Tag Archives: food

Brunch at Hotel Baltic

Last year Hotel Baltic in Høruphav was reopened under Silje Brenna and Jonas Mikkelsen. The pair already run other restaurants, including the Michelin-star owning Hotel Frederiksminde in Præstø so we’ve been looking forward to trying it out. We finally managed a visit for Sunday brunch on Mother’s Day.

Sunday brunch at Hotel Baltic is served family-style in the bistro overlooking the harbour. We were first to arrive (a bit before opening time of 10:00) and were warmly welcomed in and shown to our table. On sitting down we were offered juice, tea and coffee (all included in the price).

Once the drinks were in place, the food started arriving. The food arrives at the table on shared platters. We first got a muesli and yoghurt bowl each. This was then followed by cold dishes such as cold cuts, cheeses, salmon and prawns, then hot dishes of liver pate and bacon as well as scrambled eggs and sausages. The final offering was pancakes.Throughout all this there was delicious homemade bread and butter, both of which were replenished as needed. I particularly loved the  prawns with lemon mayonnaise and, surprisingly (as I was very sceptical on seeing it) the scrambled eggs.

Reading those items you might think it doesn’t sound like it’s different to any other brunch in town. However, on tasting the food it is clear that the quality of the items is significantly better. This is also reflected in the fact that the source of the ingredients is told to you as the food is brought to the table. They are clearly proud of their suppliers, and they should be.

The brunch costs 245 DKK (or 125 DKK for children under 12), including tea, coffee and juice, which was a very fair price for the amount of food and the quality. The brunch is served on Sundays from 10:00-12:00 and you should plan to spend two hours there. If planning to go we would recommend you book or at least phone ahead as, although not full when we visited, the place is not that big. The staff was very friendly and attentive.

The bistro is kid-friendly but since the experience is cozy it can be a challenge combining the “slow-food” with energetic kids. We were lucky to have one kid sleeping and the other one happy for a run just outside in the grass for a while and a trip down to look at boats. If we didn’t have two small kids on our hands we would definitely try out the evening menu in the restaurant based on what we experienced for brunch. Maybe for our next kid-free evening!

Kebab Town Opens in Borgen

Another eating location opened at Borgen earlier this week. Located opposite Inspiration, Kebab Town serves pitas, sandwich or wraps with a kebab, chicken or falafel filling. This brings Middle Eastern food to join the Asian food already on offer in Borgen. Chicken nuggets and fries are also on offer.

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Quick meal by the new cinema in Sønderborg

The place seems to be mainly set up as a take-away, though there are also a number of tables if you want to eat there (and unlike most takeaways, the seating looks comfortable). This is probably to offer something different from the other sit down locations, and potentially to target the cinema-going customers when this opens just opposite Kebab Town in Borgen sometime next year.

We made it down to the opening reception at Kebab Town on Monday for our lunch. Between us we had a falafel and kebab wrap, with each of us preferring a different one. The food is not expensive so if you want something quick this would be a good option.

Castillo & Co: Revisited

Around one year ago we visited Castillo & Co and said we would probably not visit again. However, around a month ago Muzeyde, the owner, commented on the blog admitting that there were some teething problems in the beginning and that we should give it a second try. We agreed.

IMG_20160531_173654Have things improved? We would say: Absolutely! In the past month we first tried the evening buffet and I really liked the salads selection. On the day we visited everything looked fresh, colourful, and tasty.

The fact that my least favourite dish (a curry pasta) was one of Michael’s favourites and his least favourite (a meaty pasta dish) was my favourite also shows that the food has improved.

Besides the salads there is also other warm food, such as ribs (my guilty pleasure) and other warm meat dishes. The dishes, although maybe not all labelled, are mostly labelled at least with what meat is in them.

Castillo & Co, Borgen Sønderborg

Then earlier this week we also tried out the a’ la carte menu. Michael tried the tenderloin, I tried the beef sandwich and my mother, who was visiting, tried the chicken burger. The plates were all empty by the end of the meal, and the food was enjoyed by all (including our young son tasting all our food). The prices are also very competitive when compared to the cafes in town and we like the value for money you get here.

Castillo & Co buffet restaurant Sønderborg

Finally, we sent my mother ‘incognito’ to try the brunch buffet. She liked the food and had very good service. In fact, the service has been great on all visits. We thought it could be because they knew who we were, but they also served an older non-Danish speaking woman with a smile and very friendly service. My mum particularly liked the ice-tea.

