Atmosphere and the room
Gemma is in Marienlyst Strandhotel, right by the water in Helsingør, and it really is a beautiful place to sit. Big, comfortable sofas, handsome furniture and plenty of space around the tables, so you are not sitting on top of each other. Behind a long counter, the chefs work in the open kitchen, and the whole room has a warm, calm feel.
And then there is the view. From our table we could look out across the water and over towards Kronborg, and on a summer evening it was simply wonderful. On top of that, there was a lovely buzz from the other guests in the room: not noisy, just cosy and alive.
Antipasti to share
The concept is Italian food for sharing, fresh pasta and antipasti - there is no pizza on the menu. We started by sharing a selection of antipasti: green olives at 65 kr., parmesan at 75 kr., arancini at 120 kr., carpaccio at 135 kr., burrata at 120 kr. and tuna tartare at 120 kr.
The arancini were really good and stood out as one of the strongest dishes on the table: small deep-fried rice balls covered in grated parmesan. Jes' favourite was the tuna, which was gorgeous, silky soft and served with citrus and chilli. The carpaccio and burrata went down a treat too, and olives and parmesan are simply the perfect start alongside a glass of white wine.
Pasta and dessert
For mains we shared pasta mafalda with ragout at 185 kr., cannelloni with gratinated cheese at 175 kr. and two of the day's specials (dagens tavle) at 125 kr. each (the children's pasta).
It was surprisingly good Italian food, and the menu was easy to choose from without being overwhelming. The youngest had a children's ice cream with a pancake at 75 kr., and she was perfectly happy with that :)
With the food we drank two glasses of Carte Blanche at 140 kr. each, a lemonade from Rory at 40 kr., a Coca Cola Zero at 41 kr. and filtered water at 30 kr. per bottle.
Service
We had an experienced, slightly older waiter, and he was really good. Calm, friendly and on top of everything, so the evening simply flowed. Honestly, we found nothing to fault, neither the pacing nor the dishes. The service was spot on, as we say at home.
Price and level
The bill came to 1.801 kr. for the whole party, with antipasti, pasta, the day's specials, children's ice cream, two glasses of wine and soft drinks. It is a pricier place, and you should know that going in, but the price level did not feel unreasonable given the experience: the view, the surroundings and food of that quality. We felt we got what we paid for.
View, service, food and surroundings all simply worked. Gemma is a genuinely great place, and we were so pleasantly surprised that Helsingør has gained an Italian restaurant of this calibre. We will definitely be back, perhaps for lunch next time so we can enjoy the view in daylight. If you have been to Gemma, do let us know what you thought.
Photos from the visit
Our own photos, taken along the way.
Highlights
- Location
- Nordre Strandvej 2, Helsingør
- What we had
- A. Olive (65 kr.), A. Parmesan (75 kr.), A. Arancini (120 kr.), A. Carpaccio (135 kr.), A. Burrata (120 kr.), A. Tun tartar (120 kr.), B. Pasta Mafalda (185 kr.), B. Cannelloni (175 kr.), B. Dagens tavle (day's special) x2 (250 kr.), Children's ice cream - Pancake (75 kr.), 1 glass Carte Blanche x2 (280 kr.)
- Highlights
- Fantastic view across the water towards Kronborg, Experienced and really good waiter, The arancini and the silky tuna tartare, Big comfortable sofas and plenty of space
- Price and value
- 1.801 kr. in total for the party, with antipasti, pasta, children's ice cream, two glasses of wine and soft drinks · value for money 4.0 out of 5
- Atmosphere and service
- Atmosphere 4.5 · service 4.5 out of 5
