A visit to Denmark, Part 5: Italian Restaurant Experience.
Ignatios Souvatzis
Random Impressions from a Visit to Denmark
==========================================
(What happened so far:
Ignatios, Sylvia and their little son travel to Denmark. After spending
10 days with friends in a summer house near the sea, they go to Copenhagen
for a few days, before returning.)
Part 5: Italian restaurant experience
On Friday evening we decided to listen to our kid's repeated
"noodles!" cries and tried the first Italian restaurant on
Nyhavn. This happened to be the "Restaurant Pizzeria La Sirene",
Nyhavn 51.
ss you might or might not know, houses in that part of Copenhagen
are offset by half a floor from the street level. You descend some
5-8 steps to the lower shop, or some 5-10 to the upper.
La Sirene occupies both floors, and was of the 5 steps down/9 up
variant. Consequently, when we tried to enter the lower part (with
the child carriage), one waiter told us to go to the upper one, as
there would be more room there for the carriage. Oh well.
I felt hungry, and decided to try "Menu 1", which was supposed to
be Snails in Garlic Butter for the first plate, Fish of the Day
done Italian way for the second, and pancake in orange sauce.
Sylvia wisely decided to share Tortellini (we guessed close enough
to fit the cry for "noodles" mentioned above) with our little-one.
A beer with the Tortellini, a glass of red wine with Menu 1, an orange
juice with a straw for our kid.
Our drinks came... without the straw. We asked again, got some
suspicious look from the pony-tailed waiter, but were able to create
a sign of understanding on his face by explaining: "for sucking" and
got it immediately.
Eventually, I got a plate... with Canneloni. I scratched my head,
asked about the snails, and Mr Pony-tail told me the Canneloni were
first in the menu, the snails later. Err... well, I didn't remember
for sure, didn't have the card any longer... what the hell, fine
with me. I shared part of the Canneloni with our kid, to pacify
him ("noodles!").
After we finished the Canneloni, the Tortellini came, and a plate
for me with something covered by a nice looking sauce, with some
roasted potatoes and on the side. When I cut it it didn't feel like
fish... turned out it was some grilled beef. Actually, nice one.
Perfectly done. I started to open my mouth to complain, but
re-decided. The poor beast was dead and cooked, and at least deserved
to not be wasted.
When it (and most of the Tortellini) was eaten, and the empty plates
were taken away, nothing happened. Some half an hour later I decided
my pancake was forgotten, so I asked for the dessert.
Pony-tail: "err, which Menu did you have... one?" - "Actually, I
was supposed to have Menu 1, but apparently got Menu 2 by mistake."
- "Oh, I'm sorry... which dessert do you want know? Menu 1 has
pancake in orange sauce, Menu 2 has Tiramisu" - "I'd like the
pancake, please." - "Arafat! somethingitalian panacaki
somethingotheritalian!". Few seconds later Arafat (apparently the
cook) answered from down under "But with that menu there is Tiramisu!"
- "Doesn't matter, make the Pancake!".
It was served in less than 5 minutes.
When we got the bill, it listed Menu 2, which was more expensive.
We complained that we didn't want it in the first place. Pony-tail
said it wouldn't make any difference.
At this point we became a bit upset. We demanded to recheck the
menu card, and showed him it was DKK 179 vs. 189. He claimed it
wasn't his problem. We said yes it was, because we even complained
right at the beginning to him that I got the wrong menu. He said
he would be right back and disappeared for a minute, then returned,
took the bill, wrote -10 under it, then a horizontal rule, then
he asked whether it was ok, immediately left without waiting for
the answer and fetched a card to prove to us that the difference
should be DKK 10. When we confirmed, he took out a pocket calculator
to subtract the DKK 10.00 from the original sum.
Oh well. I didn't know whether to sigh or chuckle., we payed the
bill and left.
If you ever end up there: be very suspicious to what the waiter
does, says, hears, or writes, especially if he is pony-tailed...
On the other hand, Arafat the Cook is very recommended, even if he
prepares something you didn't ask for originally.
Jens Christiansen
Ignatios Souvatzis skrev i meddelelsen <7n5e5g$kh7$4...@tikal.rhein.de>...
>
>Random Impressions from a Visit to Denmark
>==========================================
>
On behalf of my people, the danes, I feel ashamed. Normally we are not like
that. I hope ,that you stay was OK, and that this situation have´nt spoilled
your meaning about ouer country
All the best
A Dane.
Ignatios Souvatzis
"Jens Christiansen" <j...@mail.dk> writes:
>
> On behalf of my people, the danes, I feel ashamed. Normally we are not like
> that. I hope ,that you stay was OK, and that this situation have´nt spoilled
> your meaning about ouer country
Hey, no problem. It was mostly funny...
If I was less lazy, I would also write up parts 1-4 and 6-9 :-)
-is