CLOU
William Pear Nectar
Oyster, Olive Oil, Oscietra Caviar
Olive, Parmesan
Foie Gras and Date
The Sous’ Mother’s Flatbread, Crema di Lardo, Olive Oil
Brown Crab, Cucumber, Sea Salad, Vanilla, Mint
Blue Mussel Flan, Thyme, Rossini’s Oscietra Caviar
Violet Artichoke Ravioli, Dried Corn, Orange Zest, Aged Cheese
Cocoa Crusted Turbot, Lobster ‘Cappuccino’
Quail, Dried Fruits, Peas, Foie Gras
4-year Comte, Olive Oil, Strawberry Jam, Black Pepper, Seed Crackers
Lime, Banana, Dark Rhum, Yoghurt
Crepe Suzette, Grand Marnier, Orange, Apricot, Caramel
Passion Fruit, Puffed Sugar
Vanilla, Macadamia
Coffee, Balsamico
Not entirely sold on one of the spaces selected for Dinner, reviews running the gamut from gushing to downright disappointing, it was on the word of a local that the decision was made to switch to CLOU on Tuesday evening, the Restaurant at Borgergade 16 offering a fifteen course Chef’s Tasting for 1200DKK that stretched on and on for almost 210-minutes with some of the food actually quite good, but most of the plates merely fair to middling.
Originally opened in 2012 as a combination Importer/Wine Shop and Restaurant by two brothers, the first two now separated since 2014 even though the space originally received a Michelin Star in 2013, CLOU is now run by Chef Jonathan K. Berntsen and a kitchen that seems to approach New Nordic ideas by way of Italy, the space divided into two rooms decorated in bold wallpaper offsetting the typical woods and whites of Fine Dining with a staff that tries a little *too* hard to be formal.
Still a fairly wine-focused establishment, a fact that will not be lost on those who do not imbibe as the service offered around wine is far more fawning than that for food which is merely presented with a quick smile and hasty retreat to more interesting guests speaking at volumes fortified by alcohol, it was after discussing allergies and intolerances that the meal started off with a trio of Canapes including a laser-cut Egg filled with Duck Liver Mousse and pureed Date alongside an Olive Financier buried in Parmesan plus an Oyster topped in Olive Oil and Caviar, all of it just fine but not particularly memorable save for the fact that the ideas would be replicated at the end of the meal.
Opting for a bottle of William Pear Nectar and Still Water to accompany the Food, both a bit more expensive than average amongst the Michelin Stars of Copenhagen, it was with a large round of warm Bread that menu course four was announced, The Sous’ Mother’s Flatbread somewhat reminiscent of Focaccia with a thicker Crust imbued with Olives and Herbs alongside Calvi Olive Oil and Crema di Lardo.
At this point introduced to the first of several service delays, the fact that the restaurant was less than 1/4 full making both the expediting and generally unengaging service particularly off-putting for solo diners left to stare at the walls or their smartphones, it was almost twenty minutes before a dish of Brown Crab hidden beneath Mint, Cucumber and Sea Beans was presented, the flavor of the Crustacean mostly lost in the mix and therefore largely wasted while the follow-up of Blue Mussel Flan in Thyme Broth with more Caviar packed a briny punch beneath a frankly unnecessary “net” of Seaweed.
At this point already nearing the menu’s midpoint, the fifteen ‘courses’ in reality more like seven including Cheese plus Canapes, Mignardises and Pre-Dessert, a single Raviolo proved to be the night’s first great dish as it placed roasted Violet Artichoke in the setting of cracked Corn, Citrus and grated Cheese, the flavors all finding balance with an up-front sweetness dissipating into an earthy linger that led into a generous filet of Turbot ‘crusted’ with Coffee and Cocoa in a bath of foamy Lobster Bisque.
Again hitting a service snag before the main entrée, a full thirty minutes of listening to the room’s primary server chat with an inebriated English couple across the room spent fighting off sleep, it was as the clock neared 22h00 that a dish of Foie and Foremeat stuffed Quali was presented alongside a sauce of Dried Fruit and Fresh Peas, a dish similar to that of Le Cirque back home with far less finesse followed by 48-month Comte that would have been just fine on its own, but was instead compromised with Strawberry Jam plus Black Pepper and a liberal pour of Olive Oil.
Cleansing the palate with a refreshing Banana Sorbet atop powdered Lime and Yogurt perfumed by Rum before waiting a full forty minutes for Dessert, the drunk couple now gone and the clock approaching 23h00, it was as the boozy “Crepe Suzette” was presented that the Check was also requested, the Dessert no more than two bites and nowhere near as interesting as that served at Alchemist the following day with the meal coming to a close in a trio that looked much like the amuses, an idea that is no longer clever as it has been done so many times elsewhere and all the less impressive as the kitchen ignored a request for no Passion Fruit, though the Coffee and Balsamic Egg was better than either of the menu’s actual desserts.
http://restaurant-clou.dk