Greetings from Charlotte

Kräftskiva - I must say the Swedes are into their Crayfish! It has been great fun to see so many come in for our Crayfish menu resulting in lots of singing, Akvavit and hats on. Such a merry atmosphere that we are already looking forward to next year. Thank you to all who came by and brought your friends with you. Beers and Cocktails - we now stock only Scandinavian beers with the newest additions being a dark ale, a "paradise" beer and a choko stout from Svaneke Brewery on Bornholm, Denmark. The cocktail list has also been updated to be even more Nordic and of course we have included the newly elected Copenhagen cocktail (find recipe below).

New pavement - unfortunately, due to roadworks we have been closed for lunch the past three weeks however, we are glad to announce we are now open as usual. The pavement outside our door is now widened quite a bit and the new square is taking shape. Next time the sun is shining and you are around, you should come and have a look - it is right in the sun both morning and afternoon. Catering - this month we have had the pleasure of catering for Onalytica in their new premises in Centre Point. We would like to congratulate them on their new location with fantastic views. We were also proud to meet lots of fashion people when serving smushi lunch at Lara Bohinc's shoe launch in Harvey Nichols. They look amazing and we would not mind getting our hands on them...soon.
TWITTER - yes, we have joined and we would love you to follow us. We call ourselves MadsenLondon and we keep updates on the latest news in the restaurant. We hope to meet you on Twitter.

Thank you for your kind support,

Charlotte

Akvavit Cocktails and Danish Beers

Cocktails - We turned experimental with our cocktails. We decided our cocktail list need a Scandinavian twist which has resulted in a lot of shaking and stirring. The result is fantastic. Our new cocktail list includes tastes like elderflower, cherries, apples, blueberries, cranberries and of course lots of Vodka, Akvavit and Champagne. We are a little undecided as to which is the favourite but both the Madsen and Copenhagen cocktails are at the top. Not for the light hearted though - Madsen involves Akvavit and for the Copenhagen cocktail you can find the recipe for below.
Beers - In this department we have also been innovative. Now we only have Scandinavian beers on the menu. We have kept the old favourites of Carlsberg Tuborg and Nils Oscar however; a new micro brewery has made its entry. Svaneke Brewery from the iconic island Bornholm makes a fruity Syd Øst for Paradis (elderflower taste), Sort Guld (Dark Ale) and Choko Stout (great for dessert). The popular beers from Rise Brewery on Ærø are still with us with their India Pale Ale, Walnut beer and the Dark Ale. We are looking forward for you to come and try them.

COPENHAGEN COCKTAIL RECIPE

New York, Singapore, Venice and Bangkok have one - now Copenhagen follows. The Copenhagen Cocktail was born the 20th of August 2009 at Hotel Skt. Petri in Copenhagen. It was a grand competition between 5 of the best cocktail makers in Denmark. The jury chose Gromit Eduardsen from the cocktail bar ‘1105’ as the one who had captured the essence of Copenhagen as a cocktail the best. If you want to try your skills on the new drink in town, here's the recipe:

5 cl. Bols Genever
2 cl. Cherry Heering Liqueur
2 cl. fresh lime juice
2 cl. sugar syrup (eg. Teisseire)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
An orange twist (so the cocktail gets a lovely orange scent)
Shake with ice cubes. Pour into ice-filled glass.

New canape and catering menu

Our catering is being very popular with particularly the open sandwiches/snitter (bite size) and canapés for lunches and receptions. We have therefore come up with new menus and updated the website. We offer a mix of typical Scandinavian canapés with a base of rye bread and then more modern ones that and they can easily be mixed. A very Danish touch to any event is Kransekage that we deliver in both pieces as well as "towers". A list of our canapes and open sandwiches can be found on our website.

Christmas buffets - The merry time of year is still a little while away however, we are already booked up for some of the most popular days in December. We have uploaded our Christmas buffet that you can find on our website. We would love to celebrate this time of year with you so please do be quick to book to avoid disappointment. You can find the buffet menu here. We have also put together a catering version of our Christmas buffet and if you write to us on reservations@madsenrestaurant.com then we would be happy to send you a copy.

SKANDIUM & MADSEN - win a three-course meal

This year's London Design Festival (LDF) is about to take off. It starts on September 19 and there are many activities in the Brompton area. At Madsen we have teamed up with Skandium Design store to offer our customers a special promotion. You need to be quick though - the first 3 customers to spend £1'500 or more with Skandium in 247 Brompton Road, London SW3 (offer only in the Brompton store) during the week beginning on September 19 will receive a three-course meal with wine at Madsen restaurant. All you have to do is bring a print out of this newsletter to the store, when you make the purchase.

