01 June 2026
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With the news that Kadeau Copenhagen has received our highest award of Three MICHELIN Stars at this year’s MICHELIN Guide Ceremony for the Nordic Countries, now is the perfect time to reminisce on my dinner at this outstanding restaurant. Founded in 2011 as the younger sister to Kadeau Bornholm, where many of the ingredients are grown, Kadeau Copenhagen has risen through the ranks and now joins the best restaurants in the world. A distinctive and delightful experience spearheaded by co-founder and Chef Nicolai Nørregaard, my dinner here with a fellow Inspector is one I won’t forget for years to come.
Understated Excellence
Kadeau is a very discreet kind of restaurant, hidden down an unassuming brick-paved street with just its small, typically elegant sign telling you what lies within. We rang the bell and were swiftly welcomed inside, where what first struck me was the beaming smiles of the team. The door closed behind us and the outside world faded away, replaced by pure, joyful hospitality.
We were shown to our table, passing a small conservatory overlooking a courtyard and stopping off at the striking open kitchen, where some of the team greeted us and explained the restaurant’s ethos. Once sat at our table, I was struck by what a lively restaurant this is – the gregarious buzz of happy diners felt worlds away from the hushed gastro-temple atmosphere some may expect. The well-managed lighting ensured a moody vibe that paired well with the minimalist design, while the fully open kitchen was illuminated so we could see the chefs at work.
Smooth Service and Smiles All Round
As the evening unfolded, the international service team did an excellent job of making everyone feel at ease. The wide smiles we saw on arrival continued throughout the evening, giving the impression of a relaxed and happy restaurant. When we interacted with each team member, you could sense their passion as they discussed the dishes and the ethos behind the cooking.They were gently funny at times and were skilled at judging how much to engage with each guest, depending on their mood. The wine service was a prime example of this, as the sommelier answered my questions and made some excellent recommendations of wines to accompany the menu. The pace of the meal was spot-on too, and I could see how fluidly the various team members interacted with each other to keep the service running smoothly.
From Bornholm with Love
Even though Kadeau Copenhagen has scooped Three MICHELIN Stars this year, it’s impossible to discuss its success without mentioning its older sister restaurant in Bornholm – which holds a Star of its own. Throughout our meal, the service team explained the origin of the ingredients we were eating, many of which came from the Kadeau garden in Bornholm, a Danish island in the Baltic Sea with a unique microclimate that makes it well-suited to growing figs, plums and mulberries, among others. It’s also the birthplace of Chef Nørregaard and is integral to the way he sees food.
As the Copenhagen restaurant is open year-round but the harvesting period in Bornholm is relatively short, there are two distinct menus served at different times of year: the ‘Growing Season’ in the summer and the ‘Preservation Season’ in the winter. During our meal, we enjoyed the latter, meaning the menu was underpinned by preserved produce from Bornholm, along with seasonal meat and seafood. The kitchen’s skill at deriving maximum flavour from pickled, cured and fermented ingredients is like few others I’ve seen.
Detail, Balance and Perfect Produce
With all these ingredients, preserved and otherwise, Nørregaard and his team crafted a succession of immaculate dishes. My abiding memory is of how much work and attention to detail went into every dish, yet how straightforwardly delicious and easy to eat the results were. An incredible level of precision was involved in both the various techniques and the delicate balancing of flavours; every element was on the plate for a reason, with nothing overshadowed and every tiny detail playing its part in enhancing the main ingredient.Other than deciding whether to visit in ‘Growing Season’ or ‘Preservation Season’, there is no choice of menu at Kadeau Copenhagen. We simply sat back and let the charming team take over, serving a tasting menu of around 15 servings. Here are a few that have particularly stuck in my memory.
Tomatoes and Clams
The menu began with a few snack-sized servings, the first being a remarkable take on the humble tomato. The tomato had been dried and preserved from the summer, intensifying its flavour, and was paired with various types of seaweed. At the base of the dish was a tomato water that finely balanced acidity and sweetness.Following this was another pure expression of an ingredient’s natural flavour – this time with clams. The local shellfish had a fresh flavour and velvety texture, and was paired with a lively mix of gooseberries, clam juice and wild herb oil. The result was another display of balance, with sweet and sour elements sitting in harmony.
Raw Norwegian Shrimps
This dish was a superb example of how an outstanding ingredient can seize the spotlight with its delicious natural flavours. The five raw Norwegian shrimps had an almost creamy texture and were served with lightly fermented, sun-dried tomatoes – for the second time in the meal, a few simple tomatoes grabbed my attention with their impressively intense flavour. Finishing the dish was a silky sauce flavoured with the subtle spice of horseradish, along with a light aroma of rose.
Dry-Aged Duck with Preserves
Aged for 80 days, this top-quality duck was full of flavour and the breast was expertly cooked so its skin was crisp but the meat was soft and juicy. Alongside this was half of the heart and a small but mighty piece of confit leg. Binding them together was a duck fat jus that was used judiciously as it was so rich. Cleverly balancing the dish was a picture-perfect plate of various preserves. As a whole, every bite of this dish was one to savour.Warm Walnut Tart
As the final act of the meal, instead of an array of petits fours, we received this warm walnut tart to share – and I wish all meals ended this well. The pastry was excellent and the filling just as good, enhanced by a smooth walnut cream and shavings of fresh, fragrant walnuts on top. A classic dessert, this showed how good a seemingly simple dish can be when skilled chefs are in the kitchen.Inspector’s Tips
- When planning your meal, ensure you take the seasons into account. If you prefer fresh produce from Bornholm, come in the summer, but the winter is ideal if you want to sample the kitchen’s remarkable skill with preserving.
- If you’re visiting Copenhagen and need a hotel, look no further than Hotel Sanders, a One-MICHELIN-Key stay that blends cosiness and modernity – and is less than 15 minutes’ walk from Kadeau.
- If you love your meal at Kadeau Copenhagen, consider visiting its older sister in Bornholm, where you can see how ‘The Sunshine Island’ has shaped Nørregaard’s cuisine.
Hero Image: One of Chef Nicolai Nørregaard's dishes from Kadeau Copenhagen, newly awarded Three MICHELIN Stars. © Soren Kristian Reed/Kadeau Copenhagen
