Geranium Restaurant (Bocuse D'Or Winning Chef), Copenhagen, Denmark

It was with great expectations that we arrived at Geranium Restaurant. The chef and co-owner, Rasmus Kofoed had just won the the Bocuse D'or. However, Michelin granted Noma, another Copenhagen restaurant, 2 stars and the San Pellegrino World's 50 Best granted Noma #1 resto in the world status. Geranium only has a single "rising star" in the Michelin guide, not an official one star. The decor of this spacious restaurant is classically beautiful in a spare Scandinavian way.

Our first presentation was carrot and seabuckthorn. A crispy thin candied carrot shell filled with seabuckthorn foam. And then, many small dishes followed, with great attention to detail.

Beetroot and apple vinegar topped with cottage cheese.

Lumpfish roe and horseradish mayonnaise (on left).

Tomato foam, Danish ham gelee, lemon thyme flowers and clarified tomato essence. The conception of this dish was inspired but the tomato essence was too tart and overwhelmed the other flavours. Tomatoes in season would have been more mellow and perhaps sweeter. A great chef should be aware of this. Granted chef Kofed was not in the kitchen this day. 

Branches made from Danish cheese, with ramson (wild garlic leaves).

Crispy pork ear with vinegar and parsley on top.

Danish oyster and chopped cauliflower, cauliflower sauce, melted smoked cream cheese. Cauliflower and oyster are a good combination but the dish lacked any "wow".

Tapioca, garden sorrel, dill, king crab, apple juice,and cucumber topped with frozen crab juice. A tasty but overly complicated dish that just did not "sing".

King crab, tapioca, apple juice, dill, sorrel, cucumber topped with frozen crab juice. A tasty but overly complicated dish that just lacked any "wow". 

"Grain in two servings". Bread and butter. What can I say? Good but not great bread with very good but not great tasting butter. At this restaurant, everything should be great!

Crumbled Danish "hay cheese" with red, pearl and spring onions, watercress, crumbled bread (ie like fresh bread crumbs) and a sauce made of melted "hay cheese".  This was a good dish. The cheese and onion flavours and the texture of the crumbled bread were all highly complementary.

Slightly smoked potatoes with borage, crispy peas and a powder made of smoked grape seed oil, then after presentation, topped with a potato puree. This was a good dish with nice textures, but again, not a "wow". The flavours were a bit bland and the dish could have done with less sauce. The 3 photos below show how this dish was presented.

At this point of the meal, I began reflecting on the similarity of presentation of many of the dishes feeling a bit overwhelmed with the preponderance of whites incorporated in the presentations.


Monkfish with elements of the ocean. Monkfish, quail egg, squid ink flakes, a mussel, mussel gel, a variety of bits of seaweed from the beach and ocean, with some mussel sauce. I really enjoyed this dish.

The next 4 photos were how this course was presented. Bouillon made from lamb's breast was poured over wild foraged flowers, leaves and herbs. A very subtle soothing and nicely flavoured dish.

We were then presented with a "palate cleanser", a sea foam apple gel made from biodynamic apples, a lovely and innovative, refresher for our palates.



Then, braised veal tail with slices of Jerusalem artichokes,  Jerusalem artichoke puree and black truffle with crispy "puffed" pork lard was presented. The 2 photos below show the presentation.

A sauce made with brown butter, wild forest mushrooms and thyme, was added to the veal tail course. This was a very good dish, the sauce pleasantly rich tasting,

Frozen carrot juice. chervil stalks and preserved (pickled) elderflowers with white chocolate and  a "sparkling" elderflower sauce. The 2 photos below show the presentation.

This was a great dish, refreshing and considered by all, the perfect dessert and considered perhaps the best dish of the meal.

"Milk in mysterious ways": Biodynamic sweet milk yogurt, caramelized milk, sponge cake with milk protein, dehydrated milk ice cream, "milky way" shell with milk, clarified buttermilk whey with vanilla. This was a very good, thoughtfully creative dish

On reflection, after the conclusion of the meal, I had a sense of disappointment considering the praises this chef has received. There was an overwhelming perception of bleak whiteness of so many dishes. The minimalism of so many of the dishes compounded this feeling. Despite the serious consideration of each dish by the chef, some dishes just did not sing. It should be pointed out that the much praised chef was not working the night we attended, however, considering the caliber of this restaurant, that should not have been a necessity. Although many of my friends and acquaintances have often heard me say, one cannot eat atmosphere, from a purely aesthetic point of view, considering the furniture, the lighting and tableware, this restaurant has one of the most pleasing aesthetics of the many high caliber restaurants I have attended over the years.

