Traditional Danish lunch with a twist

When my best buddy asked if I want to try the new smørrebrød restaurant with a Big Gourmand award, I was very hesitant, since I do no really like smørrebrød. Once awhile to eat smørrebrød is okay but I am not a big fan of those traditional Danish food, even though I have been living in it is land for years.

Furthermore, Mickey said it was a very modern food, fusion mix with tradition.  Well…. When I heard fusion… I am not even looking at the website and I just said no.

Apparently, he is very persistent and asked me again to join him for lunch.  After he shows me the website and the food photos, my curiosity waking up and I decided to go.  The rave reviews also convinced me. The food critics in Denmark have been giving very favaroble reviews of this place and even mentions it as a favorit to be the first smørrebrøds restaurant to get a Michelin star. It didn’t happen but they only received a Bib Gourmand award.

Selma restaurant located opposite the torvehallerne which is right at the city centre, close to the Nørreport station.  The place itself quite small and I notice they turn down many people who are coming without reservation.  The menu is changing accordingly to the season and produce.

I really like their motto, which is true to the core of their business:

“We believe in serious craftsmanship, respect for our produce and a strong personal attention to detail and a down to earth approach to hospitality”.

We were greeted by a friendly staff and seated immediately.  Water provided and menu card given to us. There are 12 dishes on the menu which is actually fairly limited for a restaurant of this style.  The restaurant also offers a small menu, which consist of 5 little serving dishes for the price of DKK350 (€47) and 7 little serving dishes for the price of DKK 485 (€65).  Unfortunately, we cannot choose the dishes as it was chef choice, and we are not sure how small is the dishes.

Finally, we decided to order ourselves and choose what we like.

The first dish of Christiansøpigens herring with brown butter, chive, horseradish, cress and crispy rye bread was very delicious.  To my surprised, I really enjoy the food and looking forward to the next dish.

Second dish of Curry herring with apple, lemon, celery and pearl onion was beautifully presented on the table.  The smell was very fresh, and I really love it.  On the first bite, it transports me to the garden and I already imagine myself making this dish at home.

I was amazed with the piles of shrimps on top of the sourdough sprinkle with kefir and lemon.  The shrimps taste nice, unfortunately I do not like the sourdough bread.  It was cold and very hard to bite. Probably it was toasted a long time ago and just let it on the table.  Shamed about the bread since the shrimps was really good.

I did not try the Tartar dish. However, Mickey loves it and he said it was really good.

This is the first time I try the smørrebrød with potatoes.  Unfortunately, the dish was a letdown. I do not taste much of the flavor and I felt a slap on the face since the previous dishes was really good.

Luckily the herb slated salmon with fresh cheese and radish was delicious and my energy bounced back and stop me from being grumpy.

The lamb with pointed cabbage, slated lemon and dried tomatoes was delicious. It was very tasty, and the meat was really soft.

Lastly the confit pork cheek with kale shoots and wholegrain mustard was define.  The meat was melted in my mouth and I want more.  Unfortunately, my eyes are bigger then my tummy.  There is definitely no more room for dessert.  Total cost for lunch is DKK1,200 (€161) for 2 people including drinks.

If you are in town and would like to try a modern Danish smørrebrød, this restaurant is a good place to visit.

Selma Restaurant

Rømersgade 20

1362 Copenhagen, Denmark

+45 93107203

Forside