Average Johan

Copenhagen Restaurant Gems: Barabba – Bib Gourmand Italian Attitude

“Okay, you don’t like,” he says matter-of-factly and proceeds to down the glass of orange wine he’s just poured me in one massive gulp. How very Italian. He then, in his charming accent, declares: “but I do love you anyway,” and proceeds to bear hug me.

It is clear to me at this point that things have spiraled completely out of control in the most wonderful of ways. “Guy in the Caviar shirt,”…

Huevos Rancheros – Beginner’s Guide to Mexican Food, Breakfast Edition

Huevos Rancheros is probably my favorite breakfast dish of all time… and I’m pretty sure I’ve had them all! From simple oatmeal over full British fry-ups to Wagyu Eggs Benedict. Yes, it’s a thing, and it’s absolutely wonderful. Don’t believe me? check my Instagram for proof!

Ahem. Anyway, I’ve had a range of breakfast dishes from around the world, but the one that holds my heart is that…

What is the best street food in the world? That’s a tough question. But, if like me, you have spent any amount of time traveling around the Balkans, be it Serbia, Croatia or Bosnia and Herzegovina or any country in the general vicinity, then the grilled meat specialty that is Ćevapi may rank pretty highly on your list.

In what was certainly a cultural experience of a lifetime, I spent a short…

Copenhagen Restaurant Gems: Salon – Classic Perfection

“I’m glad it’s not me,” said The Chief when I told the boys from gastromand.dk that my favorite fixer had proposed that we eat a Burgundy-soaked lunch at Salon in Copenhagen… “The portions are simply too huge,” he added with no trace of his usual sarcasm in his voice.

What do you mean large portions? Spoiler alert: The Chief may have been right!

His given name is Thomas Alcayaga, food…

Champagne Dom Perignon 2008 Review – A Legend is Born

“Wow,” is the most predominant first expressions I’ve heard to date about 2008 Dom Perignon – the new top vintage from Moët & Chandon – and with good reason. Everything about Dom Perignon, right down to its green, characteristically chubby bottle to the subtly underplayed, non-descript but universally recognizable label screams class and hedonistic luxury.

In many ways, there is nothing flashy…

Copenhagen Restaurant Gems: Restaurant Frihavn – A Smørrebrød Oasis

“Restaurant Frihavn is incredible food, passion and heart – at an unbelievable price,” I write on my phone as her eyes roll back in their sockets and a not so subtle sigh of “oh my god” escapes her lips in an obvious foodgasm.

Restaurant Frihavn lies within a beautifully restored railroad station perched between modern high-rises. Photo credit: Restaurant Frihavn

“Can I try some,” she’s…

Sandwich Classics: Philly Cheesesteak – the perfect recipe

What is the best sandwich in the world? Perhaps something as simple and inoffensive as a Philly Cheesesteak.

I mean, who doesn’t love a good Cheesesteak? It’s certainly one of my favorite things in the world! Mountains of beef, glorious beef, piled on soft, white bread and slathered liberally in streams of hot, gooey, molten cheese:

Indeed, despite its seemingly simple nature, it’s lack of fizz…

Copenhagen Restaurant Gems: BÆST – Best Pizza & Charcuterie in Town?

It was my friend the Gentle Giant who reminded me on one of my recent trips to our nation’s capital: One of the best pizzas in Europe, if not the world is found in Copenhagen!

Or so the rumor has spread across the internet fueled by mentions on such major and influential sites as Big 7 Traveland numerous others! – “One of the best pizzas in the world, you say? Want to go decide for ourselves,” I…

Review: Brace – The Copenhagen Restaurant that Michelin forgot?

Dear Brace I am sorry… This is one of those love song that should have been written long ago…

Frequent visitors to my Instagram may remember that I first visited Italian-born chef Nicola Fanetti’s culinary playground Brace almost a year ago, and like many of my peers (Gastromand and Feinschmeckerenfor example) at the time, I was impressed. Very, very impressed with Brace’s unique twist on modern…

Copenhagen Restaurant Gems: Motley – a Nørrebro Love Affair

The best things in life happen by some degree of luck and chance. Of this, I am certain. Be it a chance meeting on Nørreport Station leading to Champagne and summer romances, an Instagram post leading to me becoming part of Denmark’s premiere food blog gastromand.dk, or a beautiful pirate blondestumbling upon an obscure, nerdy food blog and pulling me deeply into the Copenhagen foodie scene –…

Beginner’s Guide To Mexican Food, Part VIII: Authentic Carnitas

If you love mouthwateringly juicy and tasty meats, you’ll love Carnitas! Crispy, flavorful, yet juicy and tender Mexican shredded pork slow-cooked to absolute perfection! In fact, if you’re anything like me, Carnitas may be the single best Mexican dish you’d never heard of before setting foot on the North American continent.

That’s right, class, following a slur of requests, many a kind nudge…

Bánh Mì Recipe: How to make the classic Vietnamese Sandwich

Let me tell you a story about one of my favorite sandwiches: the Vietnamese Bánh Mì Sandwich! The story about the Bánh Mì is the story about how a classic of the Vietnamese street kitchen – a crispy, meaty, vegetal and spicy punch of a sandwich – has become an international sensation against all odds.

  On the surface, the Bahn Mi sandwich seems as simple as it is delicious and fresh: Layers of…

Sauce Bordelaise Recipe: Classic French Red Wine Sauce

Want to know how to make the richest, most decadent, flavorful and intense red wine sauce known to man? Then look no further than to Sauce Bordelaise: an intense mix of red wine, shallots and pure, intense beefy goodness, usually used for topping steaks and grilled meat that sits at the pinnacle of classic, French hedonistic cooking.

  Sauce Bordelaise will be the, till now, wholly unexpected…

Perfect Southern Fried Chicken – The Ultimate Recipe

If I asked you about your favorite fried food guilty pleasure (and you couldn’t say French fries as we’ve already covered those), what would you say? For a lot of people that I’ve talked to, myself included by the way, the answer fell promptly: Southern Fried Chicken!

  Juicy, tender chicken, breaded in flour, dusted in spice and fried to a state of golden brown, crunchy, delicious perfection…

“It’s not usually like this,” restaurant manager Michael Pedersen assures me. For a moment, I think he’s referring to the obvious absurdity of the situation: the bulky looking security guards perched outside, “drinking coffee” or the almost painfully aesthetic, young, regal-looking, Asian women sharing the near-empty dining room with me… He then continues… “Never this quiet for lunch… Damn…

Butter Chicken, to me, is Indian food perfected! Fall-apart tender bits of perfectly seasoned, marinated chicken swimming in a rich, deep tomato-based sauce packed with spices and laced with cream, butter and all other things that do the body good.

Butter Chicken in all her beautiful glory… In this case from one of my favorite Indian haunts, Bollyfood in Copenhagen

  Oh, sure, Indian food has a…

On the far end of Copenhagen’s sometimes beloved sometimes loathed shopping street, Strøget, lies one of the most iconic tourist spots in all of the world; Nyhavn!

Nyhavn in Copenhagen. Photo by Maksym Potapenko on Unsplash

  Known for its spectacular old houses, great views, cold beers and traditional Danish food, it is one of the most photographed, beloved and touristy spots in Copenhagen –…