Chris Calvert
Ad man by day, pop-up restaurateur by night, Chris spends
much of his rare, spare time at hip Café Dyrehaven
AS TOLD TO ROSIE BIRKETT. PHOTO PETER SORENSEN
“
IN DENMARK, A BODEGA
is small, traditional bar that
accommodates all-day drinking, senior citizens
and general misfits. There are still a host of these
in their original state all over Copenhagen and
they’re a great place to go for a late drink – the
young crowd mixing with the older folk, who’ve
probably been going there for the past 25 years.
“
While retaining a lot of its bodega charm,
Dyrehaven
[
72
Sønder Boulevard; dyrehavenkbh.
dk
]
is a little different. It’s staffed by a friendly
bunch of woolly-hatted, check-shirted guys with
the obligatory smattering of forearm tattoos
who casually slosh the local lager, Høker, into
old-fashioned, handle-style beer glasses.
“
The food is tasty. Danish home cooking served
on a random collection of old china. The small
menu features dishes like duck with mushroom
compote; roasted potatoes and pickled
blackberries; belly of wild boar with mash or
the traditional Danish favourite, Burning Love
(
mashed potatoes served with bacon, onions
and apples). The keyword here is tasty. It’s the
kind of stick-to-your-ribs fare that mothers would
recognise, but the flavours are evolved and the
elements beautifully combined.
“
Décor is a mix of old bodega fittings, and
ironic embellishments, like a coat rack made from
upturned deer hooves. It’s the booths, though,
that really make this place special for me – perfect
for sitting with friends, getting a bite to eat before
downing a few jars and making each other laugh.
“
We used to go here every Friday after work.
We’d get dinner, have a few beers and end up
leaving when the place closed at 2am. Dyrehaven
is basically like your living room. It’s been the
starting point of so many fun evenings.”
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