Copenhagen: wine and cheese at Vinhanen

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It’s difficult to explain the difference between Denmark and Sweden, or the difference between Stockholm and Copenhagen, especially as both countries and cities have different areas with different vibes, but overall I would say Denmark is just so much more relaxed.

Sitting like this, on a wobbly bench on the pavement outside a wine bar amongst parked bicycles drinking wine and using an old IKEA stool for a table is very Copenhagen. The bicycles are definitely a part of the scene and I like the no-fuss approach to basically everything.

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I actually can’t remember how we found this wine bar, but it was on our way to the restaurant where we had dinner after, and tired of shopping we just fancied a glass of something cold and some nibbles.

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And that’s exactly what we got at Vinhanen. Lovely cold wine (much needed in the August heat), crusty sourdough bread and yummy cheeses. The owner was lovely and chatty and we got to try the different wines so we got one we really liked. So nice!

In the store (you can also fill a bottle and take it away) they have big barrels of wine on tap, so you can order a bottle, a glass or a carafe. Clever!

Apart from the good booze and cheeses Vinhanen also offers a nice eclectic mix of people and fun people watching on the street. It’s the kind of place you want to hang out in all night. And that’s exactly what I intend to do next time.

Vinhanen, Baggesensgade 13, Nørrebro, Copenhagen

Malmö: pre-dinner drink at L’Enoteca

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A summer’s evening in Malmö. It’s a Friday and that holiday feeling is everywhere. We’re walking around town so my visitor can get an overview of this, Sweden’s third largest city, and as we walk past the cosy courtyard at L’Enoteca we decide to stop for a drink.

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The service was good and efficient and the prosecco excellent. We didn’t even have to queue for a table! So we sat there, enjoying life and each other’s company while people-watching (a favourite hobby of mine) before heading to dinner. I have a complicated relationship with Malmö, but this night I fell back in love with the city again.

L’Enoteca, Västergatan 6C, 211 21 Malmö, Sweden

Private dinner at The 10 Cases in Covent Garden

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The month of March was all about this lady (the one in the tiara), and after a lovely spa day we had the dinner for her hen do at The 10 Cases in Covent Garden. We had a room in the basement all to ourselves, where we could play silly games, unwrap lots of underwear and listen to our own music.

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The menu was cleverly displayed on three blackboards on the wall so it was just for us to choose what we wanted to eat on the day.

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My choice of starter was the scallop with coral croquette and samphire, very nice!

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For my main course I had the lemon sole with mushroom fregola (pearl pasta) and it was lovely too! For pudding I had the classic creme brulée, but we must have been playing a game at that time as I forgot to take a photo of it.

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We also had some wonderful wines as this is a wine bar first and restaurant second.

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This was just the sort of place we were after for Laura’s hen and I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as the bride and I did. Afterwards we headed to Marylebone for cocktails to toast the bride to be.

The 10 Cases, 16 Endell St, London WC2H 9BD