10_ScanMag_76_May_2015_Q9_Scan Magazine 1 06/05/2015 18:21 Page 93
Scan Magazine | Restaurant of the Month | Denmark
Restaurant of the Month, Denmark
Honest family food Henriette and Michael Larsen met when they were working as chefs in Copenhagen. They dreamed of having their own place where they would be fully in control of what went into their food. In 1997, they found the perfect venue in Henriette’s home town of Nykøbing Sjælland, and Restaurant Madkunsten opened a few months later, offering classic French kitchen-inspired dishes. By Louise Older Steffensen | Photos: Madkunsten
“We simply wanted a restaurant where we could be proud of our ingredients and have a completely authentic cooking process,” says Michael. The emphasis on quality products and home-cooking has driven the family-run restaurant ever since. The Larsens seek out local and organic ingredients whenever they can. During the summer, they make their own elderflower pressé; they offer local beer from the Rørvig Brewery, which Michael part-runs; and they smoke their own bacon and salmon, bought only from farmers with high animal welfare standards. “Our food isn’t quite as cheap as fastfood,” Michael acknowledges. “Our production costs are of course higher; but the food we serve to our guests is responsible, wholesome and cooked from
scratch. When I say ‘home-grown rhubarb’, I mean bloody ‘home-grown rhubarb’: I’ll get up and harvest them myself before work.” The Larsens’ live as they preach. When the couple’s twin boys were born severely prematurely fourteen years ago, doctors warned they were likely to fall behind their peers both physically and developmentally. The Larsens read up on diet in childhood development and cut unwholesome, industrialised food out of the family diet. The boys never fell behind, nor suffered from asthma or any other chronic illnesses the Larsens' were warned about. In fact, they are fighting fit and working as part-time dishwashers at Restaurant Madkunsten. The two older daughters,
meanwhile, work as waitresses, making Madkunsten a truly family-run affair. With tables on Nykøbing’s pedestrianised street and its own cosy atrium, the restaurant has become a favourite spot with locals over the years. Nykøbing, situated on the Ise Fjord in Northern Zealand, is a popular area for second 'summer' homes and a bustling tourist destination. The Larsens realised that visitors, arriving for the weekend after general opening hours, had trouble finding a decent meal. To help them out, they set up 'Friday Take-Away' featuring a selection of made-to-order tapas and organic gourmet burgers, allowing visitors to have an easy but wholesome meal. Those looking for smaller treats should visit the restaurant’s shop, which sells anything from home-baked organic bread and butter pastry to English gins or French lemonades.
For more information, please visit: www.restaurant-madkunsten.dk
Issue 76 | May 2015 | 93