Frederikshoj Restaurant, Aarhus, Denmark

Aarhus is Denmark's second largest city. Drawn there by a business meeting, I was taken to what is considered that city's best restaurant. It did not disappoint. Clearly, the chef, Wassim Hallal, was influenced by both the Nordic food trends as well as the very current Spanish innovations in cuisine.


We enjoyed aperitifs with "snacks" in the lounge.

Our first course, after being seated, was lumpfish roe with finely chopped cucumber and fresh cheese that was smoked. It was presented under glass, enveloped by wood smoke.

Almas caviar with avocado and thinly sliced radish topped with bread ash.

Shrimp boiled in seawater, oysters, bits of air dried cauliflower and fresh steamed cauliflower and dill.

Sole with tomato, tomato foam and bread. The composition was topped with a thin piece of transparent gel made from tomato juice. 

Cold foie gras with marinated sliced pear, pear gelee, malt powder, croutons and hazelnuts.

Seared foie gras with marinated julienned pear, gelee of pear in malt, toasted bread cubes and hazelnuts.

Sweetbread, crispy browned potatoes and watercress sprouts..

Confit of Bresse pigeon leg and breast which is topped with crispy "popped" pig skin ( a Danish tradition) with beet root in different forms, celery and puree of celery.

Vanilla, chocolate, caramel, lemon. The ochre coloured ball is paper thin caramel "candy" filled with caramel ice cream. The white wafers are meringue. The dark coloured "snake" is chocolate toffee. Scattered about the plate are crumbles and pieces of chocolate cake, puree of lemon and milk and caramel cream. A complex but satisfying conclusion.

To Market, To Market

I saw the most beautiful peaches at Riverdale Farm on Tuesday afternoon.  Visions of an evening making and eating peach pie danced in my head.  Then I heard the dreaded words:  "They were picked this morning.  They should be ready to eat by Thursday. Just take them out of the basket and set them on something soft in a single layer."  Where on my three feet of kitchen counter would that single layer fit?  And while the peaches might not be less crunchy by Thursday I doubt they are going to taste really great. So much for pie baking.

Both Haystrom and the Sosnickis had loads of tomatoes.  Black Crims and Striped Germans were among some of Sosnickis' heirloom varieties.  The Quinte Organics stall had a lovely display with everything from meat to squash and onions along with bouquets of zinnias with hosta leaves.

Those of us disappointed with the peaches could console ourselves with plums, blackberries, blueberries, and yes, even another round of strawberries.

Incidentally, on the way home I decided to check the greengrocers around Church and Wellesley where I was rewarded with a basket of RIPE peaches.

To Market, To Market the last week in July

Although there are ways to get to Evergreen Brickworks without a car--the bus from Davisville or a shuttle bus from the Broadview station, it is one of those places that is really much easier to get to with a car.  If it is a luxury car, all the better.  Those of us who travel by public transit can sometimes find themselves waiting a long time in the blazing sun.

 Brickworks and Wychwood share many of the same vendors--Woolerdale, Fisher Folk, Vicki's Veggies among them.  Marvellous Edibles is at Brickworks on summer Saturdays and at Wychwood in the winter.  There are other vendors familiar from Riverdale and Dufferin Grove, and Liberty Village.

Although I am not so sure that having a lot of prepared foods at a market is a good thing, there are some tasty treats here.  On the hot morning I was there, Augie's ice pops--the sour plum in particular--went  down very well.  Other popular flavours are French lemonade--which includes anise and watermelon lemonade.  Jamie Kennedy's French fries, which are also sold at Riverdale are also much in demand.  My ambivalence about prepared foods sold at the markets is that it gives people an excuse to skip buying ingredients.

Ontario peaches are now starting to appear.  Alas, I was a little late arriving at Withrow  on Saturday afternoon so all that remained of Niagara Organics peaches seemed under ripe. I just bought their fine wild blueberries. Strangely where I did find juicy, ripe Ontario peaches later that day was at a small greengrocer on Yonge Street south of Wellesley. Though small, they were so good I bought more on Monday.

Some of the choice heirloom potato varieties are now in market stalls across the city.  Both Vicki's Veggies and Marvellous Edibles has had Linzer delicatess.  The latter has also had redgolds, Irish cobbler, and my fave, German butterballs.

There are still currants and raspberries in multiple colours--red, white, black.  Yellow plums are starting to appear although I have not seen any blue plums so far.

Bitten

If you are an ice cream lover who finds your favorite treat just a little too rich in the blazing heat of summer, run, do not walk to Gelato Simply Italian(2076 Yonge Street or the new location, almost our neighbour, 146 Cumberland).  To some people $5.00 for a small cone or cup might seem pricey.  Well, it is not for something this yummily refreshing.  The many variations on a citrus theme are the perfect antidotes to the summer heat:  lime with cilantro, ruby grapefruit, blood orange,  lemon.  That $5.00 gets you two flavours per serving--if you opt for a larger serving you can choose three.  The combination of plum with hazelnut was particularly scrumptious, and something that would go well with autumn desserts.  The only less-than-seductive flavour was rice--both bland and too sweet.

