Jonathan K. Berntsen: a Bright Star of the Danish Food Scene
- 1 Michelin Star
- Restaurant CLOU in Danemark
- Mediterranean flavours meet Danish cuisine
More 1 Star chefs here. Other Nordics chefs here.
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Take a creative approach to pairing food with wine, some true dedication to the classic techniques of cooking and the homey feeling of dining at the house of your best friend, and you have Clou. A trailblazing bright star on the Danish food scene, Clou proves the Danish restaurant scene is more than Nordic minimalism.
Chef Jonathan K. Berntsen is the founder, Executive chef and sommelier at CLOU.
A small restaurant in the bohemian part of Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark.
CLOU seats only 12 guests Wednesday to Saturday for dinner and serves a formidable 16 servings set menu paired with 7 cult wines par excellence in taking the allround experience up to the next level..
There are no waiters, only the Chef and his kitchen staff – the reason; Chef Jonathan K. Berntsen wants to serve all tables himself, making sure his guests get exactly the experience they deserve.
CLOU has 1 star in the Guide Michelin since 2014.
A love affair with the Mediterranean kitchen
“From “juggling disparate elements” in the atmospheric streets of Bangkok, to the breath-taking hinterland of Côte d’Azur; that’s how my culinary mission and my love affair with the Mediterranean kitchen begin.
Privileged, I got to be mentored by the eminent French chef Christoph Dufau.
We were a very small team of just 2 chefs in the kitchen with Christoph creating the dishes while also hosting the floor in the restaurant. A very genuine and personal approach, and very similar to how I work at CLOU today.
The intention is simple; since tastings and selecting the wine is done by me, knowing its character to perfection, then why not serve and convey its synergy with the food to our guests myself too.”
Even more unusual; in Copenhagen – the cradle of Nordic Cuisine – CLOU is a local top restaurant with a kitchen inspired by Southern European Cuisine. In fact you could call it Mediterranean.
Food and wine in symbiosis
From day one Clou has been about the food and wine in symbiosis, precisely equally weighted. In fact, we always select the wines before creating the dishes.
This devotion to pairing has been acknowledged with numerous awards such as winning the Copa Jerez 2013 and again at the Copa Jerez 2019; the most prestigious international competition in food and wine pairing.
“I would describe our food at Clou as classic, mostly French, Spanish & Italien, not too experimenting, but with a twist – a gigantic twist.
Most of our seafood, game and vegetables are locally sourced in Denmark, however we are not restricted by our own nor any other region; quality and taste are paramount, e.g. lemons from The Amafi Coast simply tastes better. Period”.
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