Ituri Salon: Hair Salon Love

If you read a lot of design blogs you may have noticed that hair salons don’t often get mentioned on design blogs.  You see restaurants, you see houses, you see hotels, you see retail stores, but hair salons… get left out.

Here is my effort to give hair salons some love and appreciation.

This is the interior of Ituri Copenhagen.

I was there tonight and shot some pictures while I waited.

This salon does hair, makeup and nails for theatre and non-theatre folk.  

ANNNDDDD…….. you gotta love late night Wednesday hair appointments-I think they are the only salon in the city open until 9pm on a Wednesday. 

I like the diamond interior theme running throughout Ituri and also noticed they decked out their chairs with pillows and throws from Ferm Living,- which I later found out also blogged about them.

ITURI
Esplanaden 6-8
DK- 1263 Kobenhavn K

Date Night #4 Host

The bells are ringing outside my flat- It’s 6pm time to pack it in and go home.  At least that is my translation of the 6pm bells.

It has been a busy week of marking for me.  If any of you have ever taught a class, I think you would agree with the challenges of grading a large number of papers.  It is very time consuming to get each paper the attention and feedback it deserves.  I will leave my commentary at that!

I had my first visitor last week, my mother-in-law.  I thought my sister-in-law may also show up but she called last night and is planning a visit in the spring.  That’s probably a better idea seeing how last weekend’s temperature with the wind chill was about minus 15 (although it only registered -2!!).  There is something about seeing the Little Mermaid statue in high wind and minus 15 weather that doesn’t bring the same pleasure as viewing it in warmer weather.  She was still beautiful posing among ice and rocks.

Date Night- as promised, a small recap of our weekly Friday night restaurant in Copenhagen.  The three of us venture to Host last Friday.  I wish I could show you food pictures of our three hour dinner (more on that later) but it was so cosy in their (READ dimly lit for cosy effect AKA DARK) that nothing would turn out without blasting an obnoxious flash.

Host is a new(ish) restaurant in Copenhagen and is part of the Cofoco Group (they have a bunch of other good restaurants in the city).

I was excited to see the interior (it’s been talked about a lot in the blogsphere/design press) and to taste the food of course.  The interior is just beautiful.  There is a lot of wood, there are trees, candles, industrial fixtures and big windows.  They have created the perfect dining environment.  For those who are considering a visit, I will warn you that the menu is small.  There are two options: A set menu of three dishes or an a la cart menu with four dishes (one appetizer, one main, one cheese, one dessert).  My husband and mother-in-law went for the set menu and I choose two items from the a la cart because I do not eat pork or shellfish.  If you are vegetarian and think you will go hungry, apparently you can make a special request to the kitchen. Otherwise, the veg options are zilch.

They had:  Scallops with artichokes – hay, blackcurrants and something involving clams.  Next up was the main that consisted of roasted pork belly with beetroot compote with mustard grain – toped with pickled dehydrated beetroot and smoked Danish cheese.  Dessert was a yogurt ice cream topped with peanuts with milk chocolate, warm white chocolate foam with raw licorice.

The set menu came with an amuse bouche which was veal tartar with a root vegetable on top and a palate cleanser half way through the meal- savoury oatmeal in a mushrooms broth with dried violet leaves.  I liked the oatmeal a lot actually.

I had the ox roasted in onions – pickled beech mushrooms – watercress – morel sauce which was absolutely delicious.  I also tested the a la cart dessert of yogurt ice cream with tart apple compote, apple vinegar meringue and chervil sprinkled on top. I did not know I was a fan of ox but however it was prepared, it tasted delicious. 

Before you are served, the waitress brings you a round loaf of fresh Manitoba bread that is to die for.  It comes with an intense parsley olive oil + sea salt for dipping.  We polished that off quite quickly.

Photo Source: 1, 2, 3, 4 

We all enjoyed our meal but the issue was with duration of time.  I do leisurely dining. I’ve dined in relaxed settings before, but last Friday night was a bit excessive.  The meal dragged!  It felt like we were waiting an hour in between courses.

It was so slow it came to me asking our waitress what was going on?  Was the kitchen having a time issue? She replied it was her.    After I spoke up, the pace picked up.  I wish it did not have to come to that because I would not rush back in fear of excessively slow service.  Yes, perhaps she was having an off night- I get that but the three of us were finding the length of time painful.  We did not leave until 11pm.

This week I am headed to a local bio Italian joint which should be nice.

Hope your week is going well.

Have you dined at any interesting spots lately?  Do share!

Date Night #3 Madklubben Bistro De Luxe

It is cold here.  When people ask me where I am from and I respond Canada, they look at me and say, “Oh, so you’re used to the cold!” or “It’s really cold in Canada.”  To be honest with you, global warming has messed up Canadian weather. I remember when I was young, I used to have snow days.  School would be canceled because there was so much snow on the ground.

