Brewpub
iI had the chance to eat at the Brewpub on Vestergade in Copenhagen the other day, and it was a good, if somewhat mixed, experience.
I started with a pale ale called Ellhorn. A rather excellent beer with a lovely dry hoppy flavour.
For the ‘aperitif’, we were served some bread with two unidentifiable spreads of little culinary merit.
Next came the first course, consisting of grilled scallops with ale-baked parsley root and parsley foam. The dish was something of a disappointment. The scallops lacked firmness and the flavour was poor. The parsley root side dish helped a little, whilst the parsley foam was watery and flavourless. A bit more gelatine and parsley, please.
The dish was paired with a Belgian blonde called Été. Had I not been told the country of inspiration, the malt would have led me to guess somewhere further north (Germany). Some might find the German influences intriguing, but I prefer the cleaner profile of a classic Belgian blonde.
After the starter came a small intermediate course in the form of a sorbet made from caramelised malt simmered with a little white wine. I’ve never before tasted a sorbet that tasted of cooked grain and yet still tasted good. A truly intriguing intermediate course and very fitting, given the venue.
After the intermediate course, I was looking forward a little more to the main course: beer-braised pork cheeks with a timbale of celery and parsnip, along with glazed radishes. The cheeks were incredibly tender and flavourful, and the main course more than made up for the starter’s shortcomings. The accompaniments were excellent without being revolutionary.
The main course was served with the restaurant’s Christmas beer, a Belgian-inspired cuvée de Noël. The beer’s dark body and fragrant undertones paired beautifully with the dark pork.
The evening ended with a cup of coffee and a rather excellent Kentucky Bourbon, Pappy van Winkle.