Manfreds & Vin - A Must Go!

Sister restaurant of Relæ. Manfreds is a place where people can go five days a week. Very similar to  Relæ, it's casual dining for everyone. The menu is "mostly vegetables", the food is not sophisticated,  simple yet delicious. When my friends ask for suggestions for dinner options in Copenhagen, my first respond is "no matter what other fancy restaurants, or world top restaurants you are planning to go, Manfreds & Vin is definitely A-Must-Go. "

The best Chefs and Server of the night

Let it begin !

Beetroot, horseradish

Horseradish crème fraîche amazingly cuts through the sweet and tender golden beetroot.

Sourdough Bread

Tatar of Beef with cress & rye bread (off tasting menu)

Tartare is !!!!!!!BOOM!!!!!!! This dish is unexplainably flavourful, the photo does not justify it's mind blowing factor. This is definitely still blowing my mind off. (after almost three months...)

The texture is melt-in-mouth soft, a little crunch from rye bread crumbs, crème fraîche and the capers give a slight acidity to it. Its also quite heavy black pepper which is even more delicious!! 

Daikon, Seaweed

Daikon (Japanese radish) vacuum with 1% salt and let it ferments to develop both flavour and texture. It remains crunch with slight sourness which I love as a starter.  The seweed emulsion doesn't really stand out as much as the seaweed powder.

Cod Tartare 

Crème fraîche with some mustard seeds, top with olive oil(more about it in Relæ reiew) and fresh herb which sharpen the taste bud. The mustard stands out very well. Though it is too creamy at the end when I finish this dish but really it won't make a difference for me I still enjoy it because it's too good. 

Ramson broth, sunchoke, slow-cooked egg

Poached egg at 65C for 35 mins, Ramson bouillon, fresh ramson and Sliced jerusalem artichoke. The ramson is very strong here, the garlicky taste hits my throat but goes pretty well with the gooey yolk which slip down my throat. Too salty to my taste. 

Charred baby leek, Havgus

Havgus, the cheese is the star! Complex in flavour come from the cows's diet which eat fresh grass in the summer time and eat fermented grass during the cold winter time in Denmark. It has the most amazing gassy flavour, a unexplainable depth of flavour. Nice crunch from buckwheat, and juicy sweetness from the baby leek. 

Salted turnip, béchamel, crispy chicken skin

Salted turnips were heated up in a broth consist of butter and fermented liquids from the turnip.
Sour and creaminess from béchamel and crispiness from the chicken skins, all goes very well with the butter poached turnips. 

New season lamb, pine

Lamb has always been my favourite meat to eat. This new season lamb is cooked beautifully when the meat is still so pink but not undercooked. Not the tenderest I expected but the addition of pine is very special and give a nice round up of flavours. 

Lemon sorbet, milk crumbs, olive oil

The touch of olive oil rounds up the flavours, the crumbles melt in mouth and has very strong milk taste, providing a different form of milkiness to the dish! So simple but absolutely brilliant combination!

Locals order take away for them as well!

Manfreds & Vin no doubt is a MUST-GO for all Copenhagen visitors, whether you're a foodie or not. People are really friendly here, the server I met, she is fun and kind. So as the chefs! Sitting at the bar, overlooking the chefs at work is one of my entertainment when Im at a restaurant. 
So I decided to take some picture with these amazing people! :) 

Blossom Granola

Granola is very fun and easy to make. By having the right ratio between grains, nuts, and seeds, you can easily create your own version of granola mix. Granola is perfect for snacks and breakfast. It is a perfect option for people who busy to work or heading to school early in the morning, just grab a handful then you are good-to-go! 

Spring/ Summer is full of blossoms, laughters and sunshine (and a long summer holidays!!). This granola is inspired by my everyday scene. Every morning during the spring and summer time, instead of waking up with the alarm clock buzzing in my ears, the sparrows' humming and the gleaming radiant are my nature's wake-up-call. First thing appear in front of me are the colourful blossoms and green trees behind my huge glass window, how beautiful is this scene! It is the most pleasurable thing happens to me in my daily routine. 

This granola reflects my love to the nature, as well as the celebration of Spring and Summer time. I use dried flower mix I got from Rosendals Trädgård, my favourite place to go whenever I am in Stockholm (check out my trip to Stockholm - coming soon!). The granola is gluten free, contains all basic nutrients with a healthy balance of protein, vitamins etc. Feel free to substitute the dried flowers with other herbal tea leaves or just as it is. However, the floral odour and refreshing taste are incredibly soothing and echo with the season. 
The recipe is very flexible so play with it and use different rolled grains, nuts, seeds, and dried fruits!

Blossom Granola

Before baking:

400g Rolled Oats (preferingly gluten free)

200g Buckwheat Flakes

150g Nuts (roughly chopped)

150g Seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame etc OR a mix)

1tsp of spices (vanilla, cinnamon, liquorice, or go ginger if you're crazy)

15ml/ 1 tbsp Coconut oil  

30ml/ 2tbsp Raw Honey

*handful of Coconut Flakes (optional but YUM!) 

After baking:

100g dried fruits of your choices (I used gogi berries, bill berries, elder berries and mulberries)

1-2 tbsp dried flowers from Rosendals Trädgård (or herbal tea leaves)

To serve: 

*1/2 cup per serving for a breakfast meal.

