attractions to its yearly half a million visitors.

4PM: Spend the rest of the afternoon wandering the streets of Christianshavn & Holmen.

With narrow cobbled streets, Michelin-starred restaurants and cosy cafes along the canal, Christianshavn is a much-desired area for Copenhageners to live. And it is easy to see why.

Originally, it was laid out as an independent privileged merchant’s town with inspiration from Dutch cities and still carries a strong nautical atmosphere today.

8 PM: Dinner at Geist (Kongens Nytorv 8, 1050 København K).

With a creative build-your-own degustation menu, it’s the perfect place to experience New Nordic cuisine through rather out-there combination of flavours such as Geist’s signature ‘Turbot with fennel ravioli on gruyère’ or ‘Vanilla ice cream with blueberries and olives’ & of course, the restaurant trademark petit four: citrus cotton candy!

Read the full review here.

DAY 2:

9 AM: Start the day at Amalienborg Slot, the residence of the Danish royal family.

Consisting of four identical classical palace façades gathered around an octagonal courtyard, it was originally built for four different noble families but became the royal family’s residence after Christiansborg Palace burned in 1794.

10 AM: Pop by Frederiks Kirke.

Directly inspired by St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, this colossal Evangelical Lutheran church has the largest church dome in Scandinavia and is the perfect example of Nordic church design (typically with no or short naves).

11 AM: See Rosenborg Slot.

Originally built as a country summerhouse in 1606, Rosenborg castle is a great example of Christian IV’s many architectural projects.

Built in the Dutch Renaissance style typical of Danish buildings during this period, it now houses a museum exhibiting the Royal Collections, artifacts spanning a breadth of royal Danish culture, from the late 16th century to the 19th century, including the Crown Jewels, the Danish Crown Regalia and the Throne Chair of Denmark.

The Rosenborg Castle Garden, the country’s oldest royal garden, is also well worth taking a look at.

1 PM: Smørrebrød lunch at Aamanns (Øster Farimagsgade 10, 2100 København Ø).

A modern deli and restaurant, Aamanns specialises in Danish open-face sandwiches or smørrebrød.

Smørrebrød typically consists of a piece of buttered rye bread, topped with Pålæg (toppings) of cured meat, fish or vegetables & Aamanns offers an extensive choice of traditional & new wave, creative versions to choose from, each prettier and more delicious than the last!

Read the full review here.

3 PM: Walk across the Botanical Garden.

Covering an area of 10 hectares and containing more than 13,000 species, almost all of which have been collected in the wild, Copenhagen’s Botanical Garden is a part of the Natural History Museum of Denmark.

It serves research, educational & recreational purposes & is particularly noted for its extensive complex of historical glasshouses dating from 1874.

5 PM: Get hip in Vesterbro.

The infamous red light district and former working-class area of Copenhagen is actually one of the most fashionable places in Copenhagen to shop, eat, drink and have a great night out.

Lined up with fashionable and cozy cafes, including the stunning Mad & Kaffe (Sønder Blvd. 68, 1720 København V), it’s the ideal place for a spot of shopping.

Favourites of mine include Blomsterskuret (Værnedamsvej 3A, 1819 Frederiksberg C) for all things flowers and Dora (Værnedamsvej 6, 1619 København C) for homeware, but the fun’s mostly in popping in and out of stores, with maybe a lil’ coffee & cake break somewhere in the middle!

7PM: Drinks at Mikkeller (Victoriagade 8 B-C, 1655 København V).

Set up by gipsy-brewer Mikkel, Mikkeller Bar offers 15 taps from Mikkeller and the world’s best breweries, cheese, snacks and a specialized bottled selection.

8 PM: Dinner at Fiskebaren (Flæsketorvet 100, 1711 København).

Located at the heart of the trendy Meatpacking District, Fiskebaren is all about the freshest fish & seafood served in an informal atmosphere with rough interiors and deliberate use of second hand décor.

Rewarded by a Bib Gourmand in Guide Michelin Nordic Cities 2015, the food there is, in complete New Nordic fashion, fresh, seasonal, creative & much more than the sum of each dish ingredients.

Full review coming soon.

DAY 3:

9 AM: Climb the Rundetårn.

Originally built as an astronomical observatory, the Round Tower is famous for its equestrian staircase, a 7.5-turn helical corridor leading to the top, and for the fantastic views it affords over Copenhagen!

On a sunny day, it’s absolutely breath-taking from up there!

