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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