Elite Traveler September-October 2016

DISCOVER

elite traveler SEPT/OCT 2016 52

Food&drink

Andy Hayler’s Top dish

Five Minutes with Rasmus Kofoed

Our resident gourmand on his current favorite fare

Head chef and co-owner of Geranium restaurant in Copenhagen A new entrant on the Elite Traveler Top 100 Restaurants 2016, this year has also seen Geranium become the first Danish restaurant to be awarded the coveted three stars by the Michelin Guide.

Maaemo: Mackerel Taking his inspiration

from the nature of Norway (Maaemo means ‘mother earth’ in old Norse), head

On being a vegetable-driven restaurant…

chef Esben Holmboe Bang gives mackerel a three-Michelin star

I love vegetables and I was brought up as a vegetarian, so that has set me on a different path to other chefs. The Geranium kitchen is very green – we use a lot of vegetables, seasonal plants, herbs, leaves and flowers. It is not a vegetarian

makeover – presenting it pickled in brine, topped with edible flowers and wild garlic, then served with garlic oil and apple brine.

menu; I use a lot of meaty flavors and there are plenty of seafood dishes.

On the Copenhagen restaurant scene…

Restaurants, such as Noma, have done and are doing great things in Denmark – there’s a diversity now that is creating a really great food scene in Copenhagen. You can get great ice cream, top quality coffee, white tablecloth fine dining as well

as more casual and clubby restaurants.

On being a champion competition chef… Winning all three trophies in the Bocuse d’Or is like a dream. If I hadn’t been through that process I might not be cooking today. You need to have a real passion for competing and you can’t be impulsive because you need to see the beauty in developing a dish.

OFF THEWALL

The wine wall by Smallbone of Devizes is the ideal addition to a wine cellar. Handcrafted in England, it displays and flawlessly preserves a wine collection. The Wine Guardian conditioning unit prevents vibration and eliminates UV rays, while grills circulate airflow to maintain perfect temperature and humidity levels. From $60,000, enquiries@smallbone.co.uk, +44 20 7589 5998, smallbone.co.uk

Words: Susie Moir and Tina Nielsen. Photos: Claes Bech-Poulsen