10 AM: Reward your efforts with some chocolate milk & a spot of shopping!

With fantastic stores, ranging from small brands showrooms to gigantic department stores offering the best Nordic brands, the area around Strøget is any shopping-addict’s dream come true.

Must-visit include Illum (Østergade 52, 1100 København K) is you’re after specific big-brand items and Notre Dame (Nørregade 7, 1165 København K) for all those home things you didn’t know you needed but will buy regardless!

Magasin du Nord (Kongens Nytorv 13, 1095 København K) has a very well-stocked food hall and the Lego Store (Vimmelskaftet 37, 1161 København K) is also well worth a look, if only for the incredible displays made entirely out of the brand’s signature plastic bricks.

1 PM: Hotdog at DOP (Købmagergade 50, 1119 København K).

A trip to Copenhagen isn’t really complete until you have sausages in a bun, and if there are stands all around the city, none quite compares to DOP’s fabulous organic offering.

So good in fact that in 2010, the city guide Ibyen/Politiken awarded it Best Eatery ahead of among others a Michelin-starred restaurant…

2 PM: More shopping…

If you still have time on your hands (as well as room in your bags and money in your purse), there are always more stores worth taking a look at, one of my personal favourites being Posterland (Gothersgade 45, 1123 København K), an absolute poster-paradise with hundreds of references…

Have you ever been to Copenhagen? What’s top of your list of things to see/do/eat there?

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Copenhagen best Smørrebrød at Aamanns

On our second day in Denmark, we had our hearts set on trying out the traditional Danish open-faced sandwiches, so we scouted the city in search of Copenhagen best Smørrebrød.

Word on the street is that they’re to be found at Aamanns, a modern Danish open sandwich deli and restaurant.

So off to the western-most part of Copenhagen we trotted… to discover one of the prettiest restaurants I’ve ever set foot in!

Miles away from your usual British ‘deli’, simply decorated yet refined and elegant, Aamanns is a textbook example of brilliant Nordic design.

The natural, no-nonsense decor mirrors the restaurant’s philosophy of good, simple Danish cuisine perfectly.

If at night, the menu is more elaborate, at lunchtime, Aamanns is all about Smørrebrød, the traditional open sandwich on rye bread.

Starting things off the traditional way with Fried herring with smoke, elderflower vinegar, smoked cheese, radishes and hay ash.

A modern take on the classic, this first taste of Smørrebrød highlighted Aamanns’ beautiful, malty sourdough rye bread perfectly.

Cold smoked salmon and summer salad with dill, pickled cucumber, chives and wheat croutons was a more usual combination for our non-Nordic palates.

A bit of a Nordic take on a lox & cream cheese bagel if you will, only far lighter and much more delicate than the New York original!

New potatoes with pepper mayonnaise, weeds, chives, leek ash and crisps.

With soft potatoes, crumbly rye bread, creamy mayo, crunchy pickled onion & crispy fried potato bits, the easy-to-overlook vegetarian option was an textural masterpiece, and also a very strong choice taste-wise (if you like celery, that is…).

Last but not least, a much less vegetarian-friendly option: Beef Tartare with blackberries, tarragon emulsion, shallots and rye crumb.

A little bit of a Franco-Nordic fusion, and a very successful one at that! And what a beauty!

The same could be sayed about dessert, a Strawberry eclair with vanilla cream and strawberry granita.

The chou itself was okay, but the vibrant granite and the light-as-air vanilla cream were what truly made the dish.

… and made me struggle not to lick the plate clean!

All finished off the Danish way with a few cups of excellent strong black coffee.

All in all, muck to loaf at Aamans, which explains its popularity with locals and visitors alike, so make sure you book ahead as it’d really be a shame for you to miss out on the best (Copenhagen) thing since sliced bread!

Aamanns, Øster Farimagsgade 10, 2100 København

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Geist, Copenhagen

One of the things I was most looking forward to trying in Copenhagen was the New Nordic cuisine the country has become famous for following the ‘Noma revolution’.

The trend has now extended far beyond Rene Redzepi acclaimed restaurant and many great little places have started focusing on slow, locally-sourced food & imaginative combinations of flavours.

If you failed to secure a table at Noma, your next best option to experience this new way of gourmet thinking is Geist.

Minutes away from the ever-crowded harbour, at the back of a quiet courtyard, lined with dark wood, low lighting and gorgeous vintage glasses, Geist is an absolute gem of a restaurant.

