Meal #49: Denmark

Good food is an important ingredient in the Danish concept of hygge, a word that can be best translated as a "warm, fuzzy, cozy, comfortable feeling of well-being". Good food, good company, wine, comfortable furniture and pleasant lighting combine to contribute to the Danish sense of satisfaction. With bay views and simple, elegant decor in the light filled dining area, the Danish Club clearly aimed to set diners well on their way to achieving this feeling.

The Danish Club (Dannebrog)
177 Beaconsfield Pde
Middle Park, VIC 3206
(03) 9690 1363

Traditional Danish Kolde bord/ Smorgasbord, 1st Sunday of the month

While the attainment of hygge is a near-universal goal in Danish culture, hygge itself is a highly personal concept, and varies significantly. This week, Naomi, Caroline, Helen, Philip, Deb, Paul and Rami went in search of warm, fuzzy feelings.


Traditionally, the Danish Kolde Bord will begin with seafood, then a serving of warm meats, followed by a series of cold cuts, then a simple dessert table. The tables at the Danish Club were simplified into three servings: cold foods; warm foods; desserts.

First Visit: Kolde Bord (Cold Table)


Smoked salmon (laks)
Pickled red and white herring (marinerede sild)
Herring in sour cream curry sauce (silderet)
Egg and prawn (rejer) salad
Green salad
Pea and corn salad
Breads (white and pumpernickel)
Cured meats (hams, salamis, etc)
Vegetable and ham soup


Warned by the waitress not to fill up on the first course, we duly limited ourselves to two servings from the cold table. Both white and red herring were served. In general, the white herring in its clear, sweet, peppery sauce was preferred over the red herring. Also preserved in a vinegar sauce, this dish also included sweet spices, such as cloves, which provided an unfamiliar counterpart to the salty fish. The other herring dish sported cour cream and mild curry, and was not considered anything special.


Danes are said to be quite simple and traditional in their tastes, evidenced in the often mild flavours of the cold table. The sauces (mixed with one of the herring dishes, and the corn and pea salad) tended to be sour cream based, and very subtle. The prawns were also notably lacking in flavour. All cold dishes, including the excellent smoked salmon, were intended for preparation into smørrebrød, Danish open sandwiches, and both white and delicious pumpernickel bread were provided for this purpose.


Second Visit: Lune retter (Warm foods)


Roast pork (Flæskesteg)
Roast beef
Danish meatballs (Frikadeller)
Danish sausage (Medisterpølse)
Battered plaice fish (rødspætte)
Liver with sauteed mushrooms and onions (Dansk bøf med spejlæg og rugbrød)
Potato and pork stew
Boiled potatoes with dill
Red Cabbage salad
Green salad


Our resident vegetarian was discouraged to note that almost all of the warm dishes were meat based, while the Jewish component of the table were disappointed to learn that most of the meat dishes contained pork. Those of us without dietary restrictions happily tucked into large serves of delicious Danish style meat. The pork roast was particularly notable, served with crackling and apple sauce, was succulent and tender, simply delicious. The beef roast was also tasty, served rare with a brown gravy and crunchy fried onions.


The 'national dish', Danish meatballs, were light on herbs and spices, tasted of pork sausage meat, and didn't stand out as a remarkable meal. The Danish sausage fared better, the strong spices (primarily pepper) conquering the pork flavour and creating a more pleasantly rounded flavour than the meatballs could achieve in their simplicity.


Garnished with tartare sauce and lemon, the battered fish caused the tune from a frozen fish ad to lodge itself firmly in the heads of diners; simply crumbed in bread, and cooked to a tender consistency, the fish was inoffensive, but not outstanding.


Described as an 'indispensable' element of Danish cooking, the potato did not shine consistently in this sitting. The potato and pork stew was tasty and hearty, but the heaviness of the dish meant it needed to be taken in small servings. The traditional serving of boiled potatoes with butter and fresh herbs was meant with universal distaste from our table, unless smothered in gravy (itself an authentic use of gravy in Danish cuisine).

Third Visit: Desserts

Fruit
Cheese
Danish pastries (wienerbrød), including sultana danish and apricot danish
Layer cake
Apple Charlotte (Æblekage)
Chocolate mousse
Whipped cream


The desserts table made great leaps forward in the warm feelings transmitted between our group and the Danish Club. One diner ran to the smorgasbord with cries of joy at the sight of cheese, while another diner found himself drawn to the table as we left, crazed by the need for just one more spoonful of chocolate mousse, which was airy and had a light chocolate flavour.

Clearly the Danes have no fear of lactose intolerance, with huge bowls of whipped cream framing tables full of cheese platters, chocolate mousse and a layer cake which at first looked like a 'traditional' Danish pavlova. On closer inspection, this was revealed as a layer cake of sponge and cream, and slathered with more cream around the edges. The apple charlotte, resembling an apple crumble, was topped with bread crumbs and splodges of golden syrup, and was deliciously warm and filling.


Most popular with our diners were the Danish pastries. In particular, the triangles of apricot filled 'traditional' pastries were revisited. The origins of these tasty desserts, however, are spurious. Danish pastry is, like the croissant, said to originate from Vienna, and in Denmark, this style of pastry is known as wienerbrød, "Viennese bread". In Vienna, however, the pastry is known as "Kopenhagener Gebäck" or "Dänischer Plunder", and its origin may well be the Turkish baklava.

Overall:

Denmark is known for being one of the more expensive countries to visit, so we should have guessed that hygge came with a hefty price tag; at $45 a head, the Danish Club is certainly a few tiers above all-you-can-eat venue, Smorgy's, and the Middle Park location ensures a certain exclusivity.

The disappointing elements combined are enough to mean the Danish Kolde Bord is not something we'd choose to do on a regular basis; nor one our wallets would allow! That said, the spread was varied and generous, and even with dietary restrictions, all of our group managed to come away feeling well fed and fairly satisfied. Even the less spectacular dishes did not serve to severely taint the dining experience. The atmosphere of the venue is light and cheery, the wine list is decent, and, with a group of friends, hopefully the combination will allow you to experience those special warm fuzzies the Danes actively seek.