Copenhagen Cool - Kødbyens Fiskebar

It seems quite apt that Kødbyens Fiskebar is located in Copenhagen, where Hans Christian Andersen spent most of his life. That's because I'm not sure whether it represents the future of food as styled by Nordic culinary gods, or whether it's the Emperor's New Clothes.

The menu, majoring in fish and seafood, changes daily, and is presented on a clipboard. So far, so trendy. I kicked off with a starter of raw razor clams on maltbread crisp with fennel, dill and blobs of tarragon cream. The raw clams were pretty tasteless and insufficiently enlivened by the accoutrements. A bit of a let-down, all told.

For my main, I went with hake pan-fried in seaweed butter served with cabbage, Jerusalem artichoke cream, spring onion, croutons (dyed with squid ink) and mussel broth with tapioca. This was served with a bowl of creamed pearl barley with lovage, St John's wort and rye breadcrumbs.

There were so many components to this dish (I think I may have missed some out) that I was frightened my food would go cold before the waitress finished explaining what I was going to eat. The thing is I would've been quite happy with just the perfectly cooked hake in seaweed butter with a few greens on the side.

I could just about cope with the food on my plate, but what tipped it over the edge for me was the bowl of pearl barley on the side. Yes, it was tasty with interesting undertones of curry, and I appreciated the contrast in texture between the crunchy rye breadcrumbs and soft pearl barley. But what was the point? It was as if three separate courses from a tasting menu all turned up at the same time. There was just too much going on, and the clash of so many different tastes and textures ultimately detracted from a beautiful bit of fish.

The food didn't get any simpler with a dessert of Mutzo apples, almond, thyme and acorn ice cream. This was a posh apple tart, and in fairness, it was the highlight of the evening. In particular I thought the thyme meringue stick was genius and I enjoyed the contrast between the mini-balls of fresh apple and blobs of cooked apple.

Nevertheless, this dish did have its flaws; for instance, the acorn ice cream didn't really taste of anything (vanilla would actually have been a better option). And then there was the limp pastry that was strangely at odds with the otherwise technical excellence on show.

There was a lot to admire about my dinner, but not a lot to love about it. Yes, the cooking was, by and large, very skillful. Yet it was all a bit fussy with too many superfluous flourishes. Sometimes, less is more, and it's hoped that this message gets through to the Emperor in the kitchen. Otherwise, he may indeed end up stark-bollock naked.

The food aside, I liked the dining room, thought the service was informative and attentive, and it was good that you could eat at the bar (always a plus for solo business diners).

While I'm not sure if this restaurant is really for me, I am a big fan of the Kødbyen area (Copenhagen's answer to New York's Meatpacking District) in which it's located. There's a wide selection of bars and eateries there including the excellent Paté Paté.

Kødbyens Fiskebar, Flæsketorvet 100, DK-1711 København V
(Tel: +45-3215-5656)

Ramen Class @ Yuki's Kitchen

I don't know if you've noticed but I've been a little bit obsessed with ramen lately. This obsession reached its apotheosis when I signed up to a ramen class at Yuki's Kitchen. Yuki doesn't usually run ramen classes, but a pair of fellow noodle fanatics asked her to run one, which I subsequently also signed up to.

The class was a demonstration on how to make shoyu ramen with Japanese cha siu (醤油チャーシューラーメン), a noodle classic if there ever was one! Over the course of three hours or so, Yuki rustled up some chicken stock, prepared some Japanese cha siu, and assembled a cracking bowl of ramen. Some of you may be thinking that this is a bit quick, but it's not impossible with the aid of a pressure cooker. Moreover, the course was more about Yuki sharing her knowledge about the techniques used rather than attaining noodle nirvana.

I'm not going to give away all of Yuki's tips and tricks, as otherwise there's a danger that you may not sign up to the course! However, I do want share with you some of the things that I learnt. For example, I discovered that Japanese cha siu is very different from the Cantonese original, as the pork is braised rather than roasted or BBQ'ed. For a twist, Yuki added green tea and sake to the shoyu (soy sauce) in the braising liquor – proper genius.

After the cha siu was cooked and sliced, Yuki started assembling the bowl of ramen. The soup was made by combining the chicken stock with a glug of the braising liquor. Added to this were perfectly cooked al dente ramen noodles (sadly, the noodles used are only available in Japan). The accoutrements of negi (spring onion), wakame (seaweed) and nori (dried seaweed) were added together with half a boiled egg, and finally, a few slices of cha siu pork.

The finished article was a belter, although without wishing to sound too churlish, the pork could've been tenderer. But as I mentioned earlier, time wasn't really on our side and it's more important to learn the techniques.

I certainly picked up a lot of knowledge from Yuki, and that's in no small part to her enthusiasm and passion for food. So if you have some spare time then I recommend popping along to one of her courses.

The ramen course cost £50, which includes the ingredients - for further details about the Japanese cooking courses that Yuki runs, please check out her website. I learnt about Yuki's class through Edible Experiences, an online resource that helps you discover food & drink experiences in London – for further details click on the logo below:

Tonkotsu Ramen @ Nagomi

For a city that has loads of Japanese eateries, it is surprisingly difficult to find tonkotsu ramen in London. Yes, Tsuru occasionally serve it at their Saturday ramen pop-ups, and yes, Toku sometimes has it on as a special. But few places regularly serve this dish; the only place in London I've found tonkotsu ramen is on the lunch menu at Nagomi in the heart of Mayfair.

I ordered the tonkotsu ramen set (£10.90), which includes four deep-fried gyoza dumplings and some free edamame in addition to the noodle soup. (By the way, although tonkotsu features on the menu in the window, the same dish is described as pork & chicken soup on the menu card inside the restaurant.)

