12. September 2015: Restaurant Geranium
A TRULY UNIQUE EXPERIENCE! I wanted to go to the world’s number 1 restaurant for years – René Redzepi’s noma. However, it seems to be very impossible to get a table there. Given, I didn’t manage to get one once more, I decided to pay the little sister restaurant of René Redzepi a visit. And I do not regret it for a single second.
Already when you enter the premise you are welcomed by a very appealing interior. And once you are seated, your table welcomes you with an explanatory welcome card: “Dear Guest, welcome to a tour in our gastronomic universe. Here you will enter a kitchen that has a huge passion for vegetables, herbs, fish & shellfish from the sparkling oceans which surround our tiny country. To ensure the best quality possible all ingredients in our menus are locally produced from the organic and biodynamic farms, which we collaborate with & from the nature around us. We serve selected naturally made wine from independent winegrowers, beers from Danish microbreweries & our homemade juices. We are all here to give you the best possible experience & we hope you leave us feeling happy & warmhearted. If you have any questions, please ask – we have no secrets.
… Let’s eat, let’s drink, let’s laugh, let’s dance … Enjoy your Meal, Rasmus & Søren”
To start off the lunch a glass of “2013, Sauvignon Blanc, Seresin, Marlborough” (160 DKK) was the perfect taste buds tickler.
Then, it was time to decide which menu one wants to enjoy. Our table went for the “The Geranium Universe” (DKK 1’600) which offers a selection of the most famous dishes created throughout the past couple of years. But the menu only started after you got the mandatory hot towels.
And it started with a “welcome spoon” …
… followed by the first appetizer of many, “crispy grains from kornly cheese”. They were basically cheese bread in a grain form. Simple in taste but lovely with regards to how they have been prepared.
The second starter was a “charred potato in aroma from bark”. At first you were wondering why you should eat charcoal only to figure that there were actually two potatoes on the plate. And while I was expecting a strongly burnt kind of flavour the “burn taste” was very decent and actually made it an interesting dish.
The potato came with “lightly smoked sheep’s butter” which was a good complement to the potatoes.
Next in line was “seaweed & razor clam – impressions of the ocean” – besides it was not actual seaweed or an actual razor clam but artificially created seaweed and razor clam. I mean, you would usually not eat the shell – but here this was the trick that you’d eat the shell. And frankly, it was interesting.
The next course was actually one of the most interesting ones – not really due to the fact of what was served but much more because of the fact how it was served. Although I must admit that the pickled egg yolk really added this extra edge to the dish. You were allowed to enjoy the “cep mushroom soup with pickled egg yolk” …
… in the kitchen where you were able to watch all the chefs doing their job (which were also super lovely and friendly). I have never been to a kitchen while it was running at full speed and all chefs were busy preparing the courses for the customers.
And I absolutely would have loved spending more time there … but kind of unfortunately, we had to get back to our table. Although, it was only limited unfortunately as the next courses also sounded quite promising.
Finally, it was time for the main courses which started with “scallop, horseradish & granita from pickled cucumber”. I have tried granita a couple of times before but always as a sweet in Spain or the like. But having pickled cucumber granita was definitely a new and unique experience!
My absolutely favourite dish of the day were the “dillstones”. The dish is already optically impressive. The stones look like perfect stones but luckily the consistency is quite different.
The next course was “salted hake, Finnish caviar & parsley stems in buttermilk”. The dish was smooth and very intense at the same time. The hake was absolutely fine but the caviar added a certain saltiness to the dish and the fish flakes the respective crunchiness making it a very delicious dish.
A bit uncommon to get the bread in the middle of the courses, however, the “bread with old grains & gluten free bread with seeds” was actually very tasty with the provided butter.
Next in line were the “biodynamic onions with chamomile & melted hay cheese”. While at first it looked a bit boring it was actually a great combination of onion flavours …
… together with cheese flavours.
The next main course was “chicken in juniper aroma, lettuce stem, hay beer & bitter herbs” and the herbs were burnt at the table …
… rested for a couple of seconds …
… and finally prepared on your plate. I personally liked the dish but I must admit if it wasn’t for the chicken skin, I would have missed a bit of flavour of the chicken itself.
The first dessert of the day was “ice cream with bee’s wax & pollen, cloud berries & salted caramel” …
… and while I was skeptical about bee’s wax ice cream, it was actually absolutely delicious. Especially in combination with the salted caramel. An absolutely unique combination of flavours.
The next course was not only tasty (I’m very fond of sorrel) but also looked incredibly appealing. The “‘forest’: wood sorrel & woodruff” was of incredible fineness and they had definitely paid a lot of attention to detail. But the smoothness of the sorrel and the crunchiness of the caramel branch was a great combination.
Once we were done with the actual lunch which took as approximately 3,5 hours, it was time to finish the lunch with “tea from fresh leaves” (80 DKK) …
… which was prepared right in front of you.
In addition to tea and coffee, a huge selection of small sweets from the kitchen was offered, starting with the “lingonberry bush with beetroot”. The little beetroot leaves were definitely interesting – as I have never had beetroot as a dessert element.
The next course looked like a very regular sweet – but it actually wasn’t. The “onion caramel with mirabelle” was definitely surprising. I mean, who’d expect onion in a caramel, or generally, for dessert?
The next course were “small cakes with pumpkin seed oil” which was comparatively boring but intense in flavour.
One of my favourites was actually the “green egg with pine”. Which was basically kind of a chocolate egg but much more with a pine flavour. Quite lovely!
Once we were done with all the desserts as well, it was then time to leave the premise, relaxed, and full of joy!
What I saw for the first time and consider quite unique is the fact that they offer a non-alcoholic pairing – in this particular case, “The Geranium Universe Juice Pairing” (400 DKK). The juices served were “Sea Buckthorn”, “Ingrid Marie Apple & Chamomile”, “Mirabelle”, “Blackcurrant and Juniper”, and “Pine Lemonade”.
The restaurant is very atmospheric and I must admit that the service does an outstanding job. They are not only very friendly but also very competent. And they manage to accomplish something most service crews are not able to achieve.
Being there, without being there. There was not a single moment where you were disturbed or interrupted when eating, or talking, or drinking. Unlike in many other places I’ve dined.
Overall, I can absolutely recommend to visit René Redzepi’s sister restaurant Geranium in case you don’t get a table at the noma. But, I can also recommend to visit it even if you would get a table at noma. Then just do both!
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Geranium
Per Henrik Lings Alle 4, 8
2100 Copenhagen (DK)
Tel.: +45 69 96 00 20
E-Mail: info@geranium.dk
Homepage: http://geranium.dk
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