It’s busy and intimate, elegant and cosy, trendy and relaxed.

A whole world of oxymores, that shouldn’t work and yet, somehow, do.

The menu, a sort of ‘a la carte’ tasting menu, works much in the same way.

And choosing proved much easier with a couple of cocktails at hand.

Front: Lemon in lemon in lemon, a refreshing combination of gin, lemon juice, orange blossom water and other citrusy bits).

Back: Mezcal sour, a Mexican-inspired, smokey take on a classic.

Both perfectly mixed, very creative and very much at the image of the food to come.

Starting with Grilled avocado with green almonds and curry.

Creamy avocado, crunchy green almonds & the exotic yet subtle taste of curry powder…

Such a simple combination, yet one I had never tried before but will not make the mistake of forgetting now that I have!

Beautiful, wafer-thin Tartar of Norway lobster with yuzu and hibiscus.

Silver onions with tamari, ginger, lime and sesame.

Crunchy, Asian-inspired, slightly pickle-y, they made for the perfect bridge-dish between the light, fresh options that preceeded and the deeper, more savoury ones to come.

The first of which was the very essence of surf & turf: Scallops and chicken wings with browned butter.

Sweet and soft atop crunchy & umami and finger-licking good!

The last savoury dish was a bit more of a traditional one: Carrots with young pigeon and mustard.

Perfectly cooked, game-y pigeon breast, topped with a honey-mustard sauce and served alongside some sweet pickled carrots and roasted legs as a little snack on the side.

Needless to say, those disappeared before I was even done taking pictures of the food!

…and the rest didn’t last long either, which is just as well as it allowed us to move onto the best part of the meal.

Now, it’s no secret that I’m rather partial to pudding, but Geist took things to a whole new level of sweets’ paradise with some madly brilliant dishes.

Salted wasabi cream toffee.

Unexpected, challenging, and very much the sort of dish that makes your brain work as much as your tastebuds.

At first, you get hit by the powerful, almost mustard-y taste of wasabi and you go ‘na-ah, this really wasn’t meant to be’. But the next second, the sweet, creamy, slightly salted caramel takes the lead and before you know it, you’re going back for more…

The same was also true for our second dessert, Vanilla ice cream with blueberries and black olives.

Even though this time, the experience sort of went backward; things start in a much less aggressive way with the familiar notes of vanilla, followed by the slight acidity of the blueberries and right at the end a subtle yet unmistakable richness of black olives.

A beautiful combination indeed.

In true Danish fashion, we ended things up with coffee…

… and some lemon cotton candy! Best petit four ever? I (and my inner 5-year-old) sure think so!

Absolutely wondaneful from the beginning ’til the end & definitely one for the Copenhagen bucket list!

Geist, Kongens Nytorv 8, 1050 København, Denmark

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Autumnal Quinoa Salad

If I’m not all that happy to wave the Summer goodbye, I must admit there are things about Autumn I’m rather excited about.

Besides the fact that my workplace will FINALLY be turning the AC off and I won’t have to wear cashmere to avoid catching a cold in the middle of a heatwave, that is.

Top of my list is the comeback of all sorts of winter squash onto the list of seasonal fruit & veggies!

I love squashes & pumpkins of all kinds, and couldn’t help but pick up one of the first butternuts of the season at my local farmers’ market last week.

It almost ended up into my favourite soup, but a bit of fridge foraging later and this beautiful Autumnal Quinoa Salad was born…

Easy to make, healthy & super tasty, it’s the perfect dish for a light Autumn dinner or a colourful, vitamin-packed lunch!

Autumnal Quinoa Salad with Butternut, Feta & Pine Nuts (serves 2)

Ingredients: 

• 200g quinoa (I got this pretty mixed-coloured one from Waitrose)
• 300g butternut squash, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 50g crumbled feta
• 20g pine nuts
• sea salt, cracked black pepper, oregano

1. Pre-heat your oven to 200°C (gas mark 6).

2. In a bowl, mix the slices of butternut with the olive oil, a pinch of salt, some black pepper and a generous pinch of oregano. Spread onto an oven-safe dish and bake for 35-45 minutes (or until the edges start caramelising).

3. Bring a big pot of salted water to the boil, then throw in the quinoa and cook for about 20min, then drain.

4. In a dry pan, fry the pine nut kernels until golden.

5. Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl or pile them up onto two plates, top with a little more oregano and serve immediately.

This dish can also be eaten cold, which makes it a brilliant packed lunch option as well!

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