The Stories We Eat

Copenhagen, a city where people know how to slow down without becoming lazy. Even on ordinary weekdays, people sit outside for hours with coffee, wine, pastries, and nowhere urgent to be, as is the case with most Scandinavian cities. Yet there’s something about this city that makes it so different from the rest, and somehow still makes you fall in love with it. 

Could it be the fact that the city is caught between two worlds, somewhere between a Scandinavian city and a city in mainland Europe? Or at least that’s the way I viewed it. Or maybe that’s just me projecting my existential crisis onto everything around me and finding peace in the fact that even a city can be caught in two worlds and not just humans. But then again, isn’t it the people that make the place? Tough questions I still have no answers for. 

As I try to work my way through this quarter-life crisis, my otherwise conventional Indian dad who suddenly had a flash of enlightenment in his 60s, like Gautam Buddha sitting under a Peepal tree, advised me with an Instagram worthy quote: “solo travel is the best way to understand yourself”. So that’s exactly what I did, in my late twenties while still feeling like a teenager trying to figure out who he is, I went on a solo trip to a city that I had visited before but this time not for the touristy checklist but simply to eat my way through it after seeing dozens of Instagram reels and YouTube shorts claiming Copenhagen to be one of the best food cities in Europe. But don’t worry, let’s not dig deep into my existential crisis or quarter-life crisis as people in their twenties like to call it.

Reaching Copenhagen on a Sunday evening, I decided to walk around the city and reminisce about a place I had once visited for a day with a bunch of friends from university. If you’ve ever walked around a city, especially a Scandinavian city on a Sunday evening, there’s a sense of calmness and quietness that’s so comforting after the chaos of Friday and Saturday nights. 

As I strolled around the city, I decided to stop at Gasoline Grill to get myself a burger for dinner. Being the adventurous soul that I am, I decided to get a vegan burger instead of the classic cheeseburger that’s super famous there. Yes, I know people reading this might ask what’s wrong with this lad. Honestly, I wish I knew and it’s a question I keep asking myself too. But did I really want to experiment or was it just my Indian mom’s voice in my head which said don’t eat beef because the whole trip might go wrong after committing a sin?

Motivated like a gym bro on social media, telling myself that fortune favours the brave, I decided to head out to another Gasoline Grill outlet that was about twenty minutes away. Unfortunately, I realised a little too late that this outlet was inside Tivoli Gardens, and the place was closing for the night. Since almost every restaurant closes early on a Sunday night in Scandinavia, I decided to go to another fast food joint instead. While wandering around Copenhagen Central Station looking for MAX Burgers, I stumbled upon a 7-Eleven that was open. By the way, if anyone wants to know what a premium fast food outlet burger tastes like, do yourself a favour and try the Grand Chicken Buffalo Burger at MAX and get the buffalo hot sauce dip as well. It could put the other fast food outlets to shame. 

Anyway, back to the 7-Eleven, somehow they still had the fried chicken sandwich my friend had suggested. That fried chicken sandwich although served cold (maybe I could have asked them to heat it up, I honestly don’t know), was surprisingly good and worth the 45 Danish kroner. If you’re in Copenhagen, give it a try, an underrated light bite you can grab on the go. 

Growing up as a slightly plus-sized kid, as people call it these days instead of the famous three-letter word that’s apparently getting cancelled, food has been the one constant in my life apart from my parents, of course. So naturally, I grew up watching shows like MasterChef. A year ago, I came across ‘The Bear’, a show most food lovers would have probably watched by now. A brilliantly written show that doesn’t just capture the madness of running a restaurant but also explores insecurities, ambition, loneliness, and the pursuit of perfection – something chefs chase in their dishes even though life itself is never like that. 

As a fan of the show, I had to visit some spots which Marcus visited in the show during his trip to Copenhagen. And the first stop was Hart Bageri, Holmen location. This time, I decided to overcome my fear and eat at the restaurant instead of getting takeaway. Since this was the first meal of the day, I had to get something savoury along with a beautiful croissant, so I got a sausage roll. 

One bite into a slightly bent sausage roll and my mind was blown. Seriously Greggs, send a pastry chef to Hart Bageri to understand how to make a good sausage roll. Like, I don’t understand you brits. Y’all ruled over India for close to a century, took our freedom, took our diamond, took our spices, and yet you refuse to add a little bit of flavour and spice to your sausage roll?

