Food & Drink

The Monthly Bite: A Night at Restaurant Studio

We’re fully into summer and enjoying the season at some of our favorite restaurants. This month, it’s the turn of a dinner experience like no other: Enjoying an idyllic view of Copenhagen’s Inner Harbor while indulging in a multi-course dinner, champagne, outstanding wines, and splendid service for over 3 hours

We’re spending a night at restaurant Studio – you’re going to want to bump this one to the top of your restaurant wish list. Let’s dig in:

Restaurant Studio

Delicious, conscious, seasonal, creative, surprising, and honest. That’s what Studio is about.

I had the chance to spend time with Chef Alan G. Bates and his team before my dinner and one of the first things he said to me was:

“Seasonal, and no bullshit!” I was hooked.

Bates has worked in some of the most renowned kitchens in the world, so it comes as no surprise that the restaurant is a reflection of his experience. One dish in particular that demonstrates his skill was a puff pastry tart filled with green vegetables, delicate lobster, herbs, caviar, and a lobster sauce that was creamier than cream itself – without using any dairy to achieve such a texture.

 


 

Every dish was on point, displaying creativity and technique in unpretentious ways while paying respect to the ingredients that are sourced from a wide range of small purveyors, farmers, and fishermen. A big part of how a chef can make wonders is the ingredient itself, and at Studio this philosophy is a way of life.

The restaurant is located on the first floor of the art deco building The Standard, and it might just be one of the best views you can see in Copenhagen while dining. Especially during the summertime and its bright long days.

The décor is elegant and Nordic to its core, creating a refined balance between the food, the wines, and the overall classy yet down-to-earth approach in the service by sommelier Jesper and his team. Small details set the tone: Beautiful flowers, candles, a different cookbook on every table from Bates’s private collection that has left an impression on him, and hits from the 80s.

I was able to toast with the team over some beers. At Studio, there’s a focus on work-life balance: the team is genuinely happy for the opportunity to work there without pulling the crazy hours – over 60 a week – that chefs in restaurants of this caliber work or being yelled at constantly. Instead, they enjoy their life inside and outside of the kitchen.

 


 

This is important for Bates too, who takes full advantage of the quality of life in Copenhagen and the restaurant’s location, taking a dip in the ocean right before service when I visited.

“In retrospect, now that I work here and in Denmark, I ask myself why the hell did I even do that to myself all those years,” explains Bates of his previous, archaic kitchen experience. “Sure, I learned a lot but I was never happy – so what’s the point?”

Do yourself a favor and pay Bates and his team at Restaurant Studio a visit, the menu has never been so affordable and the food will more than impress.

 

Restaurant Studio

Havnegade 44
1058 Copenhagen K

Opening hours:
Wed – Sat: 6:00 pm – 00:00 (last kitchen order at 8:30 pm)

Food category

Scandinavian interpreted by international glasses

Vegetarian / vegan options?

Yes, upon request


Gluten-free options?

Yes

Recommended dish

Lobster vol-au-vent

Menu price range

9-course menu (1000 dkk) / wine pairing (1000 dkk)

Busiest day/time

Weekend dinners

Quietest day/time

Weekday dinners

Changing table for babies?

Yes

Hygge factor (1 – 5)

5

Pro Tip

If you go alone ask to be seated by the counter, you’ll witness all the action in the kitchen.

Want more of the best Copenhagen restaurants, bars, and cafés?

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Daniel Campos Sánchez

Daniel is a Peruvian chef and food writer. He is the most enthusiastic food lover in Scandinavia (self-proclaimed)! Born and raised in Lima, he has also lived in Miami, Stockholm, and now in Copenhagen. Catch a taste at @livetoeatlovelife