Scan Magazine | Special Theme | A Taste of Denmark
Food lovers travel from near and far to enjoy the gorgeous seafood, a beautiful waterside location and the friendly atmosphere at Rudolf Mathis in Kerteminde.
Serious about seafood Closing in on its 35th anniversary, Rudolf Mathis, an award-winning seafood restaurant in Kerteminde, has long been one of Denmark’s best-loved seafood restaurants. The owner, founder and chef, Puk Larsen, tells Scan Magazine how he, despite fierce competition due to Denmark’s booming restaurant scene, has continued to attract guests from near and far. By Signe Hansen | Photos: Rudolf Mathis
With its towering, white-washed walls and terrace perched over the water, Rudolf Mathis is practically made for a seafood lunch in the sun. And, as a matter of fact, it was the restaurant’s location that, back in the ‘80s, led to it becoming a seafood restaurant. “I’ve always preferred working with fish, but the fact that we ended up an actual seafood restaurant had a lot to do with the location. It took a long time to get planning permission and then construct the restaurant, and even before we were finished, people and the media had begun referring to it as ‘the seafood restaurant’, 54 | Issue 123 | April 2019
and that has just stuck,” Larsen explains. With Kerteminde harbour on its doorstep, it is natural that Rudolf Mathis sources most of its seafood from the surrounding waters. As the menu changes according to seasons, this means that guests visiting during spring and summer are likely to find lots of shellfish platters as well as plaice, fresh in from Kerteminde harbour, on the menu.
Staying on course A native Kerteminder, Puk Larsen started Rudolf Mathis after eight years gath-
ering experience at one of Denmark’s best restaurants, Kong Hans Kælder in Copenhagen. When returning to Kerteminde, the lack of quality restaurants in the beautiful area convinced him to set up Rudolf Mathis. “I never imagined that it would be as successful as it has