The site on which the restaurant OX-EN stands dates back to 1761, when a building was erected to be used as a residential building. From then, the building changed owners numerous times until the mid 1800s, when it was converted into a small business. It opened as OX-EN Steakhouse in 2003, a restaurant focussing on quality meat.

Having the reputation of a very good steakhouse, OX-EN was an obvious choice for a celebratory dinner with Michael’s parents and uncles. We arrived a bit late, by which time all the others had opted for the Christmas menu. A brief glanced quickly confirmed that it looks good, so we went along with the flow.

Suppe
Hjemmelavet kartoffel- og porresuppe med pesto og ristede skiver af sønderjyske kålpølser
Lune kuvertbrød og smør

Homemade potato and leek soup with pesto and roasted southern jutland sausage

Australsk oksemørbrad
Grillet og garanteret mør oksemørbrad, hjemmelavet rødkål, ovnbagte kartoffelbåde med
rosmarin, æble flæsk og kraftig skysauce

Grilled beef tenderloin, homemade red cabbage, ovenbaked potato boats with rosemary, apple, bacon and gravy

Æble og marcipan
Æble, marcipan og mandler bagt i ovn med vaniljeis

Oven baked apple, marzipan and almond with vanilla icecream

It took a while for the soup to arrive, which was not ideal with a table of hungry Danes that had been travelling most of the day. Nevertheless, when the decent-sized soup arrived, it was definitely worth the wait! I loved the creaminess of the soup, especially with the sausage (and was happy to find more of that sausage in my bowl, besides the 3 pieces decorating the top of the dish!). I don’t really remember the pesto, but that possibly says more about how good the rest of the dish was and less about the pesto. The bread was also warm and crunchy on the outside. The bread was also left on the table for the main course – something which scores a million points with this Maltese girl!

The main consisted of beef tenderloin with a number of different sides. Although we regularly eat pork tenderloin, I do not remember ever having had beef tenderloin. The sight of them in Danish supermarkets disgust me, but if the taste of this one is anything to go by, this is absolutely something to try again. It was moist, it was tender, it was melt in your mouth goodness. And it was perfectly cooked! I was less of a fan of the sides, especially the apple and bacon mixture, and the cloying taste of the red cabbage, which made everything feel very heavy. However, for the meat I am more than willing to turn a blind eye to all the rest!

By now we really needed the inevitable wait between the main and dessert: my stomach clearly got the signal that Christmas time is near! I love almonds, and any apple dessert, so I was really looking forward to this one. And when it arrived it didn’t disappoint. Perfect end to a great meal!

This meal confirmed to me the place of OX-EN as one of the better restaurants in the area. Perfect if you are looking for a lesiurely meal. Not so if you want a quick one. But for the price, you probably want to savour all that you can get! The people serving you also appear happy to be there, which always makes it such a pleasure! Definitely somewhere to return to if a celebration is called for!

We forgot to get pictures of the food but over at Vibekes Mad there are pictures of a similar meal as ours.