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So our experience of Castillo & Co has changed significantly from our visit one year ago to today. To the question of if we would visit again, we would say: Very likely. The convenience and the buffets, especially, are excellent for meals out with children where you want to be sure they would like something on offer rather than you order one dish that they refuse. There are plenty of high chairs as well if you need one, although do be warned that they have no harnesses, so if you have an escape artist do take this into consideration.

Disclaimer: Castillo & Co offered us gift cards for food for three meals to try out the different selections on offer.

Saigon Sandwich: Vietnam comes to Sønderborg

It took Sonderborg Nyt till 1st of June to report about it, and us till the middle of June to spot it (I know!). But we have spotted it, and we have visited and tasted! With the help of some friends we went to try out Saigon Sandwich earlier this week.

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Saigon sandwich is a Vietnamese restaurant/take-away on jernbanegade 46, close to the wool shop and what used to be Blockbuster. On offer are a mixture of cold sandwiches (inspired by the French baguette, the French having colonised Vietnam from 1862-1954) and warm dishes. Between the four of us we ordered summer roll for starters and a mixture of the warm dishes for mains.The starters were, of course the first to arrive, together with a peanut dipping sauce. Unfortunately, our reaction to them varied from OK to ‘wouldn’t ordered them again’. So the start was not that promising.

Luckily for us, the main course dishes were a much bigger success! I absolutely loved my dish of stegt oksekød med pebersauce, which I ordered on the recommendation of the owner. The indbagte kylling and andesteg got also similar raving reviews, with the indbagt rejer getting a great (though not as impressed) review. The portions were also huge! I managed to eat mine, but only just (and with a bit of help from our son). A downside to our mains was that they all arrived one by one, with the last of us four receiving his plate when the first had nearly finished.

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The drinks were also a success. I had (2 glasses!) of homemade citronvand. I also tasted the coconut juice one of the others had and liked it (though not all did). After dinner, one of us also got the Vietnamese ice coffee with condensed milk. Another great tasting dish!

So my recommendation would be: steer around the summer rolls (will try the spring rolls next time) to take your pick from the main courses. Also make sure to try out the Vietnamese drinks. Some of them might not be to everyone’s taste, but I sure liked them all!

Would we be back? Well…I still need to get a glass all to myself of the Vietnamese coffee (and I don’t even drink coffee!), and I need to taste the soups, and oh…get another glass of that citronvand. So I guess, the answer to that is a big yes!  But only when I have some time.

Sønderborg’s new steakhouse: Barbie BBQ

There is a new restaurant in Sønderborg and if you haven’t been yet – it’s worth trying it out.

Sønderborg has seen some interesting new food and beverage places pop up the last year or two but in my book this one might be the most interesting so far.

The restaurant is named Barbie (as in barbecue not Ken’s girlfriend) and the theme is “new American barbecue” which means slow roasted meat like pulled pork, pork belly, beef brisket and steaks with sides of mash & gravy, coleslaw and mac & cheese.

The decor of the place is very simple and basic. There is concrete floors and bare ceilings with simple wood furniture like something out of the hip meat packing district in Copenhagen.

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But the building actually has a long history. It goes back to 1903 when it was built as the first Danish assembly hall in the then-German Sønderborg. In 1907 it became a restaurant/dancehall ‘Kaiserkrone’ that could seat 500 and host balls for 800 people. Once the German navy base closed down it became a cinema and more recently it has been the shop called Als Design Center (which still exists online). Now it is again a restaurant and this time it has room for 140 inside and 50 outside making it one of Sønderborg’s biggest restaurants.

The people behind the restaurant are no rookies in starting restaurants. Barbie is started by twin brothers Rasmus and Jakob Oubæk and Christian Brandt. Rasmus Oubæk has been nicknamed “The King of Bearnaise” and these guys run six popular restaurants in Copenhagen that get good reviews.

OK enough chatter – on to the food we had in Sønderborg…

We made a booking an hour before we arrived on Saturday evening and we could get a table without problems. Once we got there the place was busy but not completely full.

The menu is really short (4 snacks, 8 mains, 3 desserts) so it wasn’t too difficult to pick something. We ordered the ribeye steak and brisket sandwich, a pilsner and an elderflower drink.

We went there with our 7 month old son, so we were a bit worried that he would be noisy. But because of the bare walls and concrete floors the place was buzzing with noise from all the other tables so a squeal now and then from us did not get noticed.

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The food arrived in no time and we dug in. The steak was good, juicy and tender and came with a big pot of bearnaise sauce. I enjoyed the sauce; Ann found it a bit too sweet.

