A Falsled Kro Appetizer

I don’t quite remember the first time I heard about the adorable place of Falsled Kro, and it has always been my dream to go there one day. I didn’t seriously expect to ever go there, though, until I initiated this blog about very good food.

Stuck once again in Copenhagen suburb traffic Friday afternoon, I sat thinking of what to come, what the food would be like. I haven’t really read any reviews of Falsled Kro as such. I suppose I know a good handful of people who have been there, but not enough to provide me with a clear definition of what to expect. Something out of this world, and stunning. The quintessence of Danish fine dining – this is what I imagined.

This is not a proper review of Falsled, though. I was invited to join a party of 20 people and I had no influence whatsoever on neither food nor wine. I don’t think it’s fair to judge the place when the conditions are not the same as when I go by myself. But I’d still like to write up my thoughts of this experience and to show you my photos.

The old inn was wrapped in a cold and wet darkness, but beautifully lit up with delicate candles in the trees and at the entrance. The little courtyard was decorated with evergreens, crocks and a few flowers. The thatched roofs together with the subtle Christmas decoration made the setting even more adorable and romantic, and certainly not less fairy tale-like than I had expected.

The romance and the classic design continued indoor, the calm and elegant feeling that surrounded the place was emphasized by the open fire place in one of the first rooms I entered. Then other small rooms followed where drinks or coffee were served.

We started out in the coffee room with a selection of snacks and a glass of champagne, which I found wonderful. One of the best non-rosé bubbles I have tasted in my short champagnish life. It was a blanc de blanc and the nose was full of Chardonnay fruit, a fine and really pure scent and striking taste of Chardonnay which was followed by a restrained acidity that made it sophisticated. I loved it. It matched both the salty chips, pastry sticks with mayonnaise dip, the quail’s egg, the small fried pasty packages and even the sweet pop corns.

I was puzzled about one thing though, that had nothing to do with the drink nor the food. It was the chairs. Tell me something please, how on earth can a place like this furniture a room with braided seated chairs when the place is frequented by women typically wearing thin silk or nylon stockings? The seats were like yearning teeth snatching to eat our knitted female legs.

I’d like to state that the food at Falsled Kro was very delicious and really flawless from a craftsmanship point of view, no matter what I say further on. The few comments I have are of my personal palate and I state them because Falsled Kro is considered to be one of the most exclusive places in Denmark. Presumably I also state them because of my creative mind which always has to look for improvements, for some reason.

The amuse initiating the menu was a beauty composed by müsli-topped smoked mackerel and a thin soup of smoked cheese and spiced with cloudberries, radish and cress. The soup was great and I loved the look of it. The smoked mackerel was not. Unless we talk about a good traditional Danish lunch, smoked mackerel will always be much too forcible for a refined gourmet table, no matter the quality. Mackerel was as appropriate for this soup as Wellingtons would have been for my Karen Millen dress. Smoked eel would have been much more sophisticated and would have been the perfect choice in stead.

The wine to accompany this and the following dish was a Portuguese 2006 Wine & Soul. Lda, Guru Duoro. It had a light smoky nose and a nice fruit, but a little too much oak flavour to my taste. The Danish tradition of smoked cheese stems from Funen Island and I liked the thought of chef Jean-Louis Lieffroy keeping it up and pairing the idea of smoke with the wine too.

Scallops, and langoustines with slight sourish artichokes and fried onion rings and a great and brown consommé of lobster flavours. A great dish combining the sweetness of the fish with the sourness from the artichokes. I love dill and I would have liked the stalk teared into smaller pieces, so I could get a bit with every mouthful.

The next course was balanced perfectly and almost as nice as the previous one. It consisted of a delicate turbot, Jerusalem artichokes purée, a mushroom foam and a crab polenta (under the fish and not visible in the photo). I liked the texture of the tiny carrots which were perfect too, not to crisp nor to overcooked.

2005 Stuhlmuller Estate, Chardonnay, Alexander Valley accompanied and it was a Chardonnay at full throttle with a taste of overdosed oak. This is definitely not my kind of wine and it was the least interesting beverage this evening.

Mallard was the main course, my luck as I’ve found that I really fancy this kind of meat. The cooks had fried it to perfection, still very red inside and at the brim of being rare at the middle. The fried foie gras was very delicious and its texture very fine. The pearl onions added some acidity and were spiced with something that made the whole experience a bit more sophisticated. The ravioli was made of potatoes and stuffed with chopped onions and herbs and it was good without being spectacular.

For the game course we had a 2003 Château Rayas, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhône. It was served light cool in temperature and it really suited the wine and its fruit and light spicy tones. After some 20 minutes in the glass the tannins were more pronounced and brought more character to the finish. Very nice.

The cheeses were unusually tasty, delicate flavours that were distinct but not too strong, and the texture and temperature gave a nice firm creamy feeling in my mouth. The Swedish Kvibrille though was a disappointment with its dryness and dull flavour, and I didn’t finish it.

The first dessert was very refreshing with sourness and bitter notes with the red grape fruit sorbet orange jelly and ginger crisp. Under the sorbet was bed of hazelnuts which were good with the ice-cream because of the bitterness in both. The amount of nuts was a bit too overdosed, in my opinion.

The delicious follower was a sweet-tooth’s delight. Praliné mousse with caramel ice cream, apples compote and liquorice root formed the perfect dessert.

To accompany the last course we had a French Grenache Noir from 1937 which was fruity and very good with the praliné dream. It didn’t at all taste like something 70 years of age.

I must say that I had expected the selection of wines to be more intriguing than this. Of course, these wines were targeted the party as a whole and not just my taste – and therefore I can’t really complain.

Anyway, it really was a wonderful feeling just to be there at Falsled Kro and enjoy the beautiful and old sentiment of it and the staff who were so polite and helpful.

The food was classic and very delicious, but it didn’t move me. No fireworks really, or tears. What gives me a kick, is when fine dining surprises me, and that’s what I look for and go back for again and again. Would good and surprising food ever bore me. I think not. How can that not always be the challenge. I want more than back to basic good food. I want to be moved, and I want to be surprised – that’s the top experience for me about eating out.

I didn’t spend the night at the old inn but at the beautiful Hvedholm Castle. So, now I can only dream on of going back and take both the good food and the good night at Falsled Kro.