My 15 best dishes in 2022

Alright, it has already been a couple of weeks since we said goodbye to 2022 and hello to 2023. But in case you don’t feel that 2022 is already outdated and irrelevant, I hereby share my x best dishes of that particular year with you. I did not travel as much in 2022 as I usually do but I still managed to enjoy several splendid meals in Denmark and abroad. I hope that it will inspire you to go visit some of these restaurants at some point this year.

 

The dishes are presented in random order. 

 

Paté en croute, Bozar* in Brussels

My first trip in 2022 took me to Brussels and the Belgian capital didn’t disappoint me. The absolute highlight of the trip was an extensive lunch at Bozar. This one Michelin-starred restaurant is not widely known outside Belgium, which is a shame – I was blown away by my meal there and could not believe that this place does not have at least tro Michelin stars. It actually went right to onto my list of the best meals I’ve ever had and thus I could not limit myself to just one dish from Bozar. Chef-owner Karen Torosyan is specialized in everything wrapped in dough related to the French cuisine. He has won the paté en croute world championships (yes, that’s a thing) with the exceptional version with pork, duck, pistachios and foie gras with a perfectly even layer of jellyfied stock around the edges of the paté. A true masterpiece showcasing old-school craftsmanship at it’s finest.

Celeriac, cod roe and caviar, Geranium***, Copenhagen.

2022 is a year that the Geranium team will never forget. They launched a completely new menu and got the first place on World’s 50 Best Restaurant. My favourite dish from the menu was this serving of celeriac with apple, smoked cod roe and caviar. This dish had it all: Elegance, freshness, depth and complexity – pure deliciousness!

 

Char, caramelised cream and pine, Memories***, Bad Ragaz, Switzerland

Another highlight in 2022 was my trip to the stunning Grand Resort Bad Ragaz in Switzerland housing no less than three Michelin-starred restaurants. One of them – and my absolute favourite – was Memories by Sven Wassmer, at that time with two stars. This meal was on a clear three star level in my opinion and a few months later, the restaurant actually got its third star. One of the highlights was this simple looking yet absolutely sublime dish made with gently cooked char served with a sauce made of caramelised cream flavoured wine pine and hay. Sven Wassmer’s cuisine is one of the most reduced I’ve ever come across. I don’t need a lot of fancy condiments if a piece of fish and a brown sauce can taste this good.

Barley in pork broth with roses and apricot, Hiša Franko, Slovenia

I had the pleasure of attending a great dinner at Terra in Copenhagen where Ana Roš of Hiša Franko in Slovenia made a guest appearance. Among her dishes was this visually ordinary yet absolutely delicious serving of barley cooked in pork broth flavoured with roses and kernels and flesh of apricot, respectively. This was grandma food taken to the next level with so much complexity and comfort at the same time. This is a dish that I am dreaming of nailing in my own kitchen day – maybe Ana Roš can teach me one day …

Chicken consommé with dumplings and truffle, Kays, Copenhagen

I did not expect a dish from a simple eatery like Kays in Ørestad in Copenhagen to make it to this list but I should have known that a guy like Martin Guf would have something special up his sleeve. This dish was grandma food taken to the next level – I got very emotional from eating this dish. One should not forget the classics and Martin Guf has not. This chicken consommé was so deep and intense and the dumplings so fluffy that I barely could believe it. The truffle added a touch of luxury but the dish was mainly carried through by the sublime consommé and the dumplings. Chapeau!

Beetroot, halibut and Norwegian curry, Speilsalen*, Trondheim

Beetroot can easily become an overly sweet and earthy sensation but in the hands of the 2017 Bocuse d’Or silver medalist Christopher Davidsen they did not. The beautiful thin slices of beetroot were hiding pieces of halibut served with Norwegian “curry” consisting of wild herbs, spices and Norwegian chili. A truly amazing dish with a balance and flavour composition that really blew me away.

 

Butter-fried brioche, frozen mousse of foie gras and winter truffle, Connection by Alan Bates, Copenhagen

A visit at Connection by Alan Bates guarantees you flavour sensations in abundance. Few chefs in Copenhagen know how to load their food with flavour like Alan Bates and therefore I love to come to this intimate 16-seat restaurant that is currently going through a renovation in order to look even sharper when they reopen next month. Among the many great servings presented at Connection, this little fellow always stands out as something sensational to me. Feather light brioche fried in lots of butter topped with the most fluffy mousse if frozen foie gras with a few drops of Canadian ice wine vinegar and fresh shavings on truffle in top to finish it off is what this is about. You simply have to try it to understand how refined it is – perfectly balanced in any sense. I could eat it every day if somebody let me.

Old dairy cow and potato purée, Memories***, Bad Ragaz, Switzerland

Another dish from Memories made it to the list, in this case old dairy cow served with the fat cap for extra flavour and yumminess. It was served with a very buttery potato purée and a heavily reduced sauce made of the bones of the cow – simple as that! This was another produce-driven dish with no unnecessary elements added to the plate. Brilliant.

Find my video portrait of Grand Resort Bad Ragaz right here. 

“Granivore” with pigeon, foie gras and smoked eel, Bozar*, Brussels

We continue with another serving from Bozar, in this case a serving of pigeon, foie gras and smoked eel wrapped in a thin crust of dough rolled in different types of seeds. It was served with an intense sauce made of the pigeon bones flavoured with lots of black pepper. I’ll acknowlegde that this is not the most politically correct dish, but oh my, it was heavenly good.

Pork mandu, JuJu, Copenhagen

We might still be waiting for Kristian Baumann to re-open Koan on its new location, but luckily we still have his more casual Korean place called JuJu, where all the lovers of his precise cooking can still enjoy his food. These pork mandus might not look like much but they were simply a flavour explosion of the most juicy pork you can imagine, spiced up with just the right amount of chili oil. Fantastic!

 

Hand-dived scallop in a broth of its skirts, Haidan, Copenhagen

Haidan is one of the most recent additions to the fine dining scene in Copenhagen. Italian chef Gabriele Rizzo has created a modern interpretation of Chinese cuisine with lots of intensity, complexity and refinement. Among the many great dishes, this serving really stood out. An entire steam scallop the size of a slice of pork tenderloin was served in an intense broth made of its own skirts. What I really loved about the serving was that the scallop was not cut into smaller pieces. Instead, you just grabbed your spoon and dug into it – a great anatomic exploration of a very special product.

 

Tuna, caviar and 3-year-old shoyu in a paper-thin tart shell, Jordnær**, Copenhagen

Eric Vildgaard is a true caviar lover and he manages to use the precious sturgeon roe in a meaningful way in every serving. As I stated in an Instagram post, food simply does not get much better than this. This was a melt-in-your-mouth sensation where all components came together beautifully. Composition and precision like a Formula 1 car engine or a watch movement from Patek Philippe.

Basque cheesecake ice cream, walnut milk and caviar, Radio, Copenhagen

Radio has eventually become one of the long-lasting standard bearer of Nordic cuisine and based on my most recent visit, the restaurant has never been better. This dessert was not very Nordic as such yet utterly delicious. Basque cheesecake ice cream, brown butter crumble, walnut milk and caviar et voilá! – there you have it! A wonderful dessert with lots of creaminess, acidity and sweetness and finally the caviar to give that salty umami boost.

Read my review of Radio here

 

Pistachio ice cream with olive oil, Levi, Copenhagen

The most complicated things are far from always the best. This dish is a perfect example of how to turn one simple ingredient into one hell of a dessert. The amazing pistachios from Bronte in Sicily were basically turned into an ice cream with a heavy, fudge-like texture and the most intense taste of pistachio you can imagine. The dish was topped with a few flakes of sea salt and top-notch olive oil. An amazing dessert enjoyed at Levi, one of the best new restaurants in Copenhagen in 2022.

 

Mille feuille, Bozar*, Brussels

Can a few layers of puff pastry and vanilla custard make it to your list with the best dishes? Apparantly, yes – but only because this mille feuille beast everything similar that I’ve ever come across. The perfectly layered sheets of puff pastry combined with amazingly intense vanilla custard turned out to perfectly balanced even though on paper this should be way too heavy and sweet. Only a true master can pull a mille feuille off of this quality.

Find my best dishes from previous years right here.