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Kadeau

Copenhagen

Bornholm roots with New Nordic soul

On the Pass

Nicolai Nørregaard

A force on its own: Copenhagen is full of restaurants worth travelling for. Between Noma taking the title of The World’s Best Restaurant five times and Geranium being named No.1 in 2022, Kadeau has spent more than a decade quietly refining its voice. Opened in 2011 as the Copenhagen outpost of its sister restaurant on the picture-perfect Danish island of Bornholm, the restaurant remains loyal to the New Nordic Cuisine philosophy, staying close to nature and even closer to its roots.

Place with a purpose: Designed by Danish design practice OEO Studio, the intimate dining room combines Scandinavian craftsmanship and Japanese minimalism with warm, earthy tones. Oak and brass define the open kitchen, designed by chef and co-owner Nicolai Nørregaard, with the space evolving visually with each menu and time of year, from growing season in summer to preservation season in winter. Nearly every plant-based ingredient comes from Kadeau’s Bornholm garden, while the ceramics, handcrafted by local artisan Torben Lov, are tailored to each course.

From Bornholm with love: The menu features a lot of elegantly balanced acidity from various fermentation and preservation techniques. Every plate tells a story of place and season: for example, an Icelandic clam with cultured cream and kohlrabi mirrors the soft pastels of its custom bowl. And a scallop wrapped in fruit leather of strawberry, rosehip and plum is brilliantly offset by black seaweed and a matte black ceramic bowl.

Signature simplicity: Few dishes are as quietly powerful as the six-day house-smoked salmon, honouring Bornholm’s rich fish-smoking heritage. Or the tender squid, slow-cooked on seaweed, served with a Sieglinde potato and a sauce of smoked buttermilk whey and brown butter. Then there’s the unmissable blue lobster, grilled to perfection and bathed in bisque, coriander seed and wild garlic capers.

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