Jaunted

For the best of Copenhagen's brunch fare, look no further than the following three locales, all of which were personally recommended by a savvy city resident and gourmand:

· Granola
The aptly named Granola is a charming café/old fashioned ice parlor that serves light, yet satisfying meals to fuel a day of cycling around Copenhagen's quiet thoroughfares. My friend and I enjoyed dishes that didn't scream Scandi cuisine, but were enjoyably sating for what they were: devouring an egg muffin with broccoli, potato, cheese and housemaid tomato chili sauce, banana hazelnut and cinnamon-spiked porridge, coffee, and a carrot, apple and orange and ginger smoothie had us revved-up for shopping along Strøget, Europe's longest pedestrian shopping area.

· Manfred's
Substance trumps style at Manfred's, the restaurant run by ex-El Bulli and Noma chef Christian F. Puglisi. Located on my favorite intimate stretch of the city, Jægersborggade (more on it tomorrow), it serves food that I crudely described at the time as stupid-delicious. It is also ridiculously affordable, with brunch running around 75-95 DKK per dish. An apple slaw accompanied poached eggs on a bed of crisp spinach, topped off with a delicately balanced hollandaise sauce. Booking is highly recommended; the only reason my friend and I were able to secure a seat was because we hovered around Manfred's entrace 10-15 minutes prior to opening time on a Saturday, snagging one of the only unreserved tables left.

· Kalaset
Its walls decorated with a smattering of tchotchkes—mainly retro radios and record players—this buzzy brunch spot attracts a mix of attractive Danes sporting horn-rimmed glasses and topknot 'dos with the occasional family mixed in. You will inevitably encounter a wait around brunch hour, but the staff moves swiftly, though a mix-up delayed our seating by about 15 minutes. Still, the hostess was gracious and apologetic as she hurried us to our table.

The hot chocolate was a hit with my friend, the spicy chai tea equally appreciated by me. And, while her walnut raspberry pancakes took unusually long to arrive, they were worth the wait (also, we were starving by this point). I had a light, admittedly quite American meal of scrambled eggs and bacon with a side of bread and homemade ketchup. Though not mindblowingly memorable, I was contented by the meal, and warmed to be spending the morning among a clientele that obviously called Kalaset their local go-to brunch spot.

[Photos: Heidi Atwal]