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The brisket sandwich came in two small homemade buns. The meat was really, really tender. This was served on a tray with baking paper and the coleslaw in a polystyrene cup. Thinking back this has a cheap, cafeteria feel to it but the food was good so we didn’t think about it at the time. The fries and coleslaw were good but nothing to rave about.

Our son got to try the two meats as well and he got a lot of enjoyment from the ribeye. The brisket was so tender that he could not manage to get much of it up to his mouth.

The beer I had was their pilsner on tap. However it did not taste like a pilsner at all – it was more like a wheat beer. I enjoyed it although I would think their bottled IPA goes better with this type of food. Ann loved the elderflower drink (and that’s her drink of choice…every.time. So that is praise indeed).

They also offered us a bottle of tap water and unlike any other restaurant in Sønderborg they do not charge for tap water.

Overall we really enjoyed it. We were in and out of there in hour which is good timing for us with the age of our kid. Without a kid we would have definitely stayed for longer. Due to the acoustics and the size of the place it is not a particularly romantic place, but I will definitely come back with a group of friends for a night of laughs, banter and good food.

Pancake Hut at the Marina

Up to now if we wanted a pancake we drove to Genner Hoel to the pancake house there. However, now we have one just down the road from our house, in a wooden hut at the Lystbadehavn marina (opposite the Sonderborg Yacht Club).

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The pancake hut was opened on Friday by Emil Thusing. It offers, as is to be expected, pancakes, with toppings including honey, chocolate/strawberry/caramel sauce, sugar and cinnamon. Coffee, tea and juice are also on offer. At a cost of 25 DKK per pancake and 10 DKK for the drinks the prices are very reasonable.

The hut has no set opening hours, but Emil expects to open daily during summer (Except Mondays) from 15:00-21:00. We checked it out today for dessert during our after dinner walk. It did take a while to get a pancake, potentially as the pancake iron was cold, but once it arrived it was pretty good. I am sure once Emil gets more practice he will get quicker as well.

So if during the hot days coming up your are looking for something sweet on your walk along the water don’t forget to check out the pancakes!

Check the Pankagehytten on Facebook for updates. You can pay in cash or with MobilePay.

Fish Buffet at Propperiet

Propperiet is one of the 3 restuarants next to each other on the harbour. Its focus is mainly on fish and meat. It is open for dinner every day, but on weekends it is also open for lunch with a fish buffet. We decided to try the buffet out this past weekend, and what a difference from the last buffet we reviewed! Both service and the food quality get a big thumbs up here!

We were greeted with a smile and shown to our table as we arrived. We could then help ourselves to the buffet, with drinks brought to the table. The buffet is set up along a long table. As the restaurant is quite small everyone is seated quite close but not on top of each other.

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The website says that there will be at least 20 options at the buffet, and I would say that that was easily present on the day we went. Amongst what I remember off the top of my head there were green mussels to 3 types of salmon, stuffed squid (my favourite) to vitello tonnato. For 19 DKK you can also get a shot of schnapps (3 varieties on offer).

We were very impressed with the presentation, variety and quality of the food. If I had to have one criticism it would be that the items on the top level are not made for short people like me! I couldn’t see inside to see what was in them. But then, at 160 cm not many Danes are my height! At least everything was well labelled so I could ‘see’ what was inside.

Sonderborg buffets have been redeemed! Definitely one to return to.

Review: Castillo & Co. Buffet Restaurant in Borgen

Update: We revisited Castillo & Co in June 2016. For an updated review check out this post.

As happens every spring, Sonderborg starts getting new restaurants and eating/drinking places. First this year was Kisling’s. Now it is Borgen’s turn with Castillo & Co., serving a buffet lunch and dinner. The name Castillo & Co. is a reference to Borgen itself, since both indicate castles in different languages. When asked for a newspaper article why the ‘& Co.’, the owner mentioned it was to make it a bit softer.

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As always we were curious so we went for lunch there today. On arrival we were quickly greeted with a smile and shown to a table where we could sit with a pram (barnevogn) next to us. We then ordered drinks and were directed to help ourselves at the buffet. A great start – we were hopeful.

The service continued to be good, with a friendly and present server (when needed) and dishes constantly replenished and plates cleared away. Only slight niggle might be that it took a while for drinks to make it to our table, a wait made worse as we were very thirsty. As the place was quite busy we can excuse this.

However, the place is really let down by the quality of the food. Unfortunately, the food is less than inspiring:  it all looks as though it came from frozen and just heated, with the focus being more on quantity than quality. A cold selection with cheeses and cold cut meats, eggs and some fruit. There is also yoghurt and muesli, but I could find no bowls so had to use a flat plate, and an apple cake. On the other side there is the hot selection with fries, eggs, bacon, sausages, breaded fish, chicken and pasta & noodles. There are also pancakes. It would be good, however, if everything was labelled, especially the sauces!

