Greetings from Charlotte

Last month we managed to perk up an uninspiring January with a guest chef visit from Trina Hahnemann. Trina joined us on Friday January 22 to cook and serve a three-course meal to a full restaurant. The evening proved to be a true success with Trina explaining the story and idea behind each recipe. Most guests also got to have a word with Trina before the dinner to find out more about herself and her cooking style. We were particularly proud to welcome HE Danish Ambassador Birger Riis-Jørgensen and his wife, Karin, as well as radio and tv-presenter, Mariella Frostrup. I would like to thank everyone for coming and we hope to follow up with similar exciting events during the year.

During the month of January, I also treated Rene, Head Chef, and Heidi, Assistant Manager, to a fantastic meal in another Scandinavian inspired restaurant. This was of course Texture on Portman Street, W1. We happened to visit the week when they had just been awarded their first Michelin Star and we were therefore treated to a glass of champagne. It is a fantastic restaurant and I can only recommend it to anyone interested in Nordic food. You can find their website here.

And then a bit about ourselves...Madsen was reviewed by the Mostly Food Journal in January. They wrote up a great piece about us and they were particularly wowed by our "caramel creme" that we make with the choko stout from Svaneke. You should come and try it for yourself! February - it is all about Valentine's Day and Pancake Day. More about that below.

Thank you for following us,

Charlotte

Valentine's at Madsen

Valentine's is getting closer and this year you should prepare for a full weekend's indulgence. February 14 is on a Sunday, so why not enjoy a good night out on Saturday too! We have come up with a lunch and dinner menu for the weekend for couples that would like to share that special meal with champagne. We will be calling the florist for rose petals for the tables...

You can find the full menu here but below is a preview. When you book, please remember to mention that you would like the Valentine's menu.

LUNCH

Seafood canapes and mocha layer cake with Champagne, £18.00 per person
Canapé tray to share
A selection of typical Scandinavian canapes:
Smoked salmon, salmon mousse, egg salad, oyster remoulade and toast Skagen
followed by
Heart shaped layer cake filled with mocha and orange mousse. Served with Cointreau marinated orange

DINNER

Starter
Scandinavian canapé tray to share
A selection of : smoked salmon, salmon mousse, egg salad, oyster remoulade and toast Skagen

Mains
Pork loin and crackling served on Jerusalem artichoke and apple compote with thyme sauce and roast potatoes
Or
Baked haddock on a bed of Brussels sprouts, parsnips, almond and lemon with sauce beurre blanc and pommes en papilotte

Dessert
Heart shaped layer cake filled with mocha and orange mousse. Served with Cointreau marinated orange
£32.00 per person
including a glass of champagne

Pancake day - February 16

Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day as it is popularly called, is this year on Tuesday, February 16. Shrove Tuesday is the last day before the Christian Lent. In the past, it was a strict religious period where people gave up all rich food. As Lent is a time of abstinence Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to treat yourself and use up the foods that are not allowed in Lent. Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were forbidden during Lent.

In Madsen we will be celebrating Pancake day too. Rene, our head chef, has therefore come up with three pancakes to choose from on this special day. We will be serving them for both lunch and dinner:

Seafood pancake: Two dill and lemon pancakes filled with haddock and prawns stew. Served with mixed leaves, £ 13.50

Chicken pancake: Two Scandinavian stir-fry pancakes with chicken and root vegetables in a horseradish sauce. Served with mixed leaves, £ 11.50

Cloudberry pancake: A sweet pancake served with cloudberry jam and Oddono's vanilla ice cream, £ 5.50

Food bloggers - what are they all about?

Twitter, Facebook and blogs... The internet is full of information about products, services, theories and all odd things. While joining Twitter (as MadsenLondon) we got introduced to the world of food bloggers. Food bloggers have very different profiles and styles of writing however, they are generally very up to date on what is going on in the food world and particularly in their local area. One of our favourite food bloggers is Signe Skaimsgard Johansen who operates under the name of Scandilicious on Twitter and uses the same name for her blog http://scandilicious.blogspot.com/ .

