Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Crazy in Copenhagen & Mingling in Malmö!

Please head over to my new blog at TheUrbanHousewife.com, where you'll find this post & more!

Well, I've made my way back to the United States & have had a few days to recover. While I wouldn't say the jet lag is entirely behind me, I can't let that deter me from bringing you the goods on vegan treats all over Europe! While it wasn't my first destination, I thought I would start with Copenhagen, Denmark & also cover my day trip to Malmö, Sweden.

Copenhagen is a gorgeous city full of bike riders & amazing architecture! We made the quick journey from Berlin to Copenhagen & were greeted at the train station by our hostess Ditte & Jojo, who had come from Brighton to hang out as well! Once we arrived at her flat, we were thrilled to find Ditte had made brunch for us! A spread of pancakes, fresh fruit, Alpro yogurt, jams, bread, & the infamous chocolate croissants from a local organic bakery were covering the table & we were downright thrilled! In fact, Ditte continued to be a fabulous hostess as she made us quite a few meals during our stay. How did we get so lucky?

Det Rene Brød an organic bakery with 3 locations in Copenhagen. While not everything is vegan, they have quite a few things that are, including plain or chocolate filled croissants, cinnamon rolls, traditional Danish pastries, & breads. The pastries are amazingly flaky & light, a texture not easily produced, & I found myself back in the bakery daily. The staff is helpful, although they may give you a crazy look when you come in for the 3rd time & take away another round of pastries. Just ask them what is vegan & you'll be all set. If you find yourself in Copenhagen, do not miss this place, or you'll be sorry!

Det Rene Brød
is located at Elmegade 6, Rosenvængets Allé 17, & Ndr. Frihavnsgade 54.

Christiania is a neighborhood in Copenhagen built in the 1970's on a former military area. It's considered controversial as the residents built houses there without permission, are self governed, & drug use is not uncommon to see on the streets. Within this fun & quirky area, you'll find Morgenstedet, a vegetarian cafe with a daily rotating menu & many vegan options. Ryan & I opted to split the daily entree; mixed rice with a bean sauce & steamed vegetables, a bean salad, plus some carrot & leek soup with bread. Everything was hearty & filling with organic vegetables & although nothing was amazing here, it was a solid meal that really hit the spot. Known as one of the inexpensive spots in town, we were a bit surprised when this set us back $25, but quickly found out Copenhagen is a pricey city.

Morgenstedet is located at Fabriksområdet 134 in Christiania, 1440 Copenhagen.

The weather was mainly good to us, but if it began to drizzle, we would pop in to a cafe or coffeehouse from time to time. Folkets Hus, aka "house for the people" is a hub for art & culture & their Café Under Konstruktion is a great place to grab a beer, cup of coffee, or vegan hot chocolate & hang with friends until the weather clears up. While we didn't have any food here, I have heard they have vegan options for very reasonable prices. You'll also find free classes, movies, & other events in this great spot.

Folkets Hus is located at Stengade 50, 2200 Copenhagen.

About a 30 minute train ride away from Copenhagen is the Swedish city, Malmö. Not only is Malmö a beautiful, veg friendly place, it's also where we met up with the lovely Emmie of VegBitch & her fiancé Alex! While we had planned to go to Vegegården, it turned out it was closed for holiday. Additionally, a new all vegan cafe Astrid & Aporna– KÖK was opening the day AFTER we were there! No worries, though there were still many options to be found.

Kaptensbrons Kiosk is a large, unassuming box located in the middle of a square near the busy shopping area of Malmö. Hardly a place you would consider looking for vegan food, they actually have a full vegetarian menu, most of which is vegan! While Ryan went for the "Vegan Cheeseburger" with onion rings, I opted for a vegan version of a traditional Swedish dish called a'la Lindström. The dish consistent of two patties made of beets & beans & came with scoops of mashed potatoes topped with Lingonberry Jam, as well as a salad & pickles. It was almost like a Thanksgiving feast for lunch! For a quick meal in between sightseeing, this kiosk is a great option.

Kaptensbrons Kiosk is located at Lilla Nygatan, 211 38 Malmö.

After our tasty meal, we headed to Astrid and Aporna, a large vegetarian grocery store. I love to explore grocery stores, so this place was right up my alley & I found myself getting lost in the aisles for far too long. Every European veg product you could want from Cheezly to Alpro, gummy coke bottles to white chocolate bars is contained here. Each product has a guide on the label letting you know if it contains dairy, wheat, soy, or other allergens, so you need not brush up on Swedish to shop here! I snagged a bag full of goodies, including Tofuline Banana Chocolate ice cream to share with everyone & we headed out to our next destination.

Astrid and Aporna is located at Gustav Möllers gata 2, 211 51 Malmö.

A bit of rain started to fall on us, so we headed to a vegetarian cafe for warm drinks & ice cream eating. Kulturcenter Glassfabriken is a spot for local activists that holds meetings & demos, sells animal rights merchandise, & serves vegetarian / vegan food & drinks. While we stuck to our delicious ice cream & didn't partake in the food, the warm drinks hit the spot as we hid from the weather outside. The atmosphere was cozy & it was the perfect place to chat with our new found friends!

