Marv & Ben

Marv & Ben is a well-reviewed, well-respected restaurant that I was looking forward to. Walking in to their rustic interior (set below street level), I was warmly greeted by the host and led to my table. My reservation was early and the restaurant was empty. I was seated at street level with a view of the open kitchen, though they have additional seating upstairs. All staff were friendly and welcoming, and it felt quintessentially New Nordic in every way.

This restaurant is delivered by a team with a few other similarly respected Copenhagen restaurants - The Pescatarian and Anton. It's clearly a group that knows how to put a restaurant together. The concern I find with restaurant groups is that the restaurants become a bit programmatic. Safe. Risk-averse. You get a good, solid meal, but without inspiration or "wow". 

The first part of this meal proved my suspicions wrong. The initial bites were tremendous, inspired and full of flavor. The hamachi was so smart and impressive, with an absolutely beautiful and incredible product (the fish) at the heart of it all. This was followed by the squid dish, with enoki mushrooms, watercress and Ras el hanout - a North African herb blend that was an interesting and unexpected choice in this Nordic restaurant. But it worked. The dish was a warm hug and simply tremendous.

The bread was a homemade sourdough with rye flour and brushed with bone marrow, accompanied by homemade butter with whey flowers. Can't be done any better than that.

At this point, the restaurant was filling up. And it was at this point that the meal as a whole took a turn. Sure, there will be a more attentive staff in an emptier restaurant. But the difference was large and noticeable. Staff began to feel a bit more busy and far less available. Timings went out the window. It was a marked difference and felt like a different restaurant and experience.

The dishes in the latter half were also not nearly what the first half was. The beef tartare was fine, but that's all. The tenderloin was vastly underseasoned. Braised pork cheek firm and chewy rather than supple. The dessert was excellent but didn't shake the overall feeling that had been established.

This is a good restaurant, but not a great restaurant. 

I visited The Pescatarian the next evening when other plans I had fell through. It felt a bit more elevated, but essentially the same. Good, not great. Both are terrific values. This dinner was $130 including tip and a glass of their homemade juice. But with so many other superb and special restaurants around Copenhagen, it's just not a place that will draw me to return.