That’s a very good question! Welcome to my blog.
The purpose of my GOOD FOOD blog is to share experiences from restaurants, cafes and other places I have eaten good food. Mainly in Copenhagen, Denmark where I live, but also in other parts of the world.
I love having dinner at excellent restaurants and adore places that surprises me without being top-notch, and if you do that too, maybe you’ll find it interesting to read about great gastronomy and the nice places I’ve been to. Enjoy!
Ciao Trine,
yes, Il Santo Bevitore is open for lunch but they serve a daily menu which is different from the one you get for dinner. And I suggest you to try it at night because that’s when it’s worth it!
Dear Francesca
Thanks very much for all your great suggestions which all sound really lovely. I’ve been to Firenze only a couple of times but that was years ago before Gourmet dinnig became my hobby. So, I would definitely like to go this summer now that I know where to get the best food.
I’ve heard about the Oltrarno district, but never seen it. Would very much like to. Please, can you tell me whether Il Santo bevitore is open for lunch?
And, by the way, I’m really grateful for your tip about Noma – I fully agree. The best 😉
Ciao, Trine
Dear Trine,
hello again from Florence.
Sorry for the delay…. but here are my suggestions:
If you really want a unique experience Enoteca Pnchiorri is a must. It’s the only 3 Michelin’s star in Florence and it is n° 29 in the world’s 50 best restaurant’s 2007 list.
It’s quite expensive, it could be more or less 250.00 Euro each, depending on wines…Quite strict dress code ( I guess men’s should wear jacket) http://www.enotecapinchiorri.com
Then you can try Il Cibreo restaurant (also for lunch) or il Cibreino, the trattoria style restaurant, which I prefer ( for paper place mats, no reservations, no lingering, and communal dining and you eat almost the same dishes for half price) …I personally think that Il Cibreo serves very good Tuscan food but it is quite overpriced.
http://www.cibreo.com
3rd suggestion is Alle Murate. Expensive (80/100 Euro PP), it moved in a beutiful old building in the centre of Florence 1 year ago.
The contemporary style of the restaurant gives the old ambience a right feeling. Downstairs there is a sort of cave where you can also reserve a table.
http://www.caffeitaliano.it/inglese/locali_caffe_italiano/murate.asp
And last but not least Il Santo bevitore, which is located in the Oltrarno district and it’s a don’t miss dining experience. Just great food, wine and atmosphere. I’m sure you will love it. http://www.ilsantobevitore.com
Please also let me know if you would like to know some lunch spots, or anything else.
Best
Francesca
Ciao again Francesca,
I’m so delighted to hear that you’ve had a good time in Copenhagen. I suppose it must have been very interesting to visit Noma the very same week of the star news. I bet it’s tough to book a table there now.
I’ve been to Cofoco too (in October last year) and I loved it. Very fine quality food for almost no money, and I agree with you about the nice atmosphere.
Thanks for the tip of Auberge – I might go for the Les Trois Cochons then, as I have never tried this one before.
Looking forward to Firenze… glad I could help!
Ciao Trine,
I’m finally back home! Copenhagen was beautiful, I wish I could stay there a few more days.
Anyway, I’m sorry I didn’t replied to your post earlier.
The trip was interesting in terms of food satisfaction. Noma of course is at the top of the list. You have to eat there definitely. The chef really deserve great compliments, as I guess none before him gave nordic ingredients that much attention. At Noma you taste pure Scandinavian’s flavors.Great.As per the atmosphere it was elegant but cozy. Not the typical atmosphere you have in Italian’s 2/3 stars Micheline’s restaurants, which is sometimes too charged for me.
I managed to have brunch at Bastionen+Løven on Sunday and I liked it for its ambience. On Sunday evening I ended at Auberge, the last opening of Cofoco’s group and I was quite disapponted. On the contrary dinner at Cofoco in Vesterbro was nice. Full of people, unpretentious but well presented dishes…Unfortunately I didn’t have time to try Rasmus Oubæk Restaurant… I’ll post my suggestions about Florence’s interesting restaurants very soon. And again thanks for your help!
Ciao Francesca,
You’re welcome!
I’ve been nosing around and have some lunch spot suggestions for you, here goes:
Bastionen+Løven offers traditional Danish lunch, and their weekend brunch is excellent and famous. It’s located in a the beautiful area around Christianshavn almost at the moat which surrounds the old part of the town on the south-west side. Open 12-24. I don’t recommend their cakes, though.
If you’re coming after the 13 April the Grøften at Tivoli offers high-quality and very tasty classical Danish open sandwiches.
Oh, and in the Church of Nikolaj there is also an adorable pearl of a café, where the lunch platter, for one, comprises delicious new variations of Danish recipes.
