Q&A: RASMUS PALSGARD

Copenhagen’s eminent food journalist – and the youngest member of the Danish Food Critics – knows his way around Nordic cuisine and then some. Here, the former MasterChef Denmark star shares his shor tlist for Copenhagen’s best dining, drinking and more.

We hear a lot about Copenhagen’s culinary rise – but what to drink?

The

areas to rethink what they do, and the cocktail scene is a good example. Before Noma, there was no such thing as a Nordic cocktail movement, but today, aquavit – previously seen as a second-rate spirit – has found its way back to the cocktail bar, and more and more bar tenders have star ted foraging herbs, roots and fruit swap whisky with aquavit in a whisky sour – they want to star t a new language.

What’s your go-to bar for a Nordic cocktail?

Ruby ( rby.dk) has an amazing ambience and menu, and the bar tenders make every guest feel at home. Balderdash ( balderdash.dk) and Duck and Cover ( duckandcoverbar.dk) are also exper ts at

avant-garde cocktails.

What ’s your favourite neighbourhood for a culinary exploration?

Norrebro is f ull of well-established families and a multicultural mix of bars, cafes and restaurants. I recommend dinner at the Michelin one-star Thai restaurant Kiin Kiin ( kiin.dk), followed by a beer at Brus ( tapperietbrus.dk).

And for a delicious souvenir to bring back home?

Head to Tor vehallerne ( tor vehallernek bh.dk), our native oysters to l ocal cheeses, natural wine and handmade chocolate.

Where would you go for your last meal?

Sollerod Kro ( soelleroed-kro.dk), located nor th of the city near Dyrehaven park, might be my favourite restaurant in the world. Set in an old inn from 1677, it has one Michelin star – which I think is two stars too little – for its ambience, hospitality and spectacular cuisine.

“Before Noma, nobody talked about Danish gastronomy.”

When it first opened in 2003, Noma was considered revolutionary for this focus on fresh Nordic ingredients. “Before Noma, nobody talked about Danish gastronomy,” says Pelle Oby Andersen, founder and director of the Food Organisation of Denmark, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting Nordic and Danish gastronomy, nature and agriculture. “Fine dining was very much French-