Chaîne des Rôtisseurs

2021 AOC pop-up in Tivoli Copenhagen

Chaîne Denmark's first event after the second COVID-19 shutdown took place on 5 June (Danish Constitution Day). Echanson and Sommelier / Restaurateur in AOC, Aarø & co (with 2 Michelin stars), Christian Aarø, had made a pop-up restaurant at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen (founded in 1843). It was a meeting between AOC, NIMB and KOKS (2 Michelin stars - Faroe Islands) in 2019 which resulted in AOC and KOKS taking turns having a pop-up restaurant in Tivoli. This event was supposed to have happened in 2020, but due to the COVID-10 it was postponed until 2021. When Bailli Délégué Jørgen Krenk heard about the event, he reserved half of the restaurant on the first Saturday it was open. The location in Tivoli was at the Japanese Tower from 1900 and Christian Aarø had chosen to let the menu be inspired by this. Therefore, there were Japanese ingredients in all of the dishes, but that did not mean that all the ingredients came from Japan. Eg. the wasabi came from Iceland - but geographically Iceland is also on a par with northern Japan.

For the event, we had our wine sponsor, Best Selection, to deliver most of the wines. We started with a Champagne which Christian Aarø had selected and it has now been elected as the "house" champagne for Chaîne de Rôtisseurs Denmark. The other wines had been carefully matched between Christrian, and Sommelier and wine consultant Rico Jørgensen (former Restaurateur of Malling Kro). However, Christian was insistent on his own choice of wine for the main course.

Champagne Doyard Mahe Cuvée Empreinte Blanc de Blancs Vertus Premier Cru.

(Chaîne des Rôtisseurs house champagne)

Bao with scallop from Hitra (Norway)

Vendace roe & tomato tonkatsu

Tegernseerhof Loibenberg Grüner Veltliner Emerald 2016 - Austria.

Limfjord oyster with apple
dill & Wasabi

- Peas with Baerii prestige caviar
pea pods chawan mushi (egg custard)

La Crema Chardonnay from Monterey 2018 - California

Grilled Læsø langoustine
Katsuobushi (dried, smoked bonito) & ponzu

Burgundy Nicolas Potel Beaune 1. Cru Les Graves 2014. France

- New onions & shitaki mushrooms
Vin Jaune & kombu tang

Burgundy Nicolas Potel Beaune 1. Cru Les Graves 2014. France.

- Springbok with grilled greens
marrow and black garlic

Ashbourne Pinotage Heaven and Earth Valley. South Africa.

- Whitecurrants & elderflower
"Kakigori"

- Red berries

miso caramel & blackcurrant twigs

Hagn Chardonnay Beerenauslese 2016. Austria.

After the dinner the assembled brigades were given the appreciation by Grand Officier Maître Rotisseur and Chancelier, Thorbjørn S. Moy. Firstly he praised that the staff had managed to work smoothly in a new environment, with new equipment, in less than a week. To make food at this level in your normal surroundings is one thing – but to do it with great style in a new venue is a challenge, but they had succeeded very well. He also noted that even though the kitchen was “semi-open” there was complete calm, with no noise to be heard in the restaurant. On the menu, he started with praising the fantastic craftmanship they had shown – for example the Bao that was 100% round – crispy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside, and the fantastic shiny petit fours that actually weren't so 'petit'. Therefore Bailli Délégué Jørgen Krenk, in appreciation of their first-class service, could award the staff the Danish Chaîne service staff pins, reserved for only the best kitchen and service brigades.
After the conclusion of the evening the guests socialised, and were able to catch up with each other after the long break – while the Tivoli fireworks lit up the sky above our heads, in a fantastic finale of this evening.