The Sneaky Best Food City in Europe & What I Cooked Last Week

A Day of Perfect Meals, Pizza Tart, Mom’s Chicken Tortilla Soup, Chicken Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Crispy Cheese Toast, Smash Dumplings

Hi everyone,

Hope you’re having a great week! After Paris, Doug and I spent two days in Copenhagen and had some of the best meals of our lives. There was one day in particular when Doug kept saying for all three meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner): “This is the best X I’ve ever eaten!” And honestly, I couldn’t disagree.

An afternoon stroll in Nyhavn, Copenhagen

We’d heard the food scene in Copenhagen was incredible (it is home to Noma after all, the world’s best-ranked restaurant for several years), but we didn’t realize just how good, and slightly under the radar, it would feel compared to other big European food cities.

Today I’m sharing where we ate on that perfect day in Copenhagen, including a simple breakfast plate I still dream about and a schnitzel so delicious I want to recreate it at home. At the end, you’ll also find a guide with recommendations from the Noma staff, passed along by one of Doug’s coworkers. It’s an extremely thorough list with the highest-quality recs.

First, here’s a recipe for a cozy chicken cheddar broccoli soup with cheesy toast. It’s silky and creamy without any heavy cream (the secret is one potato!). I hope you try this one!

Also, my debut cookbook comes out March 3 and is available for preorder. Preorders are so helpful for first-time authors, so if you’re thinking of getting a copy, I’d be so grateful if you ordered early 🤍

What I Cooked Last Week! ↓

Chicken Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Crispy Cheese Toast

The secret to the creamy decadence of this soup (with no heavy cream!) is a potato that melts into the broth. It’s cozy and comforting, and so good with the cheesy toast dipped in.

Chicken Broccoli Cheddar Soup With Crispy Cheese Toast

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You can download the PDF recipe above and watch the video here :)

An Unexpected Day of Perfect Meals in Copenhagen

Copenhagen had been on our wish list for a while. Doug and I were supposed to go earlier in the summer, but work got in the way and we had to postpone the trip. We were excited about the restaurants, of course, but also the fashion. We both love Scandinavian minimalist design and had high hopes for the shopping.

The city has such a calm energy. The streets aren’t crowded like in New York, everything feels clean and safe, and there’s an easy pace to life. I usually love the hustle and bustle of big cities, but this time I appreciated slowing down. The architecture is beautiful, with colorful houses and canals weaving through the city. It was brisk and chilly while we were there, and I can only imagine how magical it must be in summer. We stayed at the 1 Hotel, which we loved: reasonably priced, excellent service, and small but very comfortable rooms.

Our string of 10/10 meals happened on our second day. Doug had gotten an amazing list from one of his coworkers: a compilation of the best restaurants, shops, and museums in Copenhagen, all curated by the Noma staff. We combed through the recommendations and mapped out a few to try. (You’ll find the full guide at the end of this newsletter.)

We started with breakfast at Atelier September. There was a bit of a line, and we wondered if it was worth the wait. We each ordered the Danish breakfast: two thick slices of sourdough bread, a jammy boiled egg, Comté cheese, flaky sea salt, a small bowl of jam, and the most incredible whipped butter. It looked simple, served on a single plate, but it was unbelievably good. Doug said it was the best bread he’d ever had. The crust was super crunchy and the inside chewy, with that deep sourdough tang. I kept tearing off pieces to build different combinations: cheese alone, cheese and jam, butter and jam. It reminded me that all you really need are a few top-quality ingredients to make something special.

Still dreaming of this breakfast!