The uproar over the decision to add cycle paths to one of Frederiksberg’s most historic streets is with good reason, as a large proportion of HC Ørstedsvej’s visitors are drivers who stop to shop – the range of shopping experiences is so good they can’t help themselves.
Monellies
This newly-opened café-come-shop, which is run by a once-married couple (only in Denmark), is an Aladdin’s cave of mouth-watering food and drink products with a healthy, politically correct twist. There are 47 own-brand varieties of tea alone (the ‘buckthorn with jasmine’ is the most popular), tea blends from Perchs, The London Tea Company, Pukka and Chai Tea, as well as own-brand coffee, some beautifully coloured French lemonades, and dark chocolate. “Most of our stock is organic, fair-trade and sustainable,” explains co-owner Nina Esper about the products, which are all beautifully arranged in old wooden fruit boxes on the wall. “We like to see ourselves as a gourmet food shop with a focus on tea and chocolate.” The Thorntons ‘lightly salted dark chocolate with macadamia’ is now my new favourite treat, and it is one of the few shops to stock the Danish/British chocolate brand ‘Chocolate and Love’. It’s a perfect place for finding that tasty but pricey ‘hostess present’ to satisfy the growing number of quality-obsessed foodies in town. Monellies has plans to add specially imported wines to its stock and make use of its vast shop space to host special arrangements and an art gallery.
HC Ørstedsvej 38; open Mon-Fri 08:00-18:00, Sat-Sun 09:30–17:00, 2623 7769; www.monellies.dk
Fisk & Færdigt
“The best quality plaice I have ever experienced,” enthuses Nina from Monellies about the fishmonger next door: Fisk & Færdigt, which is owned by British former Michelin chef Simon Longhurst. She’s also a fan of the homemade remoulade. On Thursday and Friday you can save kitchen time and get already-prepared dishes like quiches, sushi or fish frikadeller to take home. Simon is often known to do fish and chips, and it’s a great place to buy organic turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
HC Ørstedsvej 37B; open Tue 12:00-17:30, Wed & Thu 10:00-17:30, Fri 10:00-18:00, Sat: 10:00-14:00; 3535 1729; www.simonsfisk.dk
Mandrup Poulsen Tapeter
Fed up with the Danish obsession with white walls? Mandrup Poulsen, which was founded well over 100 years ago, has wallpaper to suit any taste, from pop art to brick walls, and from 1970s psychedelic to romantic flowery prints. It’s a great place to buy leftover sheets of wallpaper and products not typically found here, like wallpaper borders for decorating the kids’ room, and really odd accessories!
HC Ørstedsvej 56; open Mon-Fri 09:00-17:30, Sat: 10:00-13:00; 3535 8505; www.mptapeter.dk
