Mielcke & Hurtigkarl
Nathalie Falmet Brut Nature Champagne
Cabbage, Cod Roe, Rocket Flowers
Langoustine, Papaya, Kalamansi
Pear, Bergamot, Licorice Root, Spanish Chervil
Wild Shot Deer, Boar (eaten)
Oysters, Watercress, Peas, Daikon, Beach Flowers, Cucumber Granita
Scallop, White Miso, Miso ‘snow’
Sourdough, Herb Butter
Lemon Sole, Chicken Skin, Kombu, Salted Cucumber, Butter, Thyme, Meade
N’duja Agnolotti, Mascarpone, Parmesan. Sage, Fermented Red Pepper and Sorrel Sauce
White Asparagus, Lemon, Smoked Butter, Pistachio, Puffed Potato, Preserved Pine, Swedish Caviar
Sweetbreads, Eggplant Puree, Ponzu, Garden Herbs
Sea Buckthorn, Flowers, Ginger
Ribeye, Ramson, Pepper, Celeriac, Ashes, Rum
Melted Granbark, Truffles, Truffle Croissant, Hazelnut with Smoked Straciatella and Bleu, Currant Jam
Passion Fruit, Coconut, Kaffir Lime, Tapioca, Habanero Oil
Strawberries, Plums, Almonds, Goat Milk, Caramel, Woodruff Oil
Birch Ice Cream, Celeriac, Tonka Bean, Long Pepper, Cocoa
Coffee Frozen Meringue
Matcha Puff Pastry, Garden Herbs, Lemon Verbena
Located on the far east end of Frederiksberg Have, a truly lovely setting passed by many times on bike to and from Central Copenhagen, it was for dinner on Thursday night that a trusted friend as well as a hotel concierge prompted dinner at Mielcke & Hurtigkarl, the restaurant ranked #30 in White Guide Nordic unfortunately suffering from a service shortage and a kitchen that seemed all too willing to venture away from the The New Nordic Kitchen Manifesto, though rarely to anyone’s benefit.
Toqued by Chef Jakob Mielcke and managed by Jan Hurtigkarl, the former sporting a Pierre Gagnaire pedigree by way of both Rue Balzac and Sketch in London with the later very familiar with Copenhagen’s dining revolution after over thirty years in the industry, it was just prior to 19h30 that the restaurant garden was approached on foot, a male Peacock strutting about past iced Champagne as a reservation was confirmed, a complimentary glass of Champagne gifted from one of the Restaurant’s fans kicking things off along with a bouquet of Cabbage and Arugula Blossoms intended to be dragged through creamy Cod Roe.
Continuing outdoor service across three more bites before transitioning indoors, a similar pattern followed by each table to follow, course two presented a rosy Langoustine glazed in Papaya and Kalamansi prior to Pear slices topped in an unpleasant powder of Bergamot and Licorice, Chef Mielcke’s love of the hunt next described as diners were offered bites of Roe Deer Sausage and lightly grilled Boar’s Meat.
Packed to capacity on this particular evening, two large parties of at least a dozen each plus a well-heeled American couple celebrating their wedding engagement each commanding a disproportionate amount of attention while the larger tables were clearly a stretch for the kitchen as wait times exceeding twenty-five minutes more than once separated one course from the next, dinner next rolled into two amuses including a refreshing plate of poached Oysters served beneath Summer Peas and Radish plus cooling Cucumber Granita, a follow-up of Scallop, White Miso and dissolved ‘snow’ clearly attempting to take a note from Gagnaire’s book but unfortunately more reminiscent of mucous in terms of both texture and the overwhelming amount of salt.
Decorated in big chandeliers with dancing lights on the ceiling and walls adorned with everything from plastic bugs to contemporary art it was with a single slice of Sourdough and aggressively herbed Butter that the proper 7-course meal began, the emulsified sauce of a Lemon Sole filet clearly taking cues from the room’s modern design but unfortunately buying it’s mild flesh with salt once again front and center by way of Chicken Skin, Kelp and preserved Cucumbers.
An inauspicious start to be certain, each plate to follow continuing a trend where one less ingredient would have been preferable to more, N’duja Agnolotti proved to be the meal’s indisputable highlight as three tiny pockets of Pasta were stuffed with housemade spicy Sausage that found its foil in whipped Mascarpone and shaved Parmesan, the unnecessary Sorrel thankfully just a faint note on the finish and nowhere near as distracting as the Pine Needles that thoroughly imbalanced White Asparagus made green by way of ground Pistachios.
Once again showing glimmers of talent by way of a sizable Sweetbread seared crisp on the exterior but still creamy at the center in a bowl of Eggplant Puree, Ponzu and Herbs it was with palates cleansed by a crispy Tuille containing Sea Buckthorn and Ginger that the meal reached its apex in a dish described as “Pork” despite clearly being Beef, the aggressive salinity of prior plates thankfully not present but instead replaced by Garlic and Celeriac, the ‘earthy’ notes taken up a notch by way of Rum and Char that came across excessively bitter and Bread long ago finished thus leaving diners drinking only water with an unpleasant wait of nearly thirty minutes before a complicated Cheese course was presented with lightly melted Granbark beneath Summer Truffles alongside a savory Croissant, Currant Jam and crushed Hazelnut and Straciatella Mousse.
At this point approaching 22h30, a friend’s story of finishing his whole meal at Mielcke & Hurtigkarl in under two hours apparently far from the norm, it was with only one bite of a dish including both Passion Fruit and Habanero Oil that the rest was sent back to the kitchen, a foamy dish of Strawberries, Caramel and Plums with Almonds floated in Woodruff Oil beautiful in its balance while the third Dessert failed to prove Celeriac can be hidden, the lemony Puff Pastry and Frozen Meringue served 220 minutes after originally sitting down at least closing things out on a pleasant note.
http://www.mhcph.com