Iluka-Seafood, sustainably caught and exceptionally prepared

copenhagen restaurants

17. Juni

Verfasst von Gabriele Kreuter / Christoph Kreuter

Interior view of Iluka restaurant in Berlin with set wooden tables, red and black chairs, candles and glasses. Round pendant lights hang in front of a deep red curtain in the background.

in short…

Beau Clugston brings Australian ease and Noma precision together in his seafood restaurant
from the open kitchen the friendly team always keeps an eye on their guests
our favourite - squid mousse with samphire and lavender

Near the Copenhagen harbor promenade, a few steps up on Peder Skrams Gade 15, you enter Iluka.

A floor-length red curtain along one side of the room hints at an elegant theatrical production.

Indeed, the carefully selected and lovingly prepared seafood and fish we enjoy deserve this special presentation.

On the right, the room is bright and welcoming, with warm, unpretentious wooden furniture and a white-tiled bar.

This is how we experience our visit to Iluka - exquisite and refined, yet relaxed and familial.

View into the open kitchen of Iluka restaurant in Copenhagen with white tiled counter, two bar stools, wooden table and candle in the foreground. A chef is working behind the counter.

At Home by the Sea

The name Iluka comes from the Aboriginal language and means "by the sea."

Chef Beau Clugston, who grew up on Australia's east coast, chose this name for his restaurant for a reason.

At Iluka, he combines the natural ease of a coastal dweller handling the freshest fish and seafood with the experimental spirit and culinary artistry from his years at Noma.

Two oysters on crushed ice, next to sourdough bread with butter in a scallop shell, a glass of natural wine and cutlery on a wooden table. The setting is from Iluka restaurant in Copenhagen.

The Île de Ré oysters that begin our seven-course menu are sweet and salty, meaty and firm, tasting wonderfully of wind and sea.

The squid mousse with wild broccoli, currants, Danish seaweed, and a samphire and lavender sauce is excellent.

Octopus starter from Iluka restaurant in Copenhagen, served in a light ceramic bowl with green seaweed strands, small white vegetable pieces, herbs and a liquorice spiral on a wooden table.

Each course, which can also be ordered à la carte, continually surprises us.

Langoustines from Iluka restaurant in Copenhagen, served on a light ceramic plate with grilled langoustines, green herb powder and cutlery on a wooden table.

This applies not only to the delightful flavors but also to the marvelous interplay of different textures.

Pan-fried fish from Iluka restaurant in Copenhagen, served on a white plate with green leaves, a lemon wedge, coarse salt in a small bowl and a wooden table background.

Sweet Finale

For dessert, we crack through a layer of meringue and grated milk with our spoons, under which Mayan red chocolate sorbet gently melts, while the dill oil adds an unexpectedly refined note.

A dessert in a red bowl with chocolate cream, grated topping, white sauce and a green component on a wooden surface. Served at Iluka restaurant in Copenhagen.

Sipping refreshing natural wines, we watch Beau Clugston at work in the semi-open kitchen, while the attentive team keeps a close eye on us, ensuring we feel perfectly at ease throughout the evening.

Whoever still feels energetic after the great dinner does not have to go far to find some action.

Just a short walk along Copenhagen harbor, there is always something going on around Broens Gadekøkken.

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