Kulturcenter Glassfabriken is located at Kristianstadsgatan 16, 21435 Malmö.

All in all, vegan dining in Copenhagen, Denmark & Malmö, Sweden is a breeze! I highly recommend visiting these beautiful cities for the architecture & culture, especially if you can score some croissants while taking it all in, yum! In addition to delicious food, you'll find fabulous people as well & I'm lucky to have spent time with some of them. Stay tuned for adventures in Berlin, Vienna, & Stockholm!

31 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

HA!! Love the last photo of you :-D

Meg said...

LOL! Love the expression on your face in the last photo.

That all sounds so amazing! :D So desirous of your chocolate croissants!!

Tami said...

It's so cool to hear about your trip!

What I wouldn't do for a good vegan croissant......

Jenni (aka Vegyogini) said...

I miss chocolate-filled croissants so much!

Adriana said...

Your trip looks like so much fun... The husband still owes me a honeymoon. I'm going to make him take me there! =)

No More Sad Geraniums said...

Oh wow, I'm glad that you have more updates of your European travels. This is really going to help me when I visit this summer!

x said...

Looks at those danishes & croissants! You lucky, lucky girl! Sounds like you had another awesome European trip :)

Anonymous said...

Sounds like an amazing place. Now I just have to get there one day! ;)

jb said...

Hooray for copenhagen! I was there this time last year and it was amazing. I'm glad you had a good time!

Anonymous said...

dude! i am like weeping as i read this!!!! i want to go to europe SO BAD...i've been, but only to england. this looks like so much fun. CHOCOLATE CROISSANTS? cheezly in grocery stores?! VEGAN GUMMY COKE BOTTTLES? you. are. killing. me.

looking forward to your next post. and welcome home!

Anonymous said...

what I wouldn't do for a flaky croissant right now...

Bethany said...

It all sounds like so much fun. and not to mention all of the great food. I can't believe you got to eat vegan crossiants. I'd be in there every day too.

Erin said...

Glad you had a good time and made it back alive! Everything so far looks amazing. Um...chocolate croissants?!?

Amey said...

uhmmm.... wow! Copenhagen is one of my favorite cities. I've been there twice, and I loved it both times. And Danish people are awesome! All the food looks super awesome. How rad that Ditte made you such a beautiful spread. My goodness. And those baked goods are seriously freaking me out. In this moment, I would commit unspeakable acts for a vegan chocolate croissant!
welcome home!

Anonymous said...

I think I might have said this already, but I'm sooo jealous! What amazing eats... I too would kill for a croissant that I don't need to make myself. I haven't actually had the pleasure of buying one from the store or a bakery, ever!

- jj said...

Hi there,

This is a great blog of yours, Your site is veyr informative. I love this recipe. I'm a wife living abroad. I have just started my own blog: TheShanghaiExpat. Please feel free to visit and let me know what you think for a link exchange.

Cheers,
Nikou

Anonymous said...

I so want to go to Copenhagen - I'd definitely visit that bakery to buy croissants every day! Sounds like you had a good time in Europe.

We ended up not going to Stockholm, decided to go later in the spring instead when it's a bit warmer - since we weren't going to catch you anyway!

Caroline said...

I really love this whole blog! again kudos!
caroline

River (Wing-It Vegan) said...

So jealous!! What an awesome trip! Gummy coke bottles? That's so weird! You always look so cute in all your pictures!

Lisa said...

such helpful info! And it sounds like you had a great time too.

gail said...

Awesome adventures!! Can't wait for the next ones

Penny said...

croissants? It is my dream to have a vegan croissant.

Jenna said...

Gimme those cinnamon rolls and croissants. I SAID NOW, BITCH.

Vegan_Noodle said...

Looks like you had an amazing trip... can't get over those chocolate croissants. Can't wait to hear about Berlin and Vienna!

The Vegan Snorkeler said...

Thank you for this post! Copenhagen and Malmo are definitely on my list of places I want to visit in Europe really, really soon. I will have to remember to look back at this post before I go!

Laci said...

Copenhagen sounds great- cinnamon buns and pink bangs- hehe! :-D

Brittany said...

Ah, unfortunately I'll be out of town that Saturday/Sunday. But I'll be in Vegas eating at Ronald's Donuts in honor of the parade. I'd be down for getting some Purgatory on that Friday if you're in town, though! We should do a blogger meetup!

I just realized I totally responded to the wrong post with my croissant comment. Hello, tweedle duh.

Vicki's Vegan Vice said...

FABULOUS!!!

Cakespy said...

Det Rene Brød : I believe it translates to "anyone who is reading this, please buy Jessie a plane ticket". You look cute as usual too--wish I could have been eating my way across the cities with you!

Anonymous said...

That DANISH.

Erika said...

Just arrived "i moderlandet!" I can't wait to try out your suggestions. Thanks for scoping out the veg scene in Sweden for me :P!