A couple of weeks ago I flew back to the motherland for a long weekend to visit some of my favourite Danes, namely those that I went to summer school with. Since the standard reaction when I tell someone that I went to “summer school” is generally pity and an assumption that my parents wanted to punish me, let me start by assuring you that you needn’t feel sorry for me.

Den Danske Sommerskole is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best things that I’ve done in my life, which over the course of 8 years for 3 weeks at a time has inevitably hugely influenced the person that I am today, left me with amazing memories and friends living all over the world (as you can only attend if you have Danish parents but don’t live in Denmark), as well as a now solid base of friends that have decided to return to their roots and congregate in Copenhagen. Clearly the apple truly doesn’t fall far from the tree!

Life story over… I basically went to visit some of these friends. I stayed with Thomas, one of the closest of the lot, particularly after we survived a 5-week one-on-one road trip of the U.S. together during my short gap year, who I hadn’t seen for the entirety of 2015 and was thus naturally super excited to catch up with.

But, first, brunch.

With the gals, of course.

Caroline & Sarah are both from the States (Maine and Texas, respectively) but are both studying in DK at the moment. It never fails to amaze me how childhood friends just slip into the same roles as if no time has passed at all, and how we are all exactly the same. It was amazing.

ANYWAY (Jesus, so sorry for the rambling), Sarah suggested we go for brunch at Mad & Kaffe, because the girl knows I love both my food and a good photo opp, and after a little Googling I learnt that Mad & Kaffe is one of the top rated restaurants in the city, and serves seriously stylised picture-perfect food. Girl did good.

^ Can you imagine how excited I was? Like, SERIOUSLY???

Much to Thomas’ apparent elation (although don’t feel too sorry for him, he should know what to expect from me by now), I spent a good deal of Thursday night stalking Mad & Kaffe’s Insta and their menu deciding what to have.

You basically choose whether you want 3 (65 DKK), 5 (105 DKK) or 7 (135 DKK) items from a list of decadently described ingredients, such as avocado with chilli oil and baked almonds; grapefruit with cane sugar; scrambled eggs with chives and fried mushrooms; fried chorizo sausages; smoked salmon with smoked cheese mayo, chives and radish; organic lactose-free yoghurt with muesli, matcha tea and basil; butter or chocolate croissants; croque monsieurs and organic cinnamon buns, so to make your own customised build-a-breakfast. Tell me you’re not in love.

Now that I’ve set the scene, I feel that you can adequately sympathise with my heartbreak.

Since I was only on holiday for a couple of days, I wanted to make the most of my rare title as a “lady of leisure”, and so had agreed to meet the girls for brunch at 12.

But brunch stops being served at 12. YOU CAN ONLY ORDER LUNCH. Epic fail.

Despite pleading with the staff they are sadly super strict on the changeover time and, just like that, my eggy dreams were destroyed.

Thank God the lunch menu was still appetising, then. Not quite as *jump up & down dancing with my hands in the air*, but definitely pleasing enough.

Sarah got started on an iced tea. Huge & sugary & pretty. A good start.

Then the food arrived, and I can assure you that we were three very happy ladies once more.

Sarah & Caroline shared two different sandwiches, the ‘tartare sandwich’, organic rye bread topped with minced veal, pickled beets, capers, onion, horseradish, cress and dill mayo (70 DKK), and the monstrous ‘smoked salmon sandwich’, organic sourdough with smoked salmon from Daniel Letz, smoked cheese mayo, radish and cucumber (85 DKK).

I did a ‘classic me’ (for anyone who knows me) and made my own sandwich in an attempt to re-create what would have been my brunch choices (at least I’m happy to admit that I’m genuinely a server’s worst nightmare), consisting of organic rye bread, *THE* avocado with chilli oil and baked almonds and *THE* smoked salmon from Daniel Letz.

Holy hell.

Yes, yes, yes.

All I can say about Mad & Kaffe is the quality of all of their ingredients is truly the cream of the crop. The smoked salmon was potentially the best I’ve ever had?! No exaggerations. Whoever this Daniel Letz fella is, he’s got it down.

Thick-cut, super soft and flavoursome, it melted in your mouth. (Angie, you would die!)

The veal was equally exceptional and the avocado on ripe point perfection.

Basically, I loved Mad & Kaffe, and I am going to be there WHEN THE DOORS OPEN when I next go home.

An absolute must visit.

9/10