A Christmas lunch in Copenhagen is the best way to experience the gaiety of the streets and people before the holidays. And what is a better place to choose than a charming 18th century country house by Amalienborg Castle in Copenhagen?
Just ten minutes’ walk from Nyhavn we found Restaurant Amalie in Amaliegade 11, situated in a truly elegant and historic building, built in 1744 for the purpose of storing the ammunition at Charlotte Amalie’s Bastion. This restaurant ticks the box for originality in a number of ways. Not many restaurants can boast of walls that are 1.5 meters thick. We read that this was the ammunition house, the walls were made thick so as to protect the people outside the building in case something should go wrong. Odd but very sensible. This also means that although located by the water, the restaurant is warm and keeps the heat during the long winter months.
This dignified restaurant hides behind a modest façade. Inside we were warmly greeted by the owners, Pernille and Kenneth Brønd.
We ordered the small Xmas menu, which turned out to be plenty of food and really pure perfection. The restaurant consists of just two tiny, cosy rooms filled with old paintings and elegant porcelain.
The authentic Danish Christmas dishes consisted of one pleasure after another. The service was warm and welcoming, and all the guests were in high spirits. There are only 10 – 12 tables in the small restaurant, and we noticed that several of the guests were regulars.
Here is what we enjoyed at this years’ Christmas lunch in Copenhagen:
Plenty of Danish beer and Schumacher brandy
Homemade Danish rye bread
Pickled herring with capers and onions
Homemade curry herring with onions, eggs and apples
Marinated salmon with mustard dressing
Plaice fillet fried in the pan served with remoulade
Sausages and roast duck with prunes and apples served with homemade red cabbage from Greenland
Cream of rice with chopped almonds served with hot cherry sauce.
Delicious!
Text and photos: Tor Kjolberg