Bar manager Martin Laguna with two natural wines from Louis-Antoine and Sébastien Riffault.
Grilled gambas with arbol and garlic emulsion and fennel crudités.
Restaurant of the Month, Denmark
Simple and seasonal food for all senses – with a touch of Latin America The concept is simple: Donda eatery and bar serves lunch dishes with a Latin American twist in a café-style setting in the daytime, before it transforms into a fish bar serving up fresh fish, seafood and vegetables prepared over charcoal in the evening – all served family-style, for sharing. While Donda is located in Copenhagen’s charming Christianshavn with views over the canal, the eatery is inspired by very different waters. By Camilla Pedersen | Photos: Donda
“The idea started to take shape when I travelled around Asia and Latin America a few years back. Along the Latin American coastline, I would see locals return to land in their little boats, starting a fire on the beach to cook their freshly caught fish. And time and time again I saw how modest beach restaurants served up simple, 94 | Issue 133 | February 2020
but mouth-watering food experiences made of very little,” recalls Qasim Khan, co-owner of and head chef at Donda. The direction of Donda has in many ways been shaped by this simplicity, freshness and back-to-basics approach to cooking. “You can find plenty of Mexican and
Brazilian restaurants in Copenhagen, but ever since I had a taste of the real Latin America, I’ve been wanting to offer people a similar experience.” Exactly that is what the set menu is designed to do. Revolving around fresh fish, seafood and vegetables grilled over charcoal – just like in Latin America – the set evening menu, which consists of eight dishes, takes Donda’s dinner guests on an exotic journey that introduces them to new flavours and fragrances. Gambas grilled over charcoal and served with arbol and garlic emulsion alongside fennel crudités are always a hit. Or how about a grilled redfish tikin-xic – with a delicious