Copenhagen’s best shawarma

I’m slowly…..very slowly coming out of my Christmas holiday/energi-sucking winter blogging-hibernation. And today I want to point you towards THE best place to fill your stomach with comfort food in Copenhagen.

Because that’s what your body screams for, when it’s cold outside, isn’t it?

When I’m in Denmark, it’s become a tradition that I meet up with my good old friend Tine at Shawarma Grill House at Strøget. (There’s another similar joint a few metres down the street, but it’s nowhere near as good as this one).

Here we choose between lamb or chicken (lamb is best) which has been marinated in a secret spice mix and is served up with salad and yoghurt dressing in home-made pita bread. The shawarma menu also gets you fries and a soft drink for 67 DKK (£ 7.70).

Then we head towards the kitschly decorated first floor, clutching our precious meal. We find a window seat near the gleaming red neon signs and chat and eat and occasionally look down at all the people running past on the busy shopping street.

Fast food doesn’t get much better than this! Even our eerie former Prime Minister loves this place (click and scroll down for pictures).

Damn, now I really feel like eating one again…

Shawarma Grill House
Frederiksberggade 36
1459 Copenhagen K
Website

Cold Christmas Copenhagen by night

The cold Copenhagen weather has turned evil and given me a bad cold. Add to that my constant running around town to catch up with good old friends and the poor blog has had to suffer a bit.

But I have four new Denmark-themed posts in the pipeline. One about my new practical black boots, another about where to find Copenhagen’s best shawarmas and then two about my favourite cafés.

But today I’ll leave you with a few pictures of cold, cold Copenhagen by night.

Snowed in

We arrived in Copenhagen yesterday and this morning I woke up with a sore throat only to be greeted by this Winter Wonderland outside the windows. Brrrrrrrrrrr.

It’s THE perfect weather for cosying up on the sofa with chocolate and a cup of hot steaming tea. Not so much for venturing out. Oh well, at least the Metro is not far away…..

The Little Match Girl – Den Lille Pige med Svovlstikkerne

En af mine H.C. Andersen yndlingsfortællinger er Den Lille Pige med Svovlstikkerne. Jeg husker, hvordan jeg som 5-6 årig fik læst den højt af min elskede farmor, og hvordan jeg som lidt ældre selv læste den med en stor klump i halsen og lidt for livagtige billeder af den lille forfrosne pige på nethinden. Følte nærmest at jeg selv sad sammen med hende i mørket, med sneen dalende omkring os og en hel masse afbrændte tændstikker mellem fingrene.

Jeg fandt en bog med H.C. Andersens eventyr i en genbrugsbutik, da jeg var i Hjørring, og har netop genlæst den lille fortælling, da jeg vil bruge den på det hold, jeg underviser i dansk. Og den holder stadig. Her er den i en online version, på både dansk og engelsk.

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One of my favorite H.C. Andersen stories is The Little Match Girl about a poor girl who freezes to death on New Year’s Eve. My beloved grandmother read it aloud for me when I was around 5  years old and I found it so incredibly sad and almost felt like I was sitting in the cold snow myself, trying to sell matches while imagining being inside in the warmth.

When I was in Hjørring I picked up a collection of H.C Andersens fairy tales and stories, including The Little Match Girl and reread it as I’m going to use it in my Danish class. Such a nice little story, and pretty bleak and brutal too. You can read it here in both Danish and English.