From Côte d’Azur lemons to Japanese tuna, from fluffy brioches to wobbly tartes, and from crushed rose leaves to shaved truffles: the best bites of my life (so far) combine a wide array of tastes, textures, styles, and locations. Here’s numbers 50-41.
50 – Scandi Sushi
🍽️ Akami Nigiri
📍 Sushi Anaba, Copenhagen
🌐 Website | Instagram
👨🏼🍳 Mads Battefeld
🗓️ 2025
You are looking for the best sushi in the Nordics? Look no further than Sushi Anaba!
Mads Battefeld trained in Japan before opening his own restaurant in Copenhagen. At Michelin-starred Sushi Anaba, he offers an authentic Japanese omakase experience – but with seafood largely sourced from the cold waters of Scandinavia.
The highlight of the meal are undoubtedly the perfectly crafted nigiri. Among them, the Akami – from the lean back of the tuna – stood out the most: light yet creamy, delicate yet deeply flavourful, and incredibly tender.
But the experience goes far beyond a single bite. From start to finish, Sushi Anaba feels like a direct gateway to Tokyo – right in the heart of Copenhagen. Read my full review of the meal here.
49 – Apulia in Hamburg
🍽️ Jakobsmuschel • Olivenöl-Sud • Ananas • Salicornia
📍 Bianc, Hamburg (permanently closed)
🧑🏼🍳 Matteo Ferrantino
🗓️ 2021
Chef Matteo Ferrantino brought a piece of southern Italy to the north of Germany. At his two-Michelin-starred restaurant Bianc, everything – from the décor, featuring an olive tree from his hometown planted in the dining room, to the cuisine – breathed the spirit of Apulia.
His tasting menu unfolded like an entertaining multi-act performance, culminating in this striking dish: a seared scallop served in olive oil, paired with pineapple and salicornia. An unusual yet beautifully balanced and memorable combination.
At the end of last year, Ferrantino left Hamburg. Wherever he goes next, a unique expression of Italian cuisine will follow – and hopefully, one day, so will I.
48 – A Citrus Rose
🍽️ Mediterranean Rose • Citrus
📍 Mirazur, Menton
🌐 Website | Instagram
🧑🏼🍳 Mauro Colagreco
🗓️ 2017
In the town of Menton, just next to Monaco on the Côte d’Azur, chef Mauro Colagreco has created something truly special: his restaurant Mirazur holds three Michelin stars and has even been rated the best restaurant in the world by The 50.
Originally from Argentina, Colagreco’s cuisine is a modern expression of French cooking, largely led by the ingredients from his own garden and the surrounding region. Among the highlights are the famous Menton lemons, which appear throughout the menu in various forms and are especially celebrated in his Mediterranean Rose dish: the sweet, intensely fragrant lemons are used as juice, zest, oil, and in fermented form, paired with raw seafood and arranged into the shape of a rose. Visually striking and incredibly fresh, it’s a beautiful tribute to the region and its produce.
Combine this with the stunning views of the Côte d‘Azur and you get an absolutely unique and unfergettable dining experience.
47 – The Brioche Bomb
🍽️ Bread & Butter
📍 Jordnær, Gentofte
🌐 Website | Instagram
👨🏼🍳 Eric Kragh Vildgaard
🗓️ 2025
At 3-Michelin-starred Jordnær there is no changing seasonal menu. Instead, all the dishes that leave the kitchen have been perfected by chef Eric Kragh Vildgaard over many months – if not years. The result: each plate feels like the ultimate version of itself.
Even something as simple as bread and butter reaches extraordinary heights here: the warm brioche served at Jordnær is the fluffiest, butteriest, tastiest you will ever eat! To say it alone is worth the journey to Copenhagen would not be a stretch – you deserve to taste bread of this quality at least once in your life! And the good news is: you can order more of it throughout the meal. So, what are you waiting for?
46 – Rich Scallop
🍽️ Jakobsmuschel X.O. • Yuzu & Seeigel
📍 Tulus Lotrek, Berlin
🌐 Website | Instagram
🧑🏼🍳 Max Strohe
🗓️ 2021
Chef Max Strohe and restaurant manager Ilona Lazer Scholl have created something truly special in Berlin – and my favourite restaurant in the German capital.
From the tiny kitchen at Tulus Lotrek come dishes of remarkable quality and bold, intense flavours. Rooted in French cuisine, yet unmistakably their own, the cooking is both refined and full of character.
