Copenhagen is a city for foodies. Not only do we have the highest number of Michelin stars of all the Nordic cities, but the city is also a breeding ground for new, creative restaurants, street food trucks, and other food-related innovation. Like pop-up restaurants in old-factories-turned-hip-multipurpose-spaces, for instance.
This past Thursday, some friends and I went to one such event: Gyoza Bar was hosting a pop-up restaurant in a space called The Set. Located near Bispebjerg station in a huge former factory building, The Set is a multipurpose space for entertaining, with a large open kitchen and a seating area under a huge, loft-style industrial window. The whole building complex seemed like a really hip and creative space, and I’m assuming most of the tenants are designers, artists, or young people working with internet startups and apps (only minimal jealousy here…).
On Thursday, we were set to enjoy three servings of Japanese delicacies in these beautiful settings.
We started with a Japanese cocktail, obviously.
Gin, plum wine, lime, and lemonade. Yum!
Shortly after, the starters arrived. All dishes are served on plates for two to share. For starters, we got tempura shrimp, beef tataki, and salmon tartar.
My favorite was the salmon tartar – fresh, tangy, with an amazing marinade, and topped with chopped hazelnuts. Absolutely stunning! The tempura shrimp were melt-in-your-mouth delicious as well!
Of course, we had booked the wine menu as well, and got two bottles for the group to share – a white and a red. Both were Portuguese, both very light and pleasing. I loved their funny labels, which said “This wine goes with fish”, and “This wine goes with cow”.
Next up was the first of two main course servings: deep fried gyoza with shrimp and mango, and pan-fried gyoza with spicy salmon, accompanied by sautéed bok choy and mushrooms with soy sauce, edamame, and sesame.
Everything was absolutely delicious – one of my friends even went so far as to say that the gyoza were better than any he had tried in Japan during his most recent visit! I’ve never been to Japan (sadly!), so I can’t speak to that, but they did taste pretty amazing!
As the night was wearing on, red wine and conversation were flowing, and despite the open windows and the cool spring night outside, it was steamy warm in the small space. Everyone was excited for the last serving of the night, which arrived promptly:
Classic gyoza filled with chicken and goat’s cheese! An incredible combination, especially with the sweet, tangy sauce that they were covered in. Alongside, we also got a simple salad of shredded mango and carrots with chili, lime, peanuts, and watercress.
At this point I had to dine and dash, as I had ordered a private taxi in the form of the boyfriend, who had been waiting in the car for a good 20 minutes or so already!
Another fun fact of the night: a Danish celebrity spotting! As I stood in the entrance waiting for my friends to arrive (I’m notoriously early!), who walks in with a group of friends? None other than Danish pop star Rasmus Seebach! If you’ve ever turned on the radio in Denmark, you will have heard his songs (most famously “Olivia“). For some reason, my sisters, who do not speak Danish, are huge fans of him, so the most hilarious conversation ensued in our little chat group after I had informed them that I was not only in the same room as him, but actually sitting at the same table! The fangirling was real, folks.
But even without the celebrity factor, Gyoza Bar is highly recommended, and I do hope that they open a physical location in the city some time soon!
Gyoza Bar holds pop-up events at The Set every Thursday in April 2016. Tickets are available here. You can also find them at Kødbyens Mad og Market sometimes. Further information on gyozabarcph.com or Facebook.
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