Category Archives: Denmark

Andersen & Maillard – Delicious Pastries and Coffee in Copenhagen, Denmark

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Opened by former Noma pastry chef Milton Abel and barista Hans Kristian Andersen, Andersen & Maillard is a go-to spot in Copenhagen for delicious pastries and coffee. They opened their first location at Nørrebrogade in 2018 as a coffee roastery and bakery. I’ve passed by the outlet on several occasions and couldn’t help but notice that it was always bustling with patrons flowing in and out no matter the time of the day.

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When I properly visited the first outlet one late afternoon, it was unfortunate that most of the pastries were already sold out. Among the remaining ones, I was recommended the Brunsviger (DKK30). This is their twist of the classic yeast-based coffee cake which originated from the Danish island of Funen (Fyn). It is made from croissant dough baked with extra sugar and cinnamon and best eaten by tearing it apart with your hands.

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I also had the Almond Croissant (DKK44, SGD8.3), filled with rich almond cream and topped with a generous amount of almond flakes. Since the portion is larger than a usual croissant, I highly recommend to share it between two.

I was still very interested to try more of their signature pastries so I visited the other outlet at Nordhavn. The outlet was designed by a local architectural designer and I particularly loved the raw and minimal aesthetics, with an intertwine of vintage and modern pieces of furniture.

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Here, I managed to get my hands on their viral, iconic Croissant Cube – I went for the Pistachio flavoured one (DKK40, SGD 7.6). Peeling the buttery, flaky layers open revealed a filling of creamy pistachio ganache.

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On the other hand, the Chocolate Croissant (DKK48, SGD 9.1) is made by setting aside some portion of the croissant dough, mixing it with melted chocolate, and then reincorporating back into the lamination process, giving it the bi-colour look. Once baked and cooled, it is then piped with a silky-smooth dark chocolate ganache. This is a must for chocolate lovers.

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I also tried their coffee – both the Flat White (DKK42, SGD8) and Cappuccino (DKK44, SGD8.3) were well-balanced and very suitable to pair with the pastries.

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There may be several good artisan bakeries, and also high-quality specialty coffee shops in Copenhagen that I’ve visited, but if you’re short on time and want the best of both worlds, Andersen & Maillard is the place to be.   

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Locations visited:

  1. Coffee Shop & Roastery – Norrebrogade 62, 2200 Kovenhavn. Weekdays 7am – 6pm, Weekends & Holidays 8am – 6pm
  2. Bakery – Antwerpengade 10, 2150 Nordhavn. 7am – 6pm daily

Exploring Aarhus in 3 Days 2 Nights

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After a week or so exploring Copenhagen, I ventured up north to the second largest city in Denmark, Aarhus. I knew about Aarhus as the birthplace of the first La Cabra roastery and café which I wanted to check out. Apart from world renowned coffee, I later found many other attractions – from historic sites, to museums, to new architecture, to the sea.

How to Get There

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It took about three and a half hours by the DSB train, and tickets can be easily reserved and bought online prior to your trip, fuss-free. The ride was generally smooth and comfortable in clean carriages, except that you would be seating facing a stranger on the opposite side, and unfortunately I also picked the wrong side and had to ride backwards on my ride back to Copenhagen.

Where to Stay

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Through AirBnB, I booked a beach house by the harbour front, which offered a direct view of the ocean from its floor to ceiling windows. It is situated in the Aarhus Docklands, or Aarhus Ø, which is a newer district in Aarhus.

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What to See

  1. Aarhus Docklands
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The Aarhus Docklands is a combination of modern architecture and recreational activities, making it a dynamic neighbourhood. I had opportunities to stroll and run beside the waters and I couldn’t help but notice the uniquely designed buildings – one of it being the Isbjerget (Iceberg) which mimics the shape of an iceberg. There were also many locals indulging in water activities, and right by the harbour bath there was a bustling street lined with restaurants and bars.

2. Den Gamle By10am – 5pm daily

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Den Gamle By is an open air town museum which showcases 400 years of Danish history through 4 neighbourhoods. Each neighbourhood represents a different period of time and it was an interesting experience to step into historic shops, gardens, houses and backyards.