Toronto is lucky to have a couple major snow falls. Just last week, my friends and family were informing me that it was above 10 degrees in January.  That is pretty warm for winter if you ask me.  Now, over here in Copenhagen, it says minus 1 on my weather iPhone app, but I know it’s lying.  Even when the app says minus three, it is still lying to me.

Walk outside on the sidewalk in Copenhagen at around 4pm and it feels like -15.  I sense the temperature is approaching the point where your nose starts to freeze off.  For example, when I do my daily 20 minute walk to and from the yoga studio, by the time I get indoors, my fingers are numb and frozen.  I wear a full length coat down to my ankles, multiple layers, a scarf, a hat and big Sorrel boots (not the most attractive, but protective against the elements).  Dressing like that means it is not minus 1 outside.

Despite the cold weather, date night does not suffer.  In fact, it means exploring restaurants closer to home where you don’t have to walk or travel that far!  Last Friday we went to a spot called Madklubben Bistro De Luxe.  I love that restaurant name. It’s a mouthful of awesomeness.

Madklubben Bistro De Luxe is one of six restaurants which is part of a group.  The menu changes quite often.  This restaurant is adorable.  From the street, you descend down a few steps (with candles lit down the steps) into the restaurant.

(Appetizer: Smoked salmon with smoked cheese, greens and crunchy hazelnuts)

The restaurant is deceivingly large.  From the entrance, you have a dining space to your left, a long hallway of tables in front of you that extends back into a second room and then a smaller room behind the bar on the right.  On Friday night at 8:30pm, guess what? Madklubben Bistro De Luxe was packed with hungry diners sitting at candle lit tables and slicing (devouring) through the board of fresh rye bread and butter served at the start.

What we tried:

(Main: Fried duck breast with pickled fennel and artichokes)

(Main: Cauliflower three ways with a side of cabbage with walnuts and prunes)

Menu shot!

(Just entering the restaurant- a look at the walk up bar)

Appetizer: Charcuterie plate of meat- not sure exactly what each item was but my husband really enjoyed it.

With two courses each we were stuffed.  We wanted to sample a dessert but sadly, there was no more room, so we lived vicariously through our neighbours who were polishing off a bottle of red wine and dipping into their last course.

We will have to return one night for a dessert, seeing how it is only down the street from our apartment.  As we left the restaurant, I did think the pace of dinner was a bit rushed. We were in and out in an hour, but then again, does dinner always need to be a two or three hour affair?  We came, we ordered, we ate, and we were satisfied by their efficiency.  I would go back.

The other bonus, Madklubben Bistro De Luxe is not ridiculously priced (in CND or USD).  It is a bit friendlier on the exchange rate/wallet in comparison to many of the 375-500DKK prix fixe meals in the city (roughly translates to $65-$85 per person).

Madklubben Bistro De Luxe- Store Kongensgade 66, 1264 Copenhagen +45 33 32 32 34

Reservations recommended!

Date Night this week will in fact be a double date night + 1.  I will be visiting two restaurants this weekend as I have a guest in town. I will be dining at Host and Kjobenhavn. More on both next week.

Host is currently the design darling-

See who is talking about Host:

1. Apartment Therapy: The Nordic Table

2. Contemporary Standard: Host Restaurant in Copenhagen

3. Scandinavian Deko: Norm + Menu + Cofoco = Host

4. Remodelista: The Viking Table Re-imagined

5. Dezeen: Host By Norm Architects and Menu

I (heart) Cool Convenience Store Design

I love e-Types’ concept and visual identify for C, a Copenhagen based convenience store.  e-Types, is a Copenhagen design firm.

The combination of the black and white with the heart is so eye catching for something as generic and boring as a convenience store.

I was just in Frederiksberg on the weekend and I missed checking this place out!

Oh well, next time.

Photo Sources: 1-3, 4

Date Night #2 Sticks ‘n’ Sushi

For Date Night #2, my husband and I decided to come out of our year and a half sushi hibernation in Prague and jump back on the bandwagon.  We went to Sticks ‘n’ Sushi.

On one of our week night walks, we noticed a busy looking sushi restaurant, so we memorized the name, and made a reservation when we got home for the following Friday. We went to dinner without reading a review or the menu.  This was a blind sushi tasting.  In most European cities, this is the same as a dining death sentence- unless you are prepared to pay for some high-end sushi!  I am sorry to say but non-high end sushi restaurants are hit and miss.

You could say we approached our date night at Sticks ‘n’ Sushi with much anticipation, curiosity and perspiration.

Wipe sweat off brow- this place was mind-blowingly good.  It came up in conversation with our waiter that we had just moved to Copenhagen two weeks ago and had not eaten sushi in almost two years.

He asked us if we had been to any other sushi restaurants in Copenhagen.  We said, he was our first.  “Good” he replied. “We are the best in the city, so you came to the right spot.”  And this is coming from a sushi chain (shudder shudder).

