Restaurant Connection in Copenhagen doesn’t follow the rules of modern fine dining. With a short, flavour-focused tasting menu that prioritises quality over pretension, British chef Alan Bates aims to show that you don’t need 30 courses and a team of 30 to create a world-class dining experience.
Connection by Alan Bates doesn’t have a Michelin star, nor does it rank high on any culinary lists. A meal here is not an ‘immersive dining experience’ with 30 servings and theatrical flourishes.
So why should this intimate 18-seater, tucked away in the charming Kartoffelrækkerne district of Copenhagen, still be considered among the city’s best restaurants?
Because it offers something different: an ever-changing, nine-course menu that maximises the flavours of the best available ingredients, served without pretension in a homely, relaxed setting that leaves room for conversation and, indeed, connection.
“A restaurant like this is almost avant-garde these days. We’ve come full circle, I suppose,” Bates says with a grin. The Cambridge-born, 35-year-old chef serves dishes like perfectly steamed monkfish with a herbed farce of Norwegian scallops, wrapped in slivers of summer courgette and accompanied by a mouth-watering beurre blanc flavoured with grilled Amalfi lemons. Or perhaps French roasted quail in a summer vegetable fricassée with a fragrant quail jus. His signature dish? Fried brioche with chicken liver mousse, Sauternes jelly, and slices of black winter truffle. These are dishes that highlight quality ingredients, intense flavours, and classic techniques.
While Copenhagen certainly boasts remarkable fine dining, the price tag at the top restaurants can be staggering. Sophisticated, labour-intensive dishes don’t just come at a cost to diners, but also demand countless hours from numerous hands – often resulting in overworked staff. “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” Bates says, quoting Leonardo da Vinci. “I’ve come to realise that these over-elaborate dishes don’t serve anyone – not me, my staff, or my guests.”
He knows this because he’s been there. Rising through the ranks in England, Bates is no stranger to 100-hour weeks, micro-herb tweezers in hand, while working at restaurants like The Hand & Flowers and The Fat Duck, with additional stints at El Celler de Can Roca and Singapore’s André. His journey eventually led him to Denmark, where he joined Paul Cunningham’s two-Michelin-starred Henne Kirkeby Kro, known for its rustic charm and quality ingredients.
Although Bates fell in love with Denmark – and a Danish partner – coming from England to Denmark was a significant shift. He soon realised that the tough-as-nails mentality he'd acquired in British kitchens didn’t translate well in Denmark. “Basically, I was trying to hammer a square peg into a round hole. It was never going to fit. It was pretty embarrassing to be pulled aside and told I needed to change if I wanted to keep the job.” He adapted, and after a few years at Henne Kirkeby Kro, he moved to Copenhagen to open Connection in 2021, his first venture as a restaurant owner. Initially, he found himself drawn into the chase for Michelin stars and accolades, which led him to renovate the restaurant, lengthen the menu, and overcomplicate the dishes. In the process, he forgot what he truly wanted. “It’s a trap, and I fell into it,” Bates says. “I looked at the others and thought, ‘I want that too.’”
“Today, there are so many places where the story is more important than the product. I want to get rid of all that nonsense. If we can reduce the hours, we can create a better experience for both guests and staff, who are well-rested, well-paid, and there to serve you.” This also means he can maintain a price point that encourages return visits. He notes that in three years, he’s had guests who have visited more than 15 times. “I don’t want to lose that by pricing people out.”
Today, the Connection team is just Bates, two chefs, and two front-of-house staff, who together serve the nine-course menu to Connection’s three large tables, each seating six guests. It’s an up-close experience, with Bates’ own curated playlist as background music and his favourite coffee brewed for the end of the meal. You can book for two people, but you’re likely to dine at the same table as other guests – and maybe even find yourself interacting and laughing with them.
When Bates sees this, he knows all the hard work is worthwhile. “No one’s ever on their phone here. People are absorbed in each other’s company. If we can make people put away their phones for four hours, isn’t that better than selling a story?”
