When you hear the word Amagerbrogade used in relation to eating out, you would be forgiven for thinking about kebabs and pizza places. But at Amagerbrogade 44, you can locate a rare Amager treat: a restaurant of true quality.
Magasasa specialises in southern Chinese cuisine and was first established on Istegade in 2007, before expanding to its second location on Amagerbrogade. The first thing you notice about the restaurant is its unassuming building. Apart from a glittery billboard, there isn’t much glamour about the facade.
The inside décor filled us with confidence as many Chinese restaurants tend to be overly cluttered with gimmicky items and paraphernalia − there was none of that here. Instead the walls were quite minimalistic, with the only tackiness being a flat screen TV displaying a fish tank filled with goldfishes, which I oddly enjoyed.
From the start we were met with a pleasant attitude. The restaurant was almost filled to capacity, yet the service was efficient and fast. From when we had ordered to our appetisers, we waited only eight minutes.
We started out with two starters: Deep-fried golden king prawns and Pan-fried dumplings. I have always had a weird connection with deep-fried Chinese food: I always order it, but too often I am disappointed by the amount of grease and heaviness of the batter. This time I was pleasantly surprised. The batter was crisp and light, and it was obvious the batter was not supposed to hide the low quality of the prawn, as the prawn was fresh and tasty. The dumplings were equally fresh, stuffed with a nice pork filling and served with a side of sweet soya sauce … but really I would rather just talk more about the amazing prawns.
Before we received our main courses, we were offered to try their homemade mango smoothies, which we gladly accepted. As with the appetisers, the smoothies were spot on: neither too sugary, nor too mango-ey, as mango-flavoured things often run the risk of having an overbearing taste, which ruins the fun.
We decided to order three main courses and try to branch out as much as we could in terms of variety. The first course we ordered was Deep-fried chicken with sweet-and-sour sauce, served with a side of rice.
The presentation of the course was quite stylish as it came in a quaint wooden pot, which made the dish feel quite authentic. As with the Deep fried prawns, the batter was light and crispy and the chicken was cooked just right and had a very trustworthy colour, which is important to someone like me who has a slight fear of chicken.
The second dish was Stir-fried lamb with vegetables served in an iron pot, which was kept hot with a candle. I chose the lamb because even though it is one of my favourite meats, it often has a tendency to be stringy and badly served. The Magasasa lamb was light and spicy and the vegetables tasted fresh. It was not as exciting as the chicken, but was a very solid dish that offered no disappointment.
Our last main course was ordered from the vegetarian section of the menu and it was by far the most exotic of the three: Pan-seared green chilli peppers. Now the thought of dining on chilli peppers alone might scare most people, but the sauce they were served in and the way they were prepared turned this spicy garnish into quite the feast. Just remember not to make the same mistake I did: for your own good cut off the tips. It was during this dish that the mango smoothies really came in handy.
I couldn’t really find fault with Magasasa. The quality of the produce was high, the preparation was nice, the service good, the portions sizeable and the atmosphere enjoyable. There was no overbearing music nor gimmicks, it really was all about the food and I would recommend everyone who enjoys Chinese food to take a trip down the culinary street called Amagerbrogade.
Magasasa
Amagerbrogade 44, Cph S
3297 9999
Open: daily 12:00-23:00
Cuisine: Chinese
Top Dish: Deep-fried golden king prawns
Price Range: 362kr for two
appetisers & three main courses
www.magasasa.dk
