On our first day in Copenhagen we arrived to sunshine and after a morning of travelling, a very hangry wee food blogger. I’d decided to adopt the ‘go with the flow’ approach to our plans which sounded relaxed and romantic. In hindsight, maybe not the best idea for a fussy person who wants to eat the best food and likes to have a plan. Anywayyyy. After walking around, near our apartment, for well over an hour through really quiet areas, I was becoming increasingly aggy (my poor boyfriend is used to this by now) and kept muttering that I knew I should have planned where to bloody eat. Then, we happened upon Aamanns Deli, which is attached to their main restaurant but offers just as tasty looking food for a fraction of the price. Sold. Turns out, this was only about 15 minutes away from our apartment but we’d taken such a long circular route that it seemed like miles away (!)

First order of the day: get me a glass of wine, stat. The sip of crisp Sauvignon Blanc immediately set me at ease to scrutinise the menu.

If you’re not familiar with it (I wasn’t), Smørrebrød is actually a slice of dark rye bread with butter and it’s the Danish classic open sandwich. On top of your Smørrebrød goes the Pålæg which is usually meat, fish or cheese. You’ll see Smørrebrød offerings all over Copenhagen and we were delighted to try out their traditional lunch on our first day.

They recommended you select 2-3 per person so we of course went for 3 each. They all looked so good, it took us a while to decide which to have!

I went for the avocado, herring and sirloin options whilst my boyfriend opted for the smoked cheese, pork belly and sirloin.

Avocado Smørrebrød with pickled onions, lemon cream, cabbage and rye crisps

Isn’t it just pretty as a picture? The balance of the flavours was really fresh and delicious and was the perfect palette cleanser for my next two.

Sirloin Smørrebrød with bearnaise cream, roasted tomatoes, pickled cucumber and crispy potato

I’m not the world’s biggest fan of beef but I adore bearnaise so I thought I’d give it a go. I was really pleasantly surprised – the beef was really tender and seasoned beautifully and all of its accompaniments went perfectly. Pickled cucumber is a revelation – might just be my new favourite snack!

Herring Smørrebrød with new potatoes, cream cheese, lemon, and buckwheat

This is the most traditional one, herring is on almost every menu in Copenhagen and eating this, I can understand why. Herring, I don’t think I’d had it before, is quite similar to cured mackerel – a similar strength and depth of flavour. I kept eating teeny tiny pieces to make it last as long as I could! The cream cheese worked really well with it and the crunch of the buckwheat contrasted the softness of the fish.

My boyfriend was equally happy with his – the cheese was like a Danish Brie: rich and creamy. He particularly loved the pork belly Smørrebrød which came with rhubarb (which he left aside, too sour), mustard cream and thyme and bacon crumble. The crumble really made that one.

The dishes were presented so elegantly and each had been prepared with love and attention. The balance of each one was perfect – with each having just the right amount of sweet, sharp, soft, crisp. And, all of them had a surprising element which elevated them to the next level.

I’m totally a Smørrebrød convert now and had a hunt for Rye bread at the weekend (hard to find) to try to make my own. I will keep you posted!

💛 the wee food blogger