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Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Relae, Copenhagen

We visited Copenhagen a week ago. A week or so before, we came across an article on top food destinations, checked out the recommended restaurants in Copenhagen, found that Relae does a vegetarian menu, and spontaneously booked a table online. Well actually, I had to apply some dedication and luck - we initially signed up to a waitlist, I checked the booking website some time after, found a dinnertime table free, and grabbed it. We never heard back from the waitlist, and I never saw another free table before or since, so what luck indeed. They are only open four nights (and two lunchtimes) a week, which goes some way to explaining the challenge.

Our booking was for our first night there (the only time they'd be open during our trip). So we were somewhat bleary from timezone crossing when we wandered in their direction. But sunshine overcame that weariness, with green spaces and bike buckets full of merry Danes. Relae is on a very lively street, amid shops of beautiful ceramics, interesting clothes, good coffee and so forth. Seems like a hip hood. We wandered a while before we reached our booking time and settled in.

Space was a touch cramped - passing between our table and the adjoining two person table almost impossible. But each table was a magic box - menus and cutlery hidden in a drawer. So when we sat the table was empty but for water glasses - on reflection, a good metaphor for the deceptive simplicity and elegant understatement of the food to come. Our meatlessness made ordering simple, although we did end up with an aperitif we weren't aware of ordering. We took the pre-snack too (intentionally in this case): one perfect spear of white asparagus, raw but coated in pistachios. Simple, beautiful and delicious: I'd eaten white asparagus only once before and been unimpressed by the subtlety of its flavour, but here not cooking it and treating it so simply let its taste stand out.

Then onto our four courses. First rolled red onions with Icelandic seaweed hidden inside and a smattering of birch syrup and salt crystals. Very pretty - a pinkish star on the plate. But a little disappointing - red onions are not made to be boiled or steamed, I find (bad camp food memories). Second was stunning: green soup of ramps and wild garlic, with leaf-thin mushroom slices balanced on top and cooked grains within. Nothing much to look at (chlorophyll-y DNA extraction-esque), but rammed with flavour and texture and perfect balance. Third was intriguing and clever and although not as immediately wonderful as number two no less full of depth. Purple carrot so dark you'd think it was beet, sliced so thin to be almost crisps, in a flowerlike form. Served with hollandaise scattered with oxalis (wood sorrel) leaves and flowers - so so pretty, yet still simple. Taken together the richness, sourness, sweetness and earthiness made it special. Last was ice cream: vanilla with orange. A swipe of perfectly smooth creaminess, with different driednesses of orange each bringing slightly different tastes and textures.

Fun, and clever, and thoughtful, but not overwhelming. Yesterday I noticed it is now the 53rd best restaurant in the world.
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