3. ARoS Aarhus Art MuseumTue – Fri 10am – 9pm, Weekends 10am – 5pm

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For an indoor cultural activity, I explored the ARoS art museum which had 10 levels worth of exhibits. The most memorable ones were the five-metre tall huge and hyper-realistic sculpture of a boy by Ron Mueck, and the permanent Your Rainbow Panorama created by Olaf Eliasson, a circular walkway in glass in all the colours of the spectrum.

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Where to Eat & Drink

  1. La Cabra
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Quite literally what I went to Aarhus for! Read my full review here.

2. MonkBernhardt Jensens Blvd 75, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark, 7.30am to 5pm daily

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Located in the Docklands is this cozy café that makes their own coffee while sourcing baked goods from Berta Bakery (yet another popular bakery in Aarhus).

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I had both the Matcha Latte and Espresso with Milk to pair with the Bolle Med Ost (BMO) – the breakfast of champions in Denmark, referring to bun and cheese, and a banana bread. Both coffee and matcha were equally good, and I also loved the nuttiness and crisp of the sesame bun.

3. Jumbo Bakery at AnkersgadeAnkersgade 12, Aarhus, Denmark 8000. Weekdays 7.30am – 5pm, Weekends/Public Holidays 8am – 4pm

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Jumbo Bakery at Ankersgade is the second location of Jumbo Bakery. Though slightly out of the way in a more secluded area, this outlet is also much bigger and more airy than the first, with relaxing vibes to laze away in the afternoon. Their bakes rotate on a seasonal basis depending on the local produce available.

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When I was there, I had the Buckwheat Croissant with Honey, Buckwheat and Sea Salt, which was in a round cylindrical shape unlike the usual croissant. It featured buttery and flaky layers and felt more like a kouign amann. The use of buckwheat was interesting.

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I also had the Almond Cake made with semolina and olive oil and served with a soft vanilla cream and freshly squeezed lime. The nuttiness of the almond came through nicely and neither the cake nor cream were overly sweet.

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La Cabra Coffee Roasters in Aarhus, Denmark

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It had all begun in 2012, when La Cabra was founded as a modern coffee company. Shortly after, the first physical location of the café was born out of Aarhus, Denmark.

Today, La Cabra is a widely recognized coffee roaster round the globe with a new roastery in Copenhagen and cafes in New York, Bangkok and Oman. To complement their coffee, La Cabra Bakeries were also set up near their café locations to serve sourdough bread and modern pastries.

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It was Saturday afternoon when I arrived. The café was lively, with most of the crowd basking in the spring sunlight in the alfresco dining area, and the rest taking refuge in the modern Scandinavian, wabi-sabi interior. Designed by their in-house team, the interior is decked in beige and wooden tones, with clean lines contributing to the overall theme.

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Grabbing a table outside was harder than expected so I settled for the indoor table by the window.

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From the drinks menu, I tried both the Espresso with Milk which comes in 3 sizes – Small 120ml (DKK40, SGD7.7), Medium 150ml (DKK45, SGD8.6) and Large 220ml (DKK50, SGD9.6), and the Matcha Latte (DKK55, SGD10.5). Both were high quality, though I would just head for the coffee if I had only one choice. There were 3 coffee selections when I was there, and the friendly baristas explained them and recommended me the most suitable one to go with oat milk.

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All of the bread and pastries on display are made by their own bakery. Since I was determined to try and rank cardamom buns from different bakeries in Denmark, I could not leave out the Cardamom Swirl Bun (DKK35, SGD6.7) here, which is one of their signatures. Their cardamom bun was probably the most visually aesthetic out of all that I’ve tried, with a crisp brown layer. It was also chewy and sufficiently spiced with cardamom.

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The Basque Cheesecake (DKK55, SGD10.5) with notes of lemon was alright, but didn’t have the creamy, borderline lava-like was centre which I liked.

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Lastly, I also had the Seasonal Bun (DKK45, SGD8.6), which was incredibly soft and generously filled with lemon and white chocolate cream. It was a good balance of tartness and sweetness, without one flavour overpowering the other.

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For my Singaporean readers who wish to experience their high quality coffee and bakes without taking the long haul flight, you may visit both their coffee shop and bakery in Bangkok.