One of Strohe’s signatures is the scallop “X.O.”: a perfectly seared scallop with a golden crust, served alongside a buttery purée of carrot and sea urchin, and finished with a spicy crustacean X.O. sauce. The depth of the sauce, the velvety richness of the purée, the roasted notes of the scallop, and a hint of yuzu come together in perfect harmony. Simply wonderful!
45 – Two Plates for a Hallelujah
🍽️ Kaviar „AKI“ und Rindertatar • Yuzu • Kartoffel-Dashi & -Schaum
📍 The Table Kevin Fehling, Hamburg
🌐 Website | Instagram
🧑🏼🍳 Kevin Fehling
🗓️ 2021
Just reading the ingredients of this dish is enough to make your mouth water: beef tartare, caviar, potato foam – can it get any better?
At Kevin Fehling’s three-Michelin-starred The Table, it comes as no surprise that the two plates served as part of his outstanding tasting menu are absolutely delicious! The course combines high-quality beef tartare – delicately marinated in potato dashi – with a generous layer of caviar and frozen yuzu droplets for a burst of freshness.
An airy potato foam, topped with crispy potato cubes and chives, adds depth and perfect balance. And with a glass of crisp South African white from Fryer’s Cove Vineyards to highlight the caviar’s salinity, the stand-out experience is complete!
44 – Crush Your Own Dessert
🍽️ Raspberries • Rosehip
📍 Lyst, Vejle
🌐 Website | Instagram
👨🏼🍳 Daniel McBurnie
🗓️ 2022
A meal at Michelin-starred Lyst is a fascinating, interactive dining experience.
For the first dessert, guests are invited to choose their preferred tool from a selection of wooden mortars. Then, a plate of delicate pink rose petals arrives. Once the waiter covers them with steaming liquid nitrogen, they instantly freeze, turning crisp and brittle. Using the mortar, you crush them yourself into fragrant shards.
Topped with a scoop of raspberry and rosehip ice cream, the contrast of textures transforms into a beautifully balanced and delicious dish. A playful, sensory moment that perfectly captures Lyst’s philosophy: dining as an experience for all the senses.
43 – Refined Tradition
🍽️ Truffle • potato • Comté • Vin Jaune • preserved mushrooms
📍 Søllerød Kro, Holte
🌐 Website | Instagram
👨🏼🍳 Brian Mark Hansen
🗓️ 2024
Søllerød Kro has been welcoming guests since 1677, evolving from a historic Danish inn into a true fine dining institution just north of Copenhagen – and holding a Michelin star since 2007.
My favourite dish: A crisp tartlet, layered with silky potato purée, topped with a beautifully star-cut arrangement of preserved mushrooms. At the table, it’s finished with a rich Vin Jaune sauce and a generous shaving of truffle – refined, indulgent, and oh so satisfying.
The atmosphere is effortlessly Danish: elegant yet relaxed. On the plate, however, it’s classic French cuisine that takes center stage.
42 – 10/10 Halibut
🍽️ Halibut • oyster leaf • peas
📍 Koan at Relæ, Copenhagen (pop up)
🌐 Website | Instagram
🧑🏼🍳 Kristian Baumann
🗓️ 2022
At his Copenhagen-based two-Michelin-starred restaurant Koan, chef Kristian Baumann bridges New Nordic cuisine with his Korean roots – creating one of the finest dining experiences I‘ve ever had.
Before settling into his permanent location, I had the chance to experience Koan‘s cuisine at a pop-up, where this unforgettable dish brought together many of my favourite ingredients: A beautifully cooked piece of halibut was hidden beneath shavings of black truffle, oyster leaves, and some elderflowers. Sweet peas and a rich Champagne butter sauce tied everything together.
Elegant, expressive, and simply outstanding – a perfect 10/10!
41 – Wobble, Wobble
🍽️ Egg Tart • Poppy Seed and Black Tea
📍 Jatak, Copenhagen
🌐 Website | Instagram
👨🏼🍳 Jonathan Tam
🗓️ 2022
It’s at dessert time that a meal at Michelin-starred restaurant Jatak truly reaches its peak. The restaurant’s ever-changing cake creations are consistently stunning.
My favourite so far – and one of the most memorable desserts I’ve ever had – was the legendary egg tart served during Jatak’s first weeks after opening. A crisp pastry shell held an extraordinary egg custard: impossibly wobbly, silky-smooth, rich yet somehow still light.
Finished with savoury notes of poppy seeds and black tea, it struck a perfect balance between comfort and refinement. Simply stunning!
