This week, I was invited to attend the opening party of a new concept restaurant in Vesterbro, called MadMad Mad Bodega, on the eve of their opening to the public on May 13th. The story of MadMad Mad Bodega is a success story, as they launched a Kickstarter funding campaign last year, during which they raised DKK 167,000 from over 200 supporters to build their restaurant. The names of the supporters are burned into the wooden bar, which I find a really beautiful gesture!
The philosophy behind MadMad Mad Bodega is simple:
MadMad Mad Bodega is here to put the joy into being green.
They aim to create eco-friendly and sustainable food that’s actually enjoyable. They have some of their rules laid out on their website, which include that no food will be transported more than 200km to the restaurant, all suppliers must be using organic methods, and all meat must be raised in a free range and organic fashion. They also put a lot of emphasis on a no-waste environment, aiming to use all parts of an animal, for example. I think this is a very interesting concept, and I was excited to see it for myself.
So, I grabbed my good friend and we headed to Vesterbrogade to find out if there was an environmentalist foodie hidden in us somewhere. I could have sworn the invite said 7pm, but when we got there a couple of minutes ahead of time (I am German, after all!), the place was already packed with people, happily chatting away and clinking their glasses to toast the occasion.
After being greeted by the very sweet hostess, who handed us little “scavenger hunt” questionnaires, we headed straight for the bar to try some of the organic wines. There, I had my very first run-in with orange wine (yes, apparently that’s a thing - it’s actually white wine that has been in contact with the grape skins during maceration, thus giving it a darker color). It was definitely interesting to try, but I much preferred the sparkling white and rosé wines we tried afterwards.
We squeezed our way past more happy guests, engaged in lively conversation, to get to the kitchen area and try some of the food samples that were laid out on different “stations” throughout the restaurant. First, we tried these beautiful charred onions, filled with a white fish - super yum! At the same station, we also sampled beetroot jerky (dehydrated beetroot strips) with a smoked cream, which was absolutely delicious, too.
In the back, we caught sight of some beautiful copper cocktail supplies - shakers, strainers, ice buckets, measuring cups - and we knew this was going to be interesting. And we were right, because a couple of minutes later, we were invited to a brief cocktail class, in which a staff member taught us how to make Radish Martinis. For this, we used their homemade radish-infused (and beautifully pink) vodka. We also learned that clear spirits (such as vodka and gin) generally score better in terms of sustainability. The worst sustainability offenders? Rum and tequila! My Mexican friend was not happy to hear that!
But then it was time to make cocktails! We carefully measured, poured, shook like our lives depended on it, and finally strained our beautiful, soft pink concoction into the pretty glasses.
I’m not going to lie, it did smell a little odd (radishes!), but I really liked the taste - but then I’m a martini girl! And honestly - how pretty is this drink?!
Our next stop was the kitchen, where there was more food to taste - namely this crunchy flat bread topped with mustard seeds and slices of pig’s heart. Now, I am what you could call a picky eater, and I normally stick to the more common parts of animals - so trying pig’s heart was a first for me (and did cost me some effort). But it did look very nicely prepared and tender, so I gave it a go - and I liked it!
I’m really excited to come back and try an entire menu. I’d love to take my sisters, who I think would really appreciate the concept. They’re not easy to go out with, as one is vegetarian and the other one vegan, but checking out Mad Bodega’s menu, I think they will have no problem choosing here!
Have you been to MadMad Mad Bodega? And what do you think of the concept of sustainable, eco-friendly eating? Share in the comments below! And if you’d like to read even more about MadMad Mad Bodega, check out this article on Scandinavia Standard.
Danika Maia says
That dessert looks so light and amazing! I’m so excited to see you laterrrrr, bloggers unite!
Laura says
Yes! Looking forward to it!! :)