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Graven 20, 8000 Aarhus Centrum, Denmark

Mon to Sat 8am – 6pm

Sun 9am – 5pm

Apotek 57 – Seasonal Eatery and Bakery Within the Beautiful Frama Store in Copenhagen

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Nestled within the famed multi-disciplinary design brand and furniture FRAMA store in Copenhagen is the equally popular Apotek 57, a seasonal eatery and bakery. Design lovers would adore the café interiors which are adorned with FRAMA products, including the furniture, lighting, tableware and cutlery.

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They bake bread and pastries in their kitchen fresh every morning, using only ingredients sourced from organic farmers and suppliers that follow their values. The menu is vegetarian with vegan, gluten and lactose free options.

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Being the first one in for breakfast, I grabbed the prized spot by the window where I could catch the morning light and admire the historic Nyboder yellow houses across the street.

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From the all day breakfast and lunch menu, I had the Sweet Waffle (DKK145, SGD27.9) which was topped with a delicious rhubarb compote, whipped mascarpone, maple syrup and rose. Despite the hefty price tag for a small piece of waffle, I was thoroughly satisfied with the dish. The tartness of the rhubarb, savoury and creamy notes from the mascarpone and sweetness of the maple syrup stroke a good balance. The waffle was on the denser side and felt substantial enough for a hearty breakfast.

There were also items such as the Breakfast Plate (with sourdough bun, whipped salted butter, Danish cheese, soft boiled egg, jam), Turkish Eggs, Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Kimchi Toast which were very tempting but which I skipped considering it was only my first café stop of the day.

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Amongst the available baked goods and pastries that day (cinnamon bun, cardamom bun, coffee bun, croissant), I had the Cinnamon Bun (DKK35, SGD6.7) which I felt could be fluffier to my liking.

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For coffee, only filter coffee was available so I went for the Matcha Iced Latte made on oat milk (DKK50, SGD9.6) instead, but it was unfortunately their interpretation was vastly different from my preferred matcha lattes I had tried in Asia.

The FRAMA studio store is interconnected with the café so you could also do some (window) shopping before or after your meal.  

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Fredericiagade 57, 1310 Copenhagen, Denmark

Mon to Fri 8am – 4pm

Sat to Sun 9am – 4pm

Kafeteria SMK – Aesthetic Museum Café Known for Pancakes and Pastries in Copenhagen

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Founded by Frederik Bille Brahe (who also owns Atelier September and Apollo Bar in Copenhagen), Kafeteria SMK is a café situated within the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was the first agenda on my itinerary after offloading my luggage at the hotel.

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With extremely high ceilings and large glass windows on one side overlooking the lush greenery of the museum’s main entrance, the space is bright, wide and airy. The aesthetics matched that of the art museum and was indeed very Scandinavian.

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After grabbing the window seat, I headed to the counter where I had a hard time choosing from the mains menu and especially from the display of pastries.

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As per my prior research, their pancakes were seemingly popular so I went for the Buttermilk Pancakes with Mascarpone and Maple Syrup (135 DKK, SGD26). These were on the thick and denser side, well-accompanied with a generous layer of maple syrup at the base and mascarpone and jam at the top. It can however get too heavy halfway through.

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From the selection of pastries, I had the Cardamom Bun (45 DKK, SGD8.7) which was fluffy and soft on the inside, and also the Chocolate Cake (45 DKK, SGD8.7) which was a tad dry but still gobbled up thanks to the smooth cream and nut butter on top.

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To balance the heavy amount of carb and sugar, I also got some greens – the Green Asparagus with Stracciatella, Rye, Mustard and Ramson (145 DKK, SGD28). It was surprisingly very tasty – the crisps were nutty and enhanced the texture of the dish, while the stracciatella cheese and mustard added flavour to the asparagus without overpowering it. The quality of the rye bread was also great.

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The café is accessible to all without the need for reservations or museum tickets, but I highly recommend exploring the museum before/after a meal at the café – as the largest art museum in Copenhagen, it houses a large collection of visual art from a time as old as the sixteenth century to modern times.

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Please do not be alarmed by the prices – they are on par with the cost of living in Denmark.

Statens Museum for Kunst, 48-50, Sølvgade, 1350 København, Denmark

Tues to Sun 10am – 6pm

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