Signe is actually Norwegian and a fantastic spokeswoman for Nordic food. MadsenLondon first got to know Signe on Twitter and Signe has since been very helpful at getting us in contact with other food bloggers and in general spreading the word about the restaurant. She has even organised a "meatball bonanza" for food bloggers in the restaurant and we are currently planning a Scandi Food, Beer & Akvavit evening for all great foodies. Having already contributed to two books Signe is working on a book of her own and starts a PhD in the anthropology of artisanal bread this September. Her dream is to open a Scandinavian bakery in London one day. Here is a bit more about Signe:

Signe grew up in Norway with a Norwegian father and English-American mother, she read archaeology and anthropology at Cambridge as an undergraduate and recently completed her Masters in the anthropology of food at SOAS, part of the University of London. Having done the Leiths diploma and gone on to train as a chef stagiere at the Fat Duck Experimental Kitchen, Signe now alternates between freelance food writing, private catering, teaching the techniques of cooking and researching the anthropology of food whilst working for food and wine writer Fiona Beckett.

To follow Signe on Twitter and see what she is currently up to click here . You can find the Scandilicious blog here.

Fastelavn in Regent's Park

The Danish Church in London is marking the season of carnival with a traditional Danish Fastelavn Party. Fastelavn evolved from the Roman Catholic tradition of celebrating in the days before lent, but is now considered a time for children's fun and games. On the day children dress up in costumes and gather treats from the adults for the Fastelavn Feast.
Traditional events include "slå katten af tønden" (beat the cat out of the barrel), beating a candy-filled wooden barrel until it breaks and eating 'fastelavnsboller' ("Fastelavn buns"), a round sweet roll covered with icing and filled with cream. The Fastelavn Party is open for everyone and there is no need to RSVP.

Sat 13 February / 2pm
£2

Danish Church
4 St Katharine's Precinct
Regent's Park
London NW1 4HH www.danskekirke.org

In Madsen we will have Fastelavnsboller on the menu during the weekend of February 13-14.

Recipe of the month

Spelt pancakes with blueberries

For a more healthy pancake on February 16, you can use spelt flour. This month's recipe we have taken from Trina Hahnemann's book "The Nordic Diet". Trina was a guest chef in the restaurant in January which was very inspiring. We like getting new ideas from her books and we are therefore letting you in on one of her recipes this month. For the budding cooks of Scandinavian cuisine, or just as a really nice gift idea, we are now selling both The Nordic Diet and The Scandinavian Cookbook in the restaurant.

For 12 big pancakes - You will need:

2 eggs, 400ml buttermilk, 1 vanilla pod, 200g spelt flour, 100g plain flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1tsp salt, 325g fresh blueberries, 75g butter (for frying), runny syrup to serve

To make the pancake batter, beat the eggs together in a large mixing bowl. Add the buttermilk and beat again. Split the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the tip of a knife. Mix the vanilla seeds, flours, baking salt and soda together, then add the egg mixture and beat again until smooth. Mix in 125g of the blueberries.

Melt a little butter in a frying pan, and using a soup spoon, place three separate spoonfuls in the pan so that you fry three small round pancakes at a time, turning them gently once, until nice browned on both sides. Keep each batch warm under a tea towel while you cook the rest. Serve right away, topped with more fresh blueberries and syrup.

What's on in the area

Natural History Museum

Wildlife Photographer of the year (until April 11): Find out who was named Veolia Environment 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

Depeche Mode (February 17 at 19.30): The group has spent most of 2009 on their acclaimed worldwide ‘Sounds Of The Universe Tour’, which was one of the biggest of the year and sold over 2 million tickets in Europe alone. This Royal Albert Hall show looks set to be a true highlight of a sensational tour. Click here to buy tickets.

Christie's - Old Brompton Road

Christie's Interiors (February 9): 1900 century furniture and mirrors are up for sale. For the catalogue click 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