Vesterbro in Copenhagen was earlier this year voted as one of the coolest neighborhoods to live in in the World. Every cool and trendy neighborhood needs a small local wine bar that gathers the locals for a glass of wine before dinner or a late glass after dinner. Located in the heart of Vesterbro Ancestrale fits right in the lively and diverse neighborhood.
Ancestrale is a small wine bar that seats max 20 people. I am not sure who did the decoration but it is filled with personality, good style and not at least warmth making it a place that just feels welcomming.
Despite by identity being a wine bar they also serve proper food and not just snacks. They have a fixed menu consisting of 5 dishes that can also be bought individually. Their “wine list”, which consist of a nicely decorated backroom where you can choose the bottle you want, is filled with great bioorganic wines which to a very large extent also can be bought by the glass.
First dish on the menu was dehydrated carrots served with gnalling (a local cheese by Arla Unika) and a light sour cream with dill. I have only on a few occasions had dehydrated carrots and I have loved the texture and intense and sweet flavor every time. Matched by the salty cheese it was a very delicious dish.
Starting on a high note is always amazing. Even better if the next dish exceeds it. It did today. Sometimes I will get depressed when getting a perfectly cooked piece of fish because it reminds me that I can’t do it this well my self. Today I forgot to be depressed though. Cod served with grilled leaks, pickled pearl onions and a bit of wild garlic made up a very delicious dish. Strangely enough the leak was the champion of the dish.
The next dish could unfortunately not live up to the previous dishes. Sweet and delicious celeriac served wild pickled Jerusalem artichoke and a butter sauce. I love celeriac but in this case the pickled Jerusalem artichoke was just too acidic and could not be balanced by the rich butter sauce. I think I would also have preferred that this lighter dish was served as one of the appetizers and not a main.
With the last main we were back in the pure deliciousness. Pork shoulder with a mushroom “cream” and fried Jerusalem artichoke. Rich in flavor and umami off course it was a great autumn dish.
The dessert was a take on the traditional apple cake with salty cake crumble and apples. Quite classic in composition and taste compared to the remaining dishes. It was a nice dish but it didn’t leave a huge impact.
If I lived closer, I am sure that Ancestrale would be a spot where I would come often with friends to enjoy a glass of wine or two and maybe also the menu. The food is amazing value for money, the atmosphere is cool and the wine is good.
The night I was there I did however also find the service quite slow and the door to the bathroom was apparently not closed “right” by the previous guest so the waiter needed a screwdriver to open it again. Some say charming this day I say annoying. The latter easy to fix though and not enough to keep me from coming back again.
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