A.O.C.

Badger
Apr 22, 2018
6 min read

Updated: Aug 9, 2018

Copenhagen has risen to prominence in the culinary world, of course with Noma being the biggest name. We were very excited to score a reservation at Restaurant A.O.C. a 2-star restaurant (but really should be 3-star as you will see) and experience contemporary Danish cuisine.

When you enter the building the building, there is a staircase heading downstairs and is minimally marked.

It makes the experience a cool one to start off with, like you're going into an experience.

When you get downstairs, you have a view down the vaulted ceilings towards the kitchen. The maitre'd who was absolutely awesome and incredibly friendly came over to greet us. We loved how friendly and bubbly he (and the staff) were. This was not somewhere stuffy and they were there to have a fun time with the guests.

Next to the front podium was a wine cellar.

I loved the huge bottle of port!

Into the dining room we went and a very simply set table. The atmosphere was fun, it wasn't overly quiet and you could tell all the diners were having a good and relaxed time.

They quickly brought warm towels which I appreciate.

We started with a Danish sparkling wine that was great, fresh green fruit with a slight toasty backbone, very nice.

We enjoyed the tasting menu and I went with the wine pairing 2 to sample the best options.

To start, the first of several amuse bouches, on the left little fresh green lettuces with a light dressing, it reminded us of mini wedge salads. On the right were pears with some sort of green that added an extra dimension.

Next set of amuses consisted of a rolled fritter with shaved parmesan cheese, was incredibly flavorful and savory.

After seeing this on so many food documentaries, I was super excited to try reindeer moss, it was very light and airy, yet savory and crunchy. It'd be easy to eat a basket of them, especially when you dip them in the aioli.

The next amuse was celeriac root slow roasted and presented on top of hay, then a mousse and roe dip to spread. This was a very hearty and flavorful dish.

The final amuse was a white fish (I think it might have been sea bass) with a bernaise mousse on top and seared. Really fantastic, fresh and flavorful.

For the official start to the meal and the first official wine pairing. This was a lovely and fresh/vibrant white that went great with the first course.

The first course of German turnip, carved out and filled with an apple mousse and oysters on the bottom. Really great blend of flavors and textures, also fun presentation!

Next up was a more "natural" wine that wasn't filtered and therefore cloudy. It was still vibrant, but had an ever so slight oxidative tone.

The wine paired fantastically with the next course of what seemed like a terrine of scallop and fermented white asparagus. There was a sauce of of asparagus and cream. The dish was served with a savory style Danish donut that was excellent to take up the sauce.

Next up was a very nice Riesling that went amazingly with the next course.

Some bread was brought out, presented in hay. What was more special is they brought out a gluten free loaf of bread for MsFlamingo and she absolutely loved and appreciated it.

Next up turned out to be my favorite course and a lot of fun. A cart was rolled out for table-side presentation with a very slow roasted onion. For those of you who know me, I absolutely love onions and onion based soups.

A mousseline style base was poured into each bowl.

The very center of the onion was carved out and cut into halves for each bowl. A dollop of Osetra caviar was put on top of each onion.

Then an onion cream was poured around the outside table-side.

What a visually stunning dish. Luckily it tasted even more amazing, it was sweet, savory, creamy and the brine of the caviar added an extra depth. For me this is as close to a perfect dish as it comes and is for sure on my list of best things I've ever ate. I will definitely attempt to recreate it at home :)

Next up, another party course and table-side presentation with the maitre'd bringing an egg shell filled with herbs like thyme and lit it on fire to create some smoke and release flavors for the next dish. We all had a good laugh and his enthusiasm kept everyone in the room engaged.

The charred herbs on the table.

The herbs added a great aroma for the next course of king crab that was grilled perfectly and dipped in an aioli and thyme juice in the ramekin.

Ironically the next wine to be paired was a Kistler chardonnay from California. It was the first time I'd actually had Kistler and it was very good, but definitely more new world than old world. I can say I'm glad I tried it, but still prefer my Chablis.

The next course was also king crab wrapped in lardo and in a seaweed bouillon. The Kistler was a great pairing.

For the first red of the evening was a pinot noir. I'm normally not a big pinot fan (and especially young ones), but this was nicely balanced and went amazingly well with the next course.

The next course was a ridiculous potato pancake with duck liver and topped with lots of black truffles.

A little sauce was poured on top. I don't think one could ever say they went light on the truffles. What a rich and umami filled dish. The wine cut through the richness perfectly.

With that, it was time for a little break and next to the dining room was the kitchen, it was great to meet chef and see where the artistry happens.

Many well deserved awards on a wall.

Back to the table for one of the final savory courses and to pair was a really nice Rioja. Full bodied with nicely integrated tannins and complex dark fruits and even some tobacco notes. Very impressive wine.

The second to final savory course was lamb chop with pickled greens and perfectly cooked.

A green lettuce sauce was poured, but honestly the dish didn't need it, the lamb was perfect on its own.

The final savory course was a lamb tartare in a crispy thin wafer.

The inside, this came together like a perfect sandwich.

For the intermezzo course, a very nice and dryer Riesling that paired perfectly and helped refresh the palate.

One of the best intermezzos I've had, served in an ice dish with a lemon verbena, sorrel and pine sorbet. It was so refreshing, I wish I could have this on tap for anytime.

Now as we get ready for dessert and the huge bottle of Graham's 20 port made an appearance. One of my favorites and I was very excited!

Talk about a big bottle to pour from!

Our obligatory wine glass picture with the stunning MsFlamingo!

The first dessert served was a burnt Jerusalem artichoke with a caramel and hazelnut mousse/ice cream inside.

Inside the cracked shell, very tasty.

Next were fun and tasty vanilla beans that had a great texture.

Then final bites of aronia berries and beech nuts. Both were very flavorful and great ways to cap off the meal...or so we thought.

Then a beautifully caramelized bread that was almost like a sticky bun. They made a gluten free version for MsFlamingo.

And with that, we were done with an amazing meal!

What an impressive meal, the food was easily 3-star worthy and with a couple small tweaks to service like water glass refills, the entire restaurant experience should get their 3rd star. This was one of the best meals we've ever had and would highly recommend everyone go to AOC if you have the opportunity. Bravo AOC team!