And the croissant, my goodness. So flaky, so buttery, so ridiculously good. In addition to the food, the view while sitting outside the bakery was so good that for a brief moment a part of me did consider moving to Copenhagen just to live within walking distance of this bakery.

The next stop after a super long walk from Hart Bageri was “Poulette”. And if you’re in Copenhagen, please do walk and if you’re a solo traveller, ditch the earphones and walk around the city, the tourists might be a little noisy but which city with a bunch of tourists isn’t? Walk, if the weather permits, and you’ll enjoy it. On reaching Poulette and waiting in line, I realised they had only two options, a fried chicken sandwich or a tofu alternative. This time, no experimentation, hungry, I listened to my gut and got myself a fried chicken sandwich. 

As I stood outside waiting for my food, hungry and anxious, the part of me that overthinks started questioning whether this would turn out to be another overhyped place because of the show or Dua Lipa. After a short wait, I got my sandwich and walked to a nearby lake, where I sat down on a bench and had my burger. 

Oh My God. 

That has to be the best fried chicken sandwich I’ve ever had in my life. 

The sweet and spicy explosion of goodness in your mouth, I really don’t think words can express how I felt after eating it. Probably had a tear in my eye after eating it. Absolutely worth the hype and 95 Danish kroner it cost. 

Also, I’m not very sure how well they did before the show brought them even more attention, but I’d be surprised if the number of customers didn’t significantly increase after the show. So don’t let anyone tell you a movie or a show can’t have an impact on anyone’s life, because this cute and tiny fried chicken shop is an example of it. 

Once I was done with my sandwich, it was time for dessert and I decided to head to this cafe called “20 Grams” to try their cheesecake. One bite into that beautiful, creamy cheesecake and I had a smile so wide, people would have thought the Joker himself had put it there. My brain was too busy processing happiness as I gorged on that creamy delicious piece of cheesecake and left no crumbs behind. 

Once I finished the cheesecake and shamelessly licked the spoon without giving a fuck that I was in public, I noticed quite a few solo travellers sitting at the cafe too but with earphones on. Not just at the cafe, but I did see a lot of them walking in the city with earphones. A habit that I myself, like almost everyone on the planet have become accustomed to. 

As I mentioned before, if you’re a solo traveller, ditch the earphones. Let me explain why and I hope this short story convinces you to try it out at least. 

As I was about to exit the metro station, I noticed a teenage couple at the station. The boyfriend seemed to be heading home after spending time with his partner. As the metro doors were about to close, the girl gestured that she would run the length of the platform waving adios to her boyfriend. 

And that’s exactly what she did. 

As the train pulled away, she ran alongside it, waving at him through the window until it disappeared from sight.

I caught myself smiling because that was probably the cutest thing I’ve seen in a while. 

It’s these tiny moments in life that matter, and I’m pretty sure I would have missed a moment like this if I had my earphones on. Yes, it may seem daunting. It sure as hell did for me. But every now and then, try leaving your earphones in your pocket and let the world entertain you instead. 

Before anyone gets the wrong idea, please don’t start hanging out at train stations staring at kids or teenagers looking for wholesome moments. You’ll probably end up having to explain yourselves to the cops. 

Later on, I decided to walk around Amager Strand and visit the calm beach for a bit before getting myself some Asian food for dinner. I found a place called ‘Chimi Cafe and Restaurant’, where they do hand-pulled noodles. I was greeted by a super sweet waitress at the restaurant who had the warmth of an Asian mom who pampers her kids, could be wrong but hey, she was nice to me!

As someone who started appreciating shrimp in his early twenties, I found myself torn between the shrimp and chicken noodles which apparently is their signature dish or the Dan Dan mian noodles which had three chilli symbols next to it. 

Naturally, I asked the waitress. 

“Is it really very spicy?” I asked. “Because don’t let my skin colour fool you, my spice tolerance has dropped to the lower side recently.”

She laughed and replied, “Don’t worry. If it were that spicy, the Danes would have never liked it.”

And Thank God, it wasn’t super spicy. The noodles had a kick to them, but nothing that would make me question my life choices the next day, else the train journey the next day would have been an interesting one. Do give this place a try, the portions might be small but the flavours are fantastic and absolutely perfect for a light dinner. 