When the tonkotsu ramen arrived, it certainly looked like the real deal. The broth was just as it should be: milky white in colour with an oily sheen. On the side of the bowl was the regulation sheet of nori (dried seaweed), and the soup was topped with spring onions and sesame seeds. And for that ultra-authentic touch, globules of black sesame oil called mayu (マー油) were added to the soup. Taste-wise, it had a rich porky taste although purists may yearn for an even richer, thicker broth with that primeval whiff of collagen.

The observant among you will have noticed that the ramen in the photo is thinner than normal; this apparently is the done thing when it comes to tonkotsu given the thicker consistency of the broth. Ironically, though, I think I would've preferred the more common thicker ramen because, as I alluded to earlier, the broth wasn't as rich and thick as it might be. Having said that, the noodles were top quality and had enough 'bite'. (By the way, you're given the choice between thin and thick ramen at Nagomi.)

The downside? My bowl of noodles was a little bit spartan. There was no boiled egg, no menma (fermented bamboo shoots) and the three bits of pork were a little tired. It's just as well there were some tasty gyoza dumplings on the side to ward off the hunger pangs! Having said that, I prefer to dwell on the positives in that I've found somewhere in London serving real tonkotsu ramen.

Nagomi is definitely somewhere I'd like to return to. Looking around the intimate dining room, punters were enjoying not just ramen but also sushi, sashimi, tempura in addition to other good-looking dishes. The service was excellent and considering I was eating Japanese food in Mayfair, I thought my lunch was a steal at around £15 including a drink and 10% service. Recommended.



Nagomi, 4 Blenheim St, London, W1S 1LB (Tel: 020-7165-9506)
Nearest stations: Bond St, Oxford Circus

Steamed Scallops with Glass Noodles 粉絲蒸帶子

When it comes to starters in a Chinese restaurant, many diners look no further than No.1 on the menu: the ubiquitous mixed starter platter. This usually consists of sesame prawn toast, seaweed, spring rolls, spare ribs and something else from the freezer which has been deep-fried. I'm not that much of a food snob to deny that these snacks have their charms, but they are a bit boring. Especially after they've been ordered for the thousandth time.

So what are the alternatives? Well, personally, my starter of choice is steamed scallops with glass noodles 粉絲蒸帶子. Like many Cantonese classics, it's relatively simple to prepare and cook. So much so, even a kitchen-numpty like me can manage to rustle it up.

In restaurants, this dish is usually served with the scallop on the half-shell, but I couldn't find any so I used scallops off the shell. My recipe is for a portion that can be served as a light meal (with a side of greens), or as a starter to share between two. It can, of course, be scaled up accordingly.

Soak 50g of glass noodles aka mung-bean vermicelli (粉絲 fensi) in a bowl of hot, but not boiling, water for about 15 minutes to soften. I use the Longkou (龍口) brand, which can be found in handy multipacks of 50g bags (Londoners, these can be found at SeeWoo on Lisle St in Chinatown).

As the noodles are soaking, prepare the soy-based dressing with the following ingredients:

4 parts soy
1 part sesame oil
Finely chopped spring onions
Ginger slivers
Chiu Chow Chilli Oil (optional)
Prickly Oil (optional)

To give it a bit of a kick, I added some chilli oil and prickly oil. However, if you don't like it hot then these can be omitted.

Next, mince some garlic to put on top of the scallops. Steam the scallops for around two minutes (the optimal cooking time depends on the size of the scallops and the kind of steaming equipment that you're using).

As the scallops are cooking, plunge the softened glass noodles in a pan of boiling water for around a minute before draining. Put the noodles in a bowl and arrange the scallops on top.

Lastly, spoon some dressing over the scallops and the noodles to your taste (any leftover dressing can be kept in the fridge for a day or so). The observant among you will have noticed there were eight raw scallops but only seven in the final dish. That's because I ate one to test whether it had cooked through. So when preparing this dish, it might be worth your while to throw in an extra scallop or two!

PS: I've just realised I've posted recipes in consecutive blog posts. That's never happened before! The book deal is surely just round the corner...

Brioche French Toast Marmalade Sandwich

It's been a long time since I've posted a recipe on the blog. That's not a surprise, as I'm not exactly a wizard in the kitchen. However, from time to time, I get a little inspiration. In this instance, from a brioche and marmalade dessert that rounded off a rather splendid meal at The Ten Bells (I have to say The Young Turks are pretty damn good).

Now I'm not saying that my creation is better than The Young Turks' efforts, but it's certainly more sinful! After all, there are few things that aren't improved by dipping in egg and frying in oil. So without further ado, I present my brioche French toast marmalade sandwich – ideal for brunch or dessert.

Ingredients (makes 2 sandwiches)
4 slices of brioche
2 eggs
Marmalade
Vegetable oil (for frying)

Spread some marmalade on the sliced brioche (I cheated big time and used a sliced brioche loaf from M&S) and make two sandwiches.

Dip the sandwiches in the beaten eggs. Allow the sandwich to soak up the egg.

Shallow-fry the sandwiches over medium heat until golden brown on both sides. Drain on kitchen paper before serving.

You don't have to cut it in half, but I just wanted to show off the oozy warmed-up marmalade filling.

Serving Suggestions
If you want to go all trendy (or impress a boy/girl) then you can sprinkle some icing sugar on top, and serve with some fruit; mandarin segments and berries would go well on the side. However, if you want go the full Homer Simpson then serve with butter (for brunch) or a scoop of ice cream (for dessert).

I don't want to blow my own trumpet but I'm pretty chuffed with this dish. Who knows? Perhaps I'll get round to posting some more recipes!