Photo Sources 1, 2-3 (mine), 4, 5, 6, 7

We ordered edamame that came topped with salt and a wedge of lemon and slices of raw salmon that was topped with mushrooms, shredded beets, onions and a mustard sauce. For sushi we ordered three rolls.  Each roll came creatively topped with unidentifiable glazes, sesame seeds, or crunchy bits.  Melt in your mouth fish.  The rolls had the texture, the flavour and the freshness all in one.  After a pot of freshly brewed loose leaf jasmine tea (bonus), we were tempted into trying their trio of sorbet (yuzu, hazelnut and vanilla), which also came topped with sculptural stuff (chocolate, crunchy butterscotch bits and a thin cotton candy-watermelon tasting sugar).

We left stuffed, satisfied and wanting to put sushi in our monthly rotation of date nights.  We won’t though because that will take away from visiting other restaurants.  I am still curious about other sushi restaurants in Copenhagen, so Sticks ‘n’ Sushi will not rein supreme until I test out a couple other spots.

The last thing I found interesting about this spot, was that not only was this restaurant packed, it was also lining up bag after take-away bag of sushi the entire time we were there.  People kept walking in and out to pick up their take-away sushi.

Address:   Øster Farimagsgade 16, 2100 København Ø. Telefon +45 35 38 34 63

Normann and Kale

I think I was having one of those right-place-right-time moments last Friday. I happened to be scanning my Facebook feed and noticed that Normann Copenhagen, one of my favourite Danish designers, was having a one night sale at the flagship store between 7-10pm.  I went last night.

Copenhagen’s design aficionados were out in full force.  Young, old- everyone and their mother were at the store to get their hands on some iconic “discounted” Danish design products (they were also selling Acne, Hay and a few other brands).  I arrived at quarter after 7 and there was already a line out the door.

I grabbed a bunch of items as I walked through the narrow sale corridor onto the main floor, only to put three quarters of it back.  If you’ve ever been to a sample sale of any kind, you know the drill– grab what you can get, then edit and delete.  I snapped this picture of the crazy line and posted it on Instagram while I was board of waiting.

The check-out line was the killer.  Why did I attend such a claustrophobic-yet thrilling event? I was on a mission to obtain a dining room light.  My husband and I waited close to 35 minutes in the check out line to get our large Hang Lamp in white.  We also scored a Tablo table in warm grey and a potato peeler (my husband’s wish).  Not too shabby!

I got my design fix for the week and now onto more important matters such as nutrition.  On the weekend I must have opened a dozen or so tabs on kale.  Some of the more standout recipes included the ones from here, here and here.

Nothing was really piquing my interest, so I decided to a mix and match and invent my own dish. I call it “The spicy kale, quinoa, amaranth salad with miso glazed sweet potatoes and pesto.”  If that is not the longest title for a salad, I don’t know what is.  All I know, is that when I ate it, it was really, freaking good.

Here’s what I did:

1 Find yourself a big bunch of kale.  I found a big bag of kale at my local green grocer down the street.  For some reason, I have not seen kale in the major grocery stores.

2.  Wash your big bunch of kale and remove any wilted ends.  I also removed the leaves from the thick, tough spine, because it is rather unpleasant to chew on and then I chopped all the leaves up into strips.

3.  Start making your quinoa/grain mix.  I mixed 3/4 cup quinoa, 1/4 cup amaranth to 2 cups of water.  I also added in a teaspoon of vegetable bullion and a pinch of herbs du provence.  Put your grains and water in a pot, bring the water and grains to a boil, then turn down the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes.  After the 10 minutes, I killed the heat and let the quinoa/amaranth mix sit for another 5-7 minutes (still covered) to finish cooking.  The grains have to cool down before they become salad, so I transferred them into a big porcelain dish and let them do their thing while I got back to making my spicy kale.

4. Mince some scallions, garlic or onions.  Heat up a frying pan with olive oil, put your scallion, onion or garlic in first until it starts to brown.  Then throw in your big bowl of cut up kale into the frying pan and start to stir the leaves around right away.  The kale will start to turn bright green quite quickly.  Note-you are not trying to wilt the kale in the pan.  You are simply trying to bring out its bright green colour and lightly cook the leaves.  As the kale cooks, I throw in a big pinch of chili pepper flakes and mix it all together. Take the kale off the burner and let it cool.

Next- I mixed the cooled grains and cooled kale together in a big bowl.  I topped the salad with cut up miso glazed sweet potatoes that I made over the weekend (I used this recipe and substituted squash for sweet potatoes and it was good!) followed by two big spoonfuls of almond-basil pesto.

Mix it all together and you get a salad that is sweet, spicy, crunchy, garlicky, pesto-ey, and full of protein and calcium.  This salad is now going to be a staple in my house.

I have made my declaration on the Internet!

The flavour combination was to die for and you can switch it up with whatever you have on hand.  Want more protein, throw in some chickpeas.  Want more crunch, throw in some raw cauliflower, or snap peas.  The options are endless-

Let me know if you try it!