[8 April 2007: A note about the Café in the Nikolaj Church:
In my comment of 13 March 2007 I recommend to eat the Café in the Nikolaj Church. I would like to take that back now after my last lunch at this place, a few days ago. Neither food nor service lived up to its usual standard, I’m afraid. A disappointment and I therefore don’t recommend that restaurant anymore.]
Le Sommelier (same owners as UMAMI) is a fantastic French style restaurant, where the foie gras is wonderful both cooked like terrine and fried. It’s open for lunch and on Sunday evenings too. Nice wine list.
Both Era Ora and Paustian, by the way, are open for lunch in case you get enough of the traditional Nordic food.
If you’re considering a drink before dinner I really recommend the K Bar, which is a very small but cosy place with an international clientele. It’s named after the owner Kirsten, and to my knowledge the only place in the city that has a Truffle Martini on the menu, a nice a very very rich Martini of Grey Goose vodka and truffle oil plus a little piece of truffle at the bottom. Although I love truffles, it doesn’t beat the K Bar Martini with a mint leaf and lemon peel that’s my preference. K Bar is my very favourite cocktail place and was an excellent tip of the great formel B waiter I have mentioned before, who (apparently) also knows my liking for Marc.
I’m unable to recommend the restaurant NOMA, because I have never been there myself (yet). My reason for mentioning it anyhow is that I’ve heard nothing but praise (except that it’s expensive but what isn’t that?) and it’s the only place in Copenhagen, and in Denmark I believe, which is listed amongst the very top 50 of the world.
Last but not least, please, I would love a tip for a nice pleasurable and surprising place in Firenze, if you can recommend me something in exchange. As you might know, I’m going to Northern Italy in few months time and Firenze is under my consideration. I thank you in advance.
Trine
Ciao Trine,
thanks a lot for your tips! I like Japanese food, and I’ll probably visit Umami during my stay. Just in case you know other restaurants for the Sunday’s choice, feel free to inform me! And of course I will be glad to suggest you something nice whenever you will be around Florence!I really appreciated your help!
Francesca
Ciao Francesca
Piacere!
So happy to hear that you like my blog! Of course, I would adore to give some advice for your trip to Copenhagen. Is it your first time here?
Yes, Copenhagen on Sundays. That’s a rather tricky question, I absolutely agree.
Do you like Japanese? The most surprising one that I can think of, which is also open on a Sunday (evening I take it?) would be UMAMI – ‘Japanese with a French touch’ as the owners say themselves. It’s surprising for a number of reasons.
1. Frontage: This building used to house a bank, and the front side has a greenish, rigid and severe look, which is rather peculiar. The rich, round-ish and luxuriant shape of the name written in orange above the windows facing the street adds sympathy to it, and as a whole this appearance intrigues you to have a look inside – me at least.
2. The architectural inside. The design of it, in generally. Something not often seen in Copenhagen. Perhaps you’ll know what I mean, if you take a look at their website, which also reads in English and is playing some nice funky music, so if you don’t like that, do mute the sound. (Although this music is something to my taste, I do hate it when websites are noisy and not warning me about it, so I can decide for myself, if I want to listen to it or not).
There is a ground floor with tables and a gorgeous Sake bar, and a top floor as well when crossing a little bridge. I confess that I have never been sitting up there, as I’ve only been dining at the restaurant for lunch. I was saving the evening dinner for a good time – an opportunity to write a post on it. 🙂
3. The food. Fantastically delicious, I must say. The tasty-ness and lightness of it. I have for example eaten grilled scallops with yuzu-chili, and pickled hijiki and wagyu beef served with three sauces to follow this. Both of them had distinct flavours and were at the same time very delicate. Has everything to make a foodie like me happy!
4. The toilets. Prefer not to elaborate on it; but just to state that it’s in the basement, where the bank box was before the place turned into a food exchange. They are nice, by the way.
UMAMI is also open for lunch Mondays to Fridays. It’s a bit of a fancy place and especially on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. On a Sunday I’d imagine a little more quiet.
Oh, and they have this great sommelier Jesper Boelskifte, he’s one of the owners. So, the wine there is good too.
If you don’t like Japanese, I may come up with some other place for you.
I would like to have a think about the nice lunch spots, there are some. Can I get back to you about that tomorrow? – One quick suggestion would naturally be the Restaurant Kofoed, also described at my blog, and serving traditional Danish dishes, to some extend.
Trine
PS. About the music on the UMAMI website. There is a trumpet playing. I wonder if that is the Danish trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg. It’s very likely.
Dear Trine,
I really do enjoy reading your blog and I’d love you to help me. Do you have any suggestion about “surprising” restaurants open on Sundays? I will be in Copenhagen in 4 days and I’m trying to take advantage of every dinner opportunity!
And also what are your suggestions for very nice lunch spots (maybe to taste traditional recipes).
Thanks a lot for your assistance.
Francesca