Michael U.
Yelp
Items Selected:
Fruit and Seed Roll with Butter and Cheese
Croissant
Pain au Chocolate
Almond Croissant
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Reinvigorating Copenhagen's Hovedbibliotek in 2011, and since earning a fair share of press thanks to their use of Sweden's Koppi Roasters and a top-tier Pastry program, Democratic Coffee Bar proved to be a worthy first stop for Friday Breakfast, the Public Library not yet open at the time of an 08h05 arrival but a few guests already present and accounted for with beverages in hand with one group already in the midst of a Skype-meeting.
Literally a contiguous space with the Library, only a doorless port separating the multi-storied atrium from a cafe bathed in light with parallel blonde wood bars for service and seating, it was with purpose that a steady line of Danes entered and exited the Bar, the rumors of Pastries selling out long before the place closes up at 19h00 proving highly likely as many gathered up boxes for work, though not before a total of five were bagged or plated and ready to indulge in.
Selling both Whole Beans and brewing paraphernalia on black shelving at the far end of the Bar, the equipment behind the counter all top grade, it was as light music played overhead that WiFi was accessed before delving into a soft Roll dotted with dried Fruit and Seeds, the skin featuring a good chew not unlike a Bagel while the inside was naturally Sweet, two slices of Semi-Soft Cheese a far more compelling topping than packaged Organic Butter, though first bites of a Croissant suggested that if this was the same product used for cooking it certainly was not bad, the exterior layers shattering and crisp with an interior that was warm and soft.
Attempting to decide between Chocolate and Almond next, the latter by far Democratic's most celebrated selection, it was largely a result of temperature that led to a Pain au Chocolate being tasted next, the core opening up much wider than that before it though the duo of Cocoa cores could have stood to be a little thicker, the Chocolate Chip Cookie softly pulled in half making far better use of the ingredient amidst a base lightly perfumed in Cinnamon but plenