Studio is one of the three restaurants located at The Standard hotel, in the heart of Copenhagen, right by the harbor. The restaurant currently holds one Michelin star, which it earned only four months after opening in October 2013. Like most high end restaurant in Copenhagen, it has a connection to Noma. The head chef of Studio, Torsten Vildgaard, was a sous chef there and the head chef at its test kitchen for 8 years. Together with sous chef Bjarke von Holck, formerly of AOC, they strive to create a Nordic experience with influences from French and Japanese cuisines.
For lunch Studio offers two options: 5 course for 750 kr. / $110 / 423₪ and 7 course for 900 kr. / $132 / 508₪. They also offer some extra dishes priced separately: caviar, Dobbelt caviar and truffle and egg. Since I read many recommendations about the full lunch course we decided to go for it. I’ve also added the juice pairing, priced at 500 kr. / $73 / 282₪.
When booking a table at the restaurant there are two available options: regular table and the chef’s table. We chose the latter, which basically means you’ll get seated at a spacious bar overlooking the open kitchen. We had a chance to witness the preparation of most of our dishes and see the chefs in action, which is definitely an advantage. This is the equivalent of first row seats at the theatre, but without paying extra. If there are seats available I warmly recommend it.
The atmosphere in Studio is very relaxed and laid back. The huge windows overlook the river and open up the place beautifully with natural light. The music swings between oldies and contemporary jazz like Jamie Cullum.
The service was professional, personal and friendly. We had a lovely waitress who accompanied us for most of our lunch and we chit chatted with her for a bit. For some dishes she or one of the chefs would come out of the kitchen with one of the ingredients to explain more about the process. It was fascinating to learn from them and it added an extra value to the meal.
The presentation of each dish is exquisite and there are many twists and surprises embedded all along the meal. The entire experience was very warm and personal.
Let’s get to business. Even though we had the 7 course menu, the number of courses was actually much greater.
The first juice served was lemonade with cardamom infused with sugar. Just like some of the other juices here at Studio, it was mixed right in front of us. Most were made out of a uncommon and surprising combinations of fruits and vegetables.
Shortly after we received our first snack – crispy potato chips sandwich with smoked cod roe, fresh herbs, salt and vinegar. A great opening for a meal! We both really liked it – it was super flaky and fun to nibble on. Like eating a fancy version of potato chips in a bag.
Served inside an egg tray were two half boiled quail eggs with truffles shave, sea salt and hay ash. (The rest aren’t for consumption).
Cooked in 60c overnight until they have lost 2/3 of their weight, the dried plum with yozu and Salt
is not for everyone. This one is for dried plum lovers as its texture is very prominent.
Next was Danish pancake (Æbleskiver) fried in chicken fat and skin and crab salad on the side.
The instructions were to open the pancake and put the salad inside. The crab salad mixed with crème fraîche and fresh herbs was a perfect companion for the pancake. The pancake was very crisp on the outside and yet soft and doughy on the inside. All parts of the amuse bouche were really fun and tasty but if I had to choose the one I enjoyed the most – this would be it!
The second drink was Kombucha, which is fermented tea drink, with flowery notes.
Next up was beet with blackberries and raw hazelnuts. With layers of different flavors and textures every bite felt like it’s a different dish altogether. Very fresh and earthy, with lots of different herbs both sweet and sour. Before the dish was served to us, one of the chef presented to us the main ingredient of the dish – The Forever Beet. It is called that way because it takes many hours to prepare it by exposing it to heat, while someone has the job of rolling it every 20 minutes.
Shortly after we were served sourdough bread and flatbread served with sour cream and fermented butter. The bread was one of the best I’ve ever tasted, and it’s no surprise, considering the fact Meyers from Meyers Bageri is a co-owner of Studio. The bread is made from an 8 years old sourdough. The sour cream and fermented butter, both home-made, had excellent consistency and were delicious.
The next juice received the title “Salad Juice” by Opher. I only remember it has cucumber and if I’m not mistaken grapes, and some other green veggies. I liked it – it was very fresh and, well, green.
Langoustine served with dill oil, Jerusalem artichoke and green apples. A playful touch was added to the dish with the addition of a dill oil pipette. This also helped control the amount of dill, which has a bold flavor. The langoustine was soft and the apples added a nice tanginess to the dish. It all formed a great plate which not only looks amazing but also tastes like it.
I received another green juice with apples, celery, celeriac and sorrel. The smell was pretty strong but it had a mellow flavor.
One of the chef came and showed us the main ingredient for the next dish. The celeriac is heated in 180 degrees celsius for 1.5 hours then pan seared with herbs and spices like juniper. It is then wrapped in green juniper, and after adding salt it is left to sit for a day.
The celeriac is then paired with some of the best ingredients to form –
hay baked celeriac with black garlic, Italian summer truffles and truffles vinaigrette. Wow, what can I say? This is easily one of the best dishes I had this lunch. It was soft, aromatic and so flavorful I was left to lick to plate.
Next our lovely waiter rolled in the drink cart and prepared the main dish juice – green strawberry and pea. This, in my opinion, the most hardcore juice of the meal, with a very grassy flavor.
Next up – Lightly baked pike perch fish. The fish was brushed with garlic butter and served with snails, favas, ramsons, ground elder, chickenweed and beurre blanc.
More juice pairings…
For the main course we were served grilled pork cheek from Duroc with charred onions, green strawberries, fermented black garlic puree and vadouvan.
We debated was was best about this dish. Opher liked the onions most while I was in favor of the garlic.
For dessert first was served a dish of caramelized pear sorbet with black garlic discs and pear discs. The dish was so cold it was like taking a breath of cold mountain air. Pears are one of my favorite fruits so bumping into a dessert that incorporate them was a nice surprise. Especially given that a dessert based on pears that isn’t “grilled pears” is quite uncommon.
Then we received a selection of different sweets: leader of roses and raspberry
Rhubarb flødeboller (Crembo)
Madeleine cooked with bacon served with vanilla custard in a tube and fresh raspberries
The leader was served on a frame with facts about raspberries. The waiter who served us these mentioned something about us reading it while eating the sweets. This is definitely a fun and quirky way to serve a dessert except that the facts were written in Danish. Even if the intention was good spirited, it’s a bit funny to present foreigners with Danish text to read.
Check please:
7 course – 900 kr. / $132 / 508₪ X2
Juice Pairing – 500 kr. / $73 / 282₪
Coffee\Tea – 45 kr. / $6.5 / 25.5₪ X2
Water – 65 kr. / $9.5 / 36.5₪ X2
Total of 2520 kr. / $369 / 1424₪
Eating at Studio is a worthy experience in spite of the steep price. The dishes are creative and surprising, the atmosphere is very welcoming and the service is exceptional.
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