Would we go again? Most probably not. At full price I would more likely opt for a sandwich from Kvickly – cheaper and better quality – or go to another location. If you are still curious maybe try it out in May, when the buffets are half price: 35 DKK for lunch and 45 DKK for dinner. But remember: We tried it so you don’t have to!

Takeaway Days: Hungry.dk

Takeaways are very popular in Denmark, especially in university towns such as Sonderborg. The most abundant establishments (by far) are pizzerias (or… pizzarias, as they tend to be called here), offering seating at small tables in the waiting area, as well as delivery.

One of the ways of ordering online is through aggregate websites that help you find takeaways that deliver in your area, select what you want and order. One of these websites is hungry.dk, which seems to be the new kid on the block, having slightly fewer restaurants on the list in the Sønderborg area than similar websites. We decided to try it out one Friday evening when the wind was blowing, the rain was pouring and we were out of food!

Starting with the website itself, it is quite easy to use. I liked the fact that the different menu sections can be collapsed so I didn’t need to scroll down through e.g. burgers if it was pizzas I was interested in. I also liked that at the top they showed you the most popular dishes, as it helps tell you what is good from that place. The rest of the website is, as should be expected, easy to use, even allowing you to very easily select extra toppings for your pizza at the ordering page rather than at the paying page (or just by writing in a text field).

We decided to try Oasen – a couple of friends have spoken fondly of this place. Order through… now you just need to wait. The waiting time given was of 75 minutes, but the pizza arrived with no issues whatsoever within the hour. All in all very good service and I look forward to seeing more restaurants added to the list.

Disclosure: We were offered a voucher for 150 DKK in exchange for trying out the hungry.dk website and writing about it. The opinions on the website are our own.

Eating out: Restaurant Bind

Ask people in the Sonderborg area to recommend a good restaurant to go out to eat at for some celebration, and you can be sure that Restaurant Bind in Kollund will be one of the top suggestions.

So when we had something to celebrate (new house! But more about that later) we decided to give Restaurant Bind a try.

First Impressions

You find the restaurant by driving along Flensburg Fjord towards Germany and find the restaurant close to Kollund, just before you reach Annie’s Kiosk/Okesøen. The restaurant is not very well marked, having just a small sign, similar in size to a Danish street sign. There is enough parking for the small dining room inside, and from there you make your way to the restaurant by following the signs.

The dining room itself is set out looking on the water, giving you very good views over Flensburg Fjord. On the day we were the first to arrive, so it was absolutely delightful to have the quietness of the restaurant and the view of the fjord all to ourselves.

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If possible I would recommend arriving for dinner before the sun has gone completely down to have the opportunity to enjoy the view. We were seated in the middle of the restaurant, but for even better views I would consider asking for a table next to the window next time.

The Food

First thing you should know about Restaurant Bind is that, unlike most other restaurants, there is a 3-course set menu that changes every 2 weeks, together with 2-3 other dishes that also change depending on what is in season. This does make your choice very easy! You can have a look at the menu online before you go to see what is on offer. It does, however, seem that there is no vegetarian option.

As a lot of people have said, the food is really one of the stars of the plate. Everything complemented each other beautifully. The portions were also, although as to be expected not on the huge size, plenty big enough to make you feel nicely full at the end of the meal. Having bread and water continuously supplied (for free!) to the table when needed also helped make the experience for me (a bread loving Mediterranean).

The Service

Arriving at the restaurant we were warmly greeted by a number of staff. The service remained impeccable throughout the rest of the evening. Considering this, I was very surprised to hear that one of the servers had only been there one week, and for the other it was his first day! So Kasper and Michael I bow my head to the excellent job you did.

Having said all this, if there is one downside to the place is that there is a sort of subtle upselling pressure from the owner that arrives at intermittent points during the evening, namely, aperitifs on arrival and tea after your dessert. This was not something I expected from such a restaurant, but I am sure it works, considering that even though I really don’t like most teas-except British black teas-I was close to saying yes to them! It was also a surprise to see that the alcoholic and non-alcoholic (juice) aperitif cost the same when the bill came. Nevertheless, this was a very very minor blip in an otherwise perfect evening.

Would we go again? When we have something to celebrate and want to treat ourselves, Restaurant Bind will most definitely be high on our list of options! I just need to remember to say no to things I do not like, but I guess that is my problem…