Danish food not only sandwiches

Anyone in Hong Kong looking for the flavours and textures of genuine Danish cuisine can hop on a plane to Copenhagen or, rather more conveniently, head instead to Hang Hau village in Tseung Kwan O.

There, they will find the Lardos Steak House, which on request is ready to lay on a full spread of traditional fare for expatriate Danes in search of a taste of home or, indeed, anyone else keen to try a distinctive menu based on fresh seafood and the very best farm ingredients.

"To many people, Denmark is famous for its cold cuts and open-faced sandwiches with things such as pickled horseradish and asparagus cream, but of course there is much more than that," says Henry Theil, owner of Top Chef Food Services, which operates the restaurant, TC Deli, a few steps away and other stores in Sai Kung and Pok Fu Lam run in collaboration with supermarkets.

For example, diners who book for the "100 per cent traditional Danish lunch" can expect to start with three kinds of herring - marinated, curried and with tomatoes. Next come gravlax, consisting of raw salmon cured in salt, sugar and dill, or maybe smoked salmon and smoked eels with scrambled eggs.

"The way we serve the meal is almost like going out for Chinese yum cha, but everything doesn't come at the same time," Theil says. "The idea is nibbles but there is lots of food to go round."

Later courses include plaice topped with lemon, small fresh shrimps, warm liver pate with bacon and mushroom, rolled pork, Danish meatballs, Cumberland sausages, creamed spinach and pork loin with crackling. Everything is usually rounded off with blue cheese and a glass or two of aquavit.