Where outperforming nature is the name of the game
Claim to fame: Impossibly artistic and elaborated gastronomy with three Bocuse d’Or awards to prove it.
Reason to go: Rasmus Kofoed’s uniquely personal, razor sharp aesthetic and ethereal flavors.
To look out for: Trompe l’œil classics like perfectly crafted “stones” of salmon coated with dill jelly and razor clams with edible shells.
Initially the location on the 8th floor of a tower in Copenhagen’s largest soccer stadium can seem incongruous. This is however quickly forgotten once the elevator delivers you to the smooth, flowing, gossamer dream that is Geranium. Bocuse d’Or champion Rasmus Kofoed truly masters all aspects of his art with an enchanting mix of modern techniques, flavors and wild, natural forms.
After the restaurant’s recent renovation, diners have full view of the open kitchen where formations of toque-topped chefs work in painful concentration, occasionally leaving their spotless posts in synchronized perfection to present their guests with artful dishes. To some degree this experience is pure old school, but it’s also stylish, Nordic to the bone in its quest for perfection and minimalism. It is also razor sharp. The many amuse-bouches are elaborate and varied; warm porcini soup, crisp, walnut oil-glistening Jerusalem artichoke stalks, the now classic, dill jelly coated “stones” of salmon, razor clam tartare in edible rice paper and black potato balls resting on embers under a glass lid, they are an ode to Kofoed’s extreme ability to imitate nature. Perhaps even beating nature at its own game. Tomato water with melted Vesterhavsost and ramps salted in ham fat is a blitz of flavors and textures, wonderfully tart, salty and rich in its complexity. Kofoed excels in creating ethereal flavor combinations, aromas that mingle in otherworldly balance. Wines are handled with utmost expertise, leaning toward the classic, beverage pairings are astonishingly well executed and thoughtfully created to also accommodate sober diners. The signature dessert “Bare trees”, a tableau of crisp biscuits with bitter, dark ale granita and a deliciously smooth ice cream made with beech-smoked heavy cream is as tasty as it is achingly beautiful. The simple beeswax ice cream with honey and cloudberry is also a wonder of balance.
Geranium is a textbook example of a top restaurant in the year 2016, conceived more as a temple of gastronomical worship than the “social scene” so many others aspire to. Succeeding on this level requires extreme perfection – no other Scandinavian chef can rival Kofoed on this level.
