Greetings from Charlotte

We hope you have all had a very merry Christmas and a fun New Year. The restaurant was closed over Christmas and New Year for a break for all of us at Madsen. Since opening again we have been busy working on the winter a la carte that is mentioned below. Also, there is a slight change to our opening hours as we are now closed on Sunday evenings. It is a welcome break in our 7-day week!

In terms of special events, we are proud to annouce that Trina Hahnemann, Danish author of The Scandinavian Cookbook, is joining us as a guest chef for one evening on January 22. Trina is introducing her new Nordic Diet cook book to the UK market and you can read more it about below. On Friday, January 15, the Danish, Norwegian and Finnish chambers have organised a Young Proffesional party in Boujis, neighbour to the restaurant. In connection with this, we offer 2-4-1 on main courses for their members between 6pm and 7.30pm. We hope to see many of the party goers in the restaurant. And then ofcourse we are getting in shape for Valentines - more about that in February...

Winter A La Carte menu

The Christmas buffets are over and we are back to the a la carte both weekdays and weekends. The popular weekend brunch menu is also back - we are currently working on an update, so do let us know if you have any suggestions. On the dinner a la carte you will find Biff a la Lindström, pytt-i-panna, lots of frikadeller (meatballs), pan-fried plaice and baked salmon.

On the lunch menu we have re-introduced the herring platter with three kinds of herring: onion, mustard and Madeira marinated. We have also made sure there is a good choice of warm dishes and of course the lovely potato and leek soup finished with sparkling wine. The set menu with 2 courses at £13.95 and 3 courses for £18.95 for lunch is new. The set menu has a medium size herring platter, "Stjerneskud" or "Frikadeller" and our freshly made "Æblekage" (stewed apple with Amaretti biscuit crumble).

You can see the full menus here - God Appetit.

FT lunch - Take a friend for a fiver

Like last year Madsen is participating in the "Take a friend for a fiver" offer with Financial Times. This special promotion runs from January 16 to February 12, 2010. It allows readers of the FT to collect tokens from the newspaper over this period and then invite a friend for lunch at e.g. Madsen. With three tokens you will be paying just £5 for your friend's lunch provided you both have 2 courses. At Madsen we welcome diners wishing to book for this promotion from Monday to Friday lunch times.

You need to book in advance and mention the offer - this can be done on 020 7225 2772 or reservations@madsenrestaurant.com.

Trina Hahnemann as gust chef in Madsen

On Friday January 22, 2010, we are proud to have Danish Trina Hahnemann as guest chef in Madsen. Trina will be presenting her new book "The Nordic Diet" and you will be able to taste some of the delicious dishes during the 3-course meal. We will be serving:

Jerusalem artichoke soup with beetroot crisp

Baked filet of cod with cauliflower in mustard cream, kale and beetroot salad and roast potatoes

Lemon mousse with rye bread biscuits

The price for the meal is £24.50. The evening starts at 19.00 with the chance to meet Trina in person and see the fantastic new book. That evening diners receive a discount on both of Trina's books: The Nordic Diet is offered at £10.00 (£2.99 off) and The Scandinavian Cookbook is £15.00 (£5 off). Dinner is served at 19.30.

There is only limited space so please reserve in good time either by emailing us on reservations@madsenrestaurant.com (please mention Hahnemann event) or by phoning us on 020 7225 2772. We hope to see many of you for a healthy meal.

Trina Hahnemann - The Nordic Diet

Trina Hahnemann is a well-know chef in Denmark with her reputation growing abroad as well. She is a chef, food writer and owner of "Hahnemann's Køkken" that is an in-house catering company. She is also the co-owner and founder of Hahnemann & Co, an urban grocery store that sells her own line of food products in Denmark.

Trina has previously published The Scandinavian Cookbook. This month she is introducing her newest book that is called The Nordic Diet. As some might recall, last year there was a buzz in London about the new focus on Nordic food. The Nordic diet is comparable in terms of nutrition and healthiness to the well-known sun-ripened Mediterranean diet. In Scandinavia it is all about eating locally sourced, seasonal ingredients combined in a balanced diet of protein, carbohydrate and fat. The diet consists of a wide variety of grains, berries, vegetables, fish, poultry and game. In the book Trina provides a guide to the elements, ingredients and basic philosophy of the Nordic Diet and how to use it to lose weight. All these elements are combined in 75 diverse and delicious recipes. Trina was recently interviewed by the Metro paper where she spoke of her motivations behind writing the book - you can find the interview here.

Both books will shortly be on sale in Madsen.

