Panoramic views, caviar & Nordic gastronomy on Bornholm

There are dinners you remember for the flavours. And then there are the ones you remember for everything. Our copper wedding anniversary (12½ years, as the Danes count it) at Nordlandet was both – and then some.

We had been looking forward to this evening. After a few lovely days on Bornholm, with plenty of good eating and good experiences, we saved Nordlandet for last. It turned out to be exactly the right decision – because this became the culmination of both the love and the flavours.

First impressions and architecture with a sense of calm

We were staying at the hotel, so we could drift undisturbed from our room down to the restaurant. The building itself is a joy for anyone with an eye for architecture: a blend of Scandinavian simplicity and rawness – concrete, timber, steel and enormous expanses of glass that let the sea play the leading role. The whole place exudes balance. And it settles the body before you have even sat down.

That view, that light – and that company

We arrived in the golden hour, with the sun still hanging low over the Baltic. We took a few photos in front of the great panoramic window – memories like that are worth keeping – and then let the food take over. It was as if the view and the quiet, understated atmosphere in the room made the flavours even clearer. There was no stress here, no pressure – only a calm, present joy at being exactly here.

Service in a class of its own

The waiters at Nordlandet are what many restaurants dream of: grown-up, calm, professional – and with that twinkle in the eye. They guided us kindly through the menu, chose wine with a sure hand and still managed to make us feel at home. You felt seen and looked after – without it ever feeling forced.

And there is something special about service that includes children as naturally as it does adults. Our girls, Alberte and Olivia, were met with smiles and affectionate attention – and were given not just “something from the menu” but small, delicious morsels of fish and bread that made them smile. That is an art.