It’s been two years since we last visited Fisk & Færdigt on HC Ørsteds Vej in Frederiksberg, but while a lot has changed on the street, it’s clear once we enter that owner Simon Longhurst’s passion for food is alive and kicking.
Longhurst, a former London restaurant owner and Michelin star chef, is now a fishmonger. It sounds like a step-down, but for fish lovers, foodies and fans of traditionally-made tucker, it’s a definite step-up for this city. However, it’s been a couple of tough years for the shop during which it has made exhaustive efforts to stop the council from building a new cycle lane that would have prohibited doorstep deliveries (200-300 kilos per day) and greatly reduced passing trade.
After five public meetings, “in the end, they finally listened and gave us an option that allowed deliveries and some parking”, reveals Longhurst.
Nevertheless, takings are down 25 percent – 50 percent at others – and it took a great collective effort from the business owners, who every night blacked out their windows with plastic so local residents could wake up to an impression of what a street without shops would look like.
But enough about the past. Looking forward to Christmas, Longhurst will once again be supplying traditionalists with free-range turkeys as big as a truck (see photo), sourced from Silkeborg. To find out more, why don’t you come to the shop’s open house from 12:30 to 14:00 on Sunday 16 December at which Longhurst and his wife Camilla will be serving gløgg, Piscator beer from Mikkeller, tastings and – wait for it – freshly-made mince pies, eaten in the company of carol singers. It will give you food for thought before you order your turkey (the deadline is the next day).
And if you’re being adventurous this year (duck again, **** that!), why not have a fish starter. Longhurst has an excellent range, including fresh fish caught off the east coast of Jutland, herring, eel and, in the summer, taramosalata. Two specialities to look out for are Longhurst’s home-prepared fois gras (60kr a slice) and his all-spice (“No, not old spice you …”) marinated salmon from Fanø.
And looking ahead to 2013, many of our readers will remember Fisk & Færdigt’s excellent monthly fish & chip offer they took advantage of in 2010. “Watch this space,” promises Longhurst, who has resolved an electrical problem to soon make it a permanent fixture. “Your readers will be the first to know.”
Fisk & Færdigt is located at HC Ørsteds Vej 37B in Frederiksberg. It is open Wed-Fri 10:00-17:30 and Sat 10:00-14:30. Contact the shop at info@simonfisk.dk, 3535 1729 or 2143 5803, or visit www.simonfisk.dk for more details. Sign up on Fisk & Færdigt’s Facebook page and get alerts on special offers with photos so good it will be hard to resist. Fisk & Færdigt is open on Sunday 23 and 30 December – convenient for picking up your Christmas and New Year goodies.