The next day started with a morning run along the beach, followed by sitting by the water staring at the super calm waves. After this, I had to head to a few more spots on my list before I left this beautiful city, starting with Buka. 

I had to get myself a croissant to start my day, and I opted for the cream and berries croissant. Now I had very high expectations for this one. 

I hoped one bite into this croissant would make me emotional and react like Chef Vikas Khanna in that Eater video where he has a croissant from Librae and goes “Fuck! So good.”

Unfortunately, that moment never came. Make no mistake, the croissant was good, but probably wasn’t life-changing. 

After finishing up this croissant, I had to head to Kødbyens Fiskebar for my lunch. A place I really wanted to try after reading a few blogs raving about the fresh seafood at this place. As a person who is not a huge fan of seafood and didn’t want to waste a lot of food by getting myself a huge main course, I decided to get two starters.

First up were the scallops. This was the very first time I was trying scallops, so I was naturally nervous, but hey in case you’ve made it so far, you should know by now that I like to try new things now and then to keep calling myself an adventurous soul. 

Those scallops were just amazing, so buttery, so beautiful, they practically melted in my mouth, I couldn’t get enough of them. The sauce was just impeccable. I’m not sure if they change it up now and then but mine had a dash of pistachio as well, and oh my god, I was stunned. Every element on the plate just worked. 

I made sure not a single drop of that sauce went to waste and happily mopped up every last bit with the sourdough bread they served. These scallops had to be the best dish I had during my trip and I would gladly return to the place just for those alone. 

Once the adventurous experimentation was done, it was time to return to the risk-free, stick to what you know middle-class Indian mentality I’ve grown up with and I got myself the fish and chips. 

The fish was probably one of the best fried fish I’ve ever had. A slightly smoked cod, fried to perfection, maintaining the same beautiful crunch with each bite without becoming greasy or soggy. The chips, while good, lacked a bit of salt to my liking.I have to say that I really liked the presentation of all the dishes, especially the chips being served in a small paper cone, simple yet elegant.

After lunch, it was time for dessert. I had two more places to tick off from my list but, time would only allow me to visit one. So I decided to head to ‘Juno The Bakery’ to pick up a few pastries for my train journey. I’m not usually a fan of cardamom buns, but I decided to get one because apparently they’re what Juno is famous for. Alongside it, I picked up another pastry whose name I’ve completely forgotten and a box of Danish butter cookies. 

On the train journey from Copenhagen, I finally took a bite of the cardamom bun and I genuinely went, “Fuck! So good.”

In that moment, I understood why Vikas Khanna in that video gets emotional while having a croissant. 

The bun was soft, buttery, and melted in my mouth, just simply delicious. 

The guy sitting next to me was probably judging and wondering, “why is this guy getting so emotional while eating a cardamom bun?”

Not my fault Scandinavians are hard-wired to show emotions only after a few sips of alcohol nor, was he having one of the best pastries I’ve ever had in my life. 

The other pastry, whose name I’ve unfortunately forgotten, was good too, but this cardamom bun was just out of this world.

The cookies were amazing as well. Seriously, how do people make something so buttery and delicate that it practically disappears the moment it touches your tongue?

Part of me wonders if the reason they had to develop Ozempic is because they have amazing pastries all around the city.

I’m obviously joking. 

Mostly. 

As I left Copenhagen for the second time, I left as a slightly different person. I probably didn’t end up understanding myself better like my dad promised I would from this super short solo trip, but I put my fears aside and had a meal for one at a restaurant. As I write this, I’ve done it again in the city I live in and I felt completely comfortable. You probably don’t have to travel to a different country to do this, but I guess we all have to face our fears, small or big, sooner or later in our lives. 

For a city that feels like it’s caught between two worlds, it somehow makes you cherish the little things in life which are usually pushed aside by us humans. 

So when you visit the city, whether it’s to tick off your tourist bucket list, eat your way through it, or just to roam around and have a few Carlsberg beers, party like the Danes, marvel at the driverless metros, or even try finding yourself or reinventing yourself like Marcus did in The Bear to be a better pastry chef, make the most of it. 

Have the hot dogs, the fancy sausage rolls, the cardamom buns and who knows, you might even run into a Fred again.. mini live performance on the streets, enjoy each and every little moment. 

Copenhagen, a place that will always be close to my heart. 

-KK