The music of Jean Sibelius at Royal Festival Hall

The London Philharmonic Orchestra is performing Miraculous Logic: The Music of Jean Sibelius from Wednesday January 27 - Friday February 5, 2010. The performances take place in Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall with four concerts featuring all seven symphonies, plus music for soloists and orchestra. The conductor is Osma Vänskä from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki who brings with him one of Finland's best kept vocal secrets: the sublime soprano Helena Juntunen whose deliveries exude a radiance and Nordic charm all of their own.

Jean Sibelius (8 December 1865 – 20 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. In his own lifetime Sibelius became a central part of Finnish life and gave a musical voice to its movement for independence.

You can find out more about the concerts and book tickets here.

Swedish Weekend School

A Swedish parent group is currently in the process of setting up a non-profit Swedish Saturday or Sunday morning school in North London. The aim of the school is to keep the Swedish traditions and the language alive and allow it to grow through play, song and fun activities.

The group is looking for Swedish parents of school age children to add to the parents who have already expressed an interest for their children to attend the school.

Please contact Mari West for further details and information - ainamariwest@hotmail.com

Christmas competition

During the Christmas season we were running a competition for our diners. Each customer got a little voucher to fill out and we then put them all in a pot to draw a winner. The prize was a dinner for two with champagne in the restaurant. Emma, our Swedish waitress, drew the lucky winner on January 6, 2010. The winner is Borys Bodnar who has been informed by email.

We are looking forward to treating Borys to a special dinner at his convenience.

Cod with cauliflower in mustard cream and spelt spinach stew

This month's recipe is from The Nordic Diet. Do ask your fishmonger or supermarket to ensure the cod you buy is from a sustainable source.

Serves 6

200g spelt kernels, 500g spinach, 1 whole cod (about 1.25kg). 1 onion (cut in half), 3 bay leaves, 1 tbsp whole peppercorns, 1 tbsp sea salt, 1 cauliflower (separated into florets), 1 tbsp rapeseed oil, 1 garlic clove, salt and freshly ground pepper

mustard cream: 3 tbsp grainy mustard, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 6 tbsp chopped parsley

Boil the spelt in a generous amount of water for 10 minutes, drain and leave in the sieve. Rinse the spinach well in cold water, remove any tough stems and drain well. Cut the cod into large pieces, place in a pan and add the onion, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt with just enough water to cover the cod. Bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat and leave for 10 minutes with the lid on.

Sauté the cauliflower in a dry pan for a couple of minutes; if it starts to stick to the pan add a little water. Season with salt and pepper. Make the mustard cream by mixing the ingredients, season to taste and then mix it into the warm cauliflower. Slowly heat the oil and garlic in another sauce pan and then add the spinach and cook until wilted. Add the cooked spelt and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Take the cod out of the water and place in a serving dish. Serve with the spelt and cauliflower in mustard cream.

What's on in the area

Natural History Museum

Wildlife Photographer of the year (until April 11): Find out who was named Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009 and browse all the winning and commended images in the online gallery. You can leave comments and vote for your favourite image too. This is a popular exhibition so please secure your tickets in advance here.

V & A Museum

Decode: Digital Design Sensations (until April 11): Digitally growing plants and a mechanical eye that mirrors the blink of a visitor's gaze are among the digital works that feature in Decode: Digital Design Sensations. The exhibition shows the latest developments in digital and interactive design, from small screen based graphics to large-scale installations. You can find out more about this and other exhibitions here.

Science Museum

IMAX 3D Cinema - at the science museum they have a range of films on for the whole family. If you plan your visit in advance you can take advantage of their offer with "See 2 films and watch the second film half price". You need to pre-book the tickets in advance which can be done here.

Royal Albert Hall

Cirque du Soleil - Varekai (until February 14): Cirque du Soleil celebrates its 25th anniversary with a special return visit to the Royal Albert Hall with Varekai in January 2010. In a dream forest, acrobatics and beauty meet. Deep within a forest, at the summit of a volcano, exists an extraordinary world—a world where something else is possible. A world called Varekai. To find out more click here.

Christie's - Old Brompton Road

The Ski Sale - Very apt for the season Christie's have a Ski Sale on Thursday January 21, 2010. Many items are for sale with lovely old fashion ski posters. You can find the full catalogue here.

OPENING HOURS

Monday Midday - 10.30pm
Tuesday - Thursday Midday - 11pm
Friday & Saturday Midday - 11.45pm

Sunday Midday - 5pm
kitchen closes an hour prior to closing time

020 7225 2772
reservations@madsenrestaurant.com