To Market, To Market East Lynn week of August 11

Hands up, all those who believe Holstein cows are only good for dispensing milk.  Think again.  I bought a Holstein rib-eye steak from Belanger Organic Farms(they are also at Liberty Village and Wychwood).  It was very well marbled and sweetly juicy after pan searing. This meat is definitely worth seeking out.  Those of us who grew up on farms with herds of Jerseys, Guernseys, or Ayrshires probably secretly feel that perhaps meat should be the Holsteins true calling.

Although I went intending to buy peaches and tomatoes, the selection was somewhat disappointing.  Loffredo's freestone fruit is still about a week from market.  There were few tomatoes.  Even Bosco which has had many varieties and a rainbow of colors for weeks had a rather thin offering.

All was not lost.  I came away from O.K. Farms with two baskets of the always hard to find harvest apples since the very small window of opportunity in which to get them is rapidly closing.  Fortunately, some were larger than usual.  There are few kitchen jobs more tedious than peeling enough of these tiny apples to make a pie. This stall also had raspberries in chree colours and both blue and yellow plums.

Every time I buy potatoes from someone other than my trusty Potato Lady(aka Ayse Akoner at Marvellous Edibles), I feel as though I am committing potato adultery.  Alas, the aforementioned Belangers had little fingerlings that I just could not resist.  I trust I will be forgiven my indescretion.

Another Amazing Meal At Centro Restaurant

Centro's chef  Jason Carter is so in tune with current cuisine. A friend and I were going to a local cinema. We thought we would go to Centro for a simple meal. Just a steak, a good glass of wine and go. However, after we arrived, the chef came out and suggested a simple starter and their veal cooked sous vide. So, we went with the flow.


Our meal began with heavenly prociutto di guanciale with fresh burrata, beautiful tomatoes and olive oil. 


Next, perhaps the best veal dish I have ever enjoyed in Toronto, veal chop, bone removed, cooked sous vide, briefly seared, perfectly medium rare, exceptionally juicy and tender accompanied by a slightly fried, finely chopped garlic "dressing". It was some kind of heaven eating that course.

We even had time for dessert, a simple fruit salad of  several kinds of fruit cut in geometric shapes and wedges, slightly dehydrated to intensify the flavour, accompanied by a goats milk yogurt and a honey tuile.  This was a dessert that all at once was so refreshing and palate satisfying.

Centros, in an out in less than an hour, beautifully fed, efficiently served.....and, we could hear each other talk!

Obika Mozzarella Bar, Toronto

Obika restaurant centers its offerings on mozzarella di bufala campana DOP. The freshly made cheeses are flown in weekly from Italy.
A plate of 3 cheeses: stracciatella di burrata; mozarella di bufala DOP classica; mozzarella dibuffala campana DOP, affumicata, hay smoked for about 4 min. The cheeses rested on raw spinach leaves and was accompanied by cherry tomatoes and black olives.

 Before you begin, if your wait staff forgets, as ours did, please request the house olive oil. It is of surprisingly good quality with very good flavour and is a excellent complement for the cheeses.

The burata was milky with a slightly tart finish, almost a bit like sour cream, and was a favourite. The mozzarella was good but not as creamy or as enjoyable as some of the best that I have experienced in Italy. The smoked mozzarella was very nice, and for me, more enjoyable than the unsmoked.

Ravioli with handmade ricotta and spinach, with butter and sage.

The pasta really was nothing special. It lacked a certain textural delicacy i have experienced in well made pasta for ravioli and was a bit to thick. The sage butter lacked intensity of flavour. The ricotta filling was a bit too dry.

 Pizza verdure grilate, arrived topped with grilled eggplant, zucchini, raddichio, smoked mozzarella di bufala campana DOPand chopped parsely. This is a terrific pizza, the nicely grilled veg flavours were enhanced by the smoky mozzarella. The crust was crispy with good flavour.

N'Duja e burrata pizza is spread with a thin layer of spicy salami pate. Stracciatella di burrata, covered organic tomato filets with fresh basil. This is a fabulous pizza, the sauce has a nice spicey bight and a wonderful intense tomato flavour with rich consistency.

Very good, rich tiramisu with an espresso coffee sauce and soaked lady fingers on the bottom!

Chocolate almond cake had good texture and nicely strong chocolate flavour accompanied by rich vanilla gelato.

Zabaglione had a lovely consistency but a rather bland flavour. The fruit shone...very fresh, very high quality berries.

The ricotta mousse did not have a good ricotta flavour and had an alkaline taste. This was a truly disappointing dish.