- Homemade nut milk/ Raw dairy milk

- Sprinkle it on yoghurt/ your favourite smoothie bowl 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven at 170C/ 325F. Prepare dried ingredients and roughly chopped the nuts.
2. Mix all dried ingredients together (oats, buckwheat flakes, nuts, seeds and spices).
3. Add coconut oil and raw honey, then mix to combine.
4. Spread the granola evenly on the parchment paper lined baking tray. Bake for approximately 15 mins, rotate the baking tray in the middle of the backing time. It is important to keep an eye on it, as it burnt easily (I have experienced so trust me!). 
5. Allow it to cool by transferring it into a mixing bowl, then mix in the dried flowers and dried fruits.
6. To serve, take 1/2cup of the granola the pour over cold milk OR snack on it whenever you want. 

*My FIRST recipe posted, hurrah !! :) I will be delighted to see you guys making yours, so show me on instagram, and leave a comment below!  #blossomgranola #splendorsjoy

Relæ - Casual & Creative

Instead on fine dining, Relaæ is a dining at a more casual way yet the food are tasty. I mean, seriously... tasty. The flavour combination is not common, each dishes has been tasted tested, and improved to make them - tasty. Although I didn't get a chance to meet Chef Christian, the whole Relæ team are friendly and you can tell everyone is just as into gastronomy as everyone else in the restaurant. The environment is amazing, casual and fun, so as the food!

In this restaurant you see no limits, as every chefs no only sort to improve their dishes but also create unexpected, exquisite dishes. 

Snack: Fermented Turnip

Snack: Ramson Broth

Ramson broth, Ramson oil.
It is served slightly warm. Garlicky taste with a very gentle and pleasant finish.

1st Juice: Ginger Tea (Cooled)

Sunchoke, Mushroom, and Walnuts

This simple looking dish is more than it looks! Brown butter and lemon juice is added at last and mix with the sunchoke to enhance flavour.

Raw mushroom has a very earthy taste and look at that uniform strips(!!), I had so much fun looking at chefs slicing them haha.

Walnuts are added for texture, to do so here they blanched the nuts 3 times, 160C bake for 10mins, dehydrate at 60C overnight, THEN pressure cook (....it's just walnuts, why do they take it so seriously)  well..that's why I love this place— precision!! try to say the steps all in one go.. By doing this gives different texture, crunchy but still moist the inside BRILLIANT!

For some reason, I just enjoy this dish so much (perhaps it's because all the preparations are prepared in front of me and it gives me a better understanding of the dish). Don't be bored with the descriptions tho! you can learn from them!

Olio & Pane (Bread in Italian!) 

Olive oil (Olio) is so good! Chef Christian is quite known for his Italian background and this insanely additive olive oil explains it. The taste is very raw, grassy as its pressed freshly from young unripe olive. It taste even much stronger and acidic after taste a while. 

Couldn't resist but got myself a bottle to bring home. Now I'm draining my sourdough and veggies into that crazily addictive grassiness.

Squid, Tomato Ragu

Squid confit (poached in other word)  in chicken oil and cooked in very rich tomatoes consommé

The squid is tender and ultra thin, it's fascinating to have squid perfectly cooked (not tough) with such intense chicken flavour and tomatoes picked up. Pieces of chicken livers melt in my mouth along with the ground beef...it's just perfect perfect perfect mouthful...!

2nd Juice: Blood orange, pinch of salt, Rosemary ice cube

Rye bread, Sprouted grains

Porridge from rye and wheat sourdough bread which has been soaked then cook to porridge consistency. Top with rye oil, cream, moulded rye, sprouted buckwheat. 

Apple cider vinegar is also added to complement the acidity although more might suit my taste better. It's delicious and a very good idea to use up your bread!

3rd Juice: Popcorn, Whey

Popcorn and whey goes well with the ferment dish. The Whey comes from their homemade mozzarella, then they  infuse it with popcorn. 

Celeriac, Coffee, Havgus

Dehydrated and rehydrated celeriac, the texture is phenomenal. Havgus Chesse is a unique cheese produced in Denmark. I absolutely fall in love with it, though it is not as strong as the one I had in their sister restaurant Manfreds & Vin.(review on Manfreds coming soon! stay turned!)

Hollandaise sauce a little to acidic, overpowering whereas the freshly grated coffee bean gives earthiness which I enjoy a lot.

4th Juice: Pear

Sødam Chicken, Parsnip, Sesame

The raw parsnip is tangy which is quite brave to do so. I was thinking maybe by blanching would be nice as well. The chicken is cooked at 60C for 3hours, super tender and no lose of chicken flavour. The sesame is mild but rich, at this point the parsley purée cuts through (green is good for you!! Haha) although the parsley can be stronger.

Yogurt, Lemon, Egg

Absolutely my favourite dessert so far! The contrast of warm egg yolk, cold yoghurt and icy lemon sorbet is nicely balanced, as well as flavours. The dried yolk melts as soon as you spoon it into your mouth, also  surprisingly taste a little "saltiness" when pair with the zingy lemon sorbet. Mmmmmm.....

5th Juice: Sweet Egg whiten top

6th Juice: Honey tea

Dessert beverage: Port

Almond ice cream, Black Olive

The almonds are blizz with water to make almond milk then mix with ice cream. The mascarpone is too rich which overpower the mlld sweetness from the almond. The black olive is not as strong as I thought but does gives a little savoury taste. 

A meal with casual atmosphere and outstanding food and beverages, a restaurant that is full of creativity! Another meal that impress me very well. Next up would be Manfreds & Vin, Relæ's sister restaurant (another most memorable meal!!!!).