April 2009
Tivoli - Copenhagen
http://www.divan2.dk

In the warm and sunny weather, we went 4 people to Tivoli, and as my 3 guests had not yet had the pleasure of eating at Divan 2, we decided to do this.

As mentioned, the sun was shining, and the temperature was 15-16 degrees, so we chose to sit outside, which was a mistake. 20 meters from Divan 2, Tivoli had chosen to place an outside karaoke system, where the volume button was set at max, and the people singing sang so much off-key that even the dogs were howling. Obviously, this is not Divan 2´s fault, but it results in the points for atmosphere being reduced to 1 on this day, while the service maintains its 5 impeccable points, which means that this category reaches a total of 3 points. However, it should be noted that I have spoken to Divan 2 afterwards, and they assured me that it was only a 1-day event, which means that, in the future, we can enjoy the great service of Divan 2 without having our ears blown off.

Divan 2 has changed its menu and focuses on a somewhat more traditional menu with classic dishes such as fried zander with skin, pepper steak, plaice from Frederikshavn, Divan 2’s vegetarian dish and tournedos Béarnaise. We chose Divan 2’s vegetarian dish, zander and tournedos béarnaise with hand-cut chips. All the dishes were prepared nicely, the béarnaise was ”right on the money” with lots of juice and flavour, but why can’t you get a steak knife for your steak? Eating steak without a steak knife is like drinking red wine from a liquor glass. The hand-cut chips were not hand-cut, and were unfortunately quite limp, which is one of the reasons that the food does not get more than 3 points. In that connection, I also know that the next time I visit the place, I will get a steak knife for my steak, which means that everyone else will as well, as they have just purchased steak knifes.

Our desserts were all impeccable, and particularly their Apple Tarte Tatin was an exquisite pleasure.

All in all, a lovely day at Divan 2, with a few problems, which I were assured will be corrected before my next visit, which will be very soon, as Divan 2 has become one of my favourite restaurants when I “just” want a sure thing where service, food and atmosphere match perfectly what you pay for the food and the experience.