We think this is such a good deal that you should take a preview of all the fantastic products they have at Skandium. You can find out more here.

London Design Festival in Brompton District

The London Design Festival (LDF) is the UK's biggest annual celebration of design. The festival has more than 200 specific events located all over London, and during the festival London opens its doors to the public with open studios, product launches, trade shows, major international exhibitions and private views. The Festival offers the chance to meet the designers and to see their work in a short period of time. For more information on LDF 2009 and the full programme click here.

The Brompton Design District has made a special programme for the Brompton area during the festival. The Brompton Design District was established in 2007 to increase the presence of new design in an area renowned for its historic links with art, design and education. This year they celebrate the LDF hub at the Victoria & Albert museum. The established design shops and galleries in the area will show a mix of progressive new work and much-loved design classics. To read more about the Brompton Design District and view this year’s programme click here.

LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL RUNS FROM SEPTEMBER 19 TO SEPTEMBER 27.

100% Norway and Skandium

100% NORWAY

For the sixth year in a row 100% Norway will be showcasing some of the best new works from both established and up-and-coming Norwegian designers at this year's London Design Festival. The mission is to bring the best of the country's furniture and home-accessories manufacturing to an international audience.
The young design-duo, StokkeAustad, has created this year's stand for 100% Norway, using as inspiration the traditional Norwegian "hjeller", an A-frame scaffold structure used on Norway's coastline to dry fish on. The stand is built from Kebony, a revolutionary new wood which has been treated using bio-waste from the sugar industry, making it not only aesthetical, but also as hardwearing as teak, maintenance free, and environmentally sound. Inside the "hjeller" the designers will exhibit both products already in production as well as prototypes. For a full list of all the designers attending this year's festival at 100% Norway
click here.

100% Norway is organised by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, the Norwegian Design Council, InsideNorway and Innovation Norway and this year's curator is once again Henrietta Thompson, the design editor for the guide books Wallpaper*. You can find the 100% Norway stand at 100% Design, Earls Court, Stand G30, from 24-27 September. For more information click here.

SKANDIUM

Skandium was set up in 1999 by Magnus Englund (Managing Director), Chrystina Schmidt (Creative Director) and Christopher Seidenfaden (Finance Director). The company now has two stores, one in Marylebone and one in South Kensington, and a concession in the department store Selfridges. The stores mainly sell Scandinavian design, but they also stock designs from designers who are not Scandinavian. Skandium is the exclusive agent in the UK and Republic of Ireland for the brands Asplund, Iittala, Le Klint, Marimekko, Muuto, Pia Wallén and Woodnotes. Skandium is also exclusive United Kingdom retail distributor for the lighting brand Louis Poulsen with the famous PH lamps that you might recognise from the Madsen interior.

This year Skandium celebrates its 10 year anniversary, and during the London Design Festival (LDF) they open their doors to free knitting classes in the South Kensington store on Brompton Road. This is a part of their 'Knit Wits' collaboration with Iittala. You can also win a dinner for two at our restaurant if you visit Skandium during the Design Festival - find out how in the above section that reads SKANDIUM & MADSEN. You can find out more about Skandium here.

What's on

V & A Museum

Telling Tales 14 July - 18 October 2009. The exhibition features work by a new generation of internationally regarded designers. The exhibition focuses on work by designers who explore the narrative potential of objects, sharing common themes such as fantasy, parody and concern with mortality. Find out more here.

Natural History Museum

After Darwin - Contemporary Expressions 26 June - 29 November 2009. Major artists and writers exhibit newly-commissioned and existing work, inspired by Charles Darwin's book, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, and explore Darwin's theory that expressing emotion is not unique to humans. Find out more here.

The Grand Opening of Your Mind - The new Darwin Centre opens to the public the 15th of September 2009. Letting the general public have an up-close look at the ongoing, daily researches and the internationally important collections. Find out more here.

The Science Museum

Cosmos and Culture: how astronomy has shaped our world 23 July 2009 - 30 December 2010. Explore how astronomy has changed the way we see our universe - and ourselves - through this object-rich exhibition. Find out more here.

Wallace and Gromit present a world of cracking ideas until 1 November 2009. Visitors will interact with all kinds of clever and quirky exhibits as they are taken on a tour of 62 West Wallaby Street, Wallace and Gromit’s famous terraced home. Find out more here..

OPENING HOURS

Tuesday - Thursday Midday - 11pm
Friday & Saturday Midday - Midnight
Sunday & Monday Midday - 10pm

020 7225 2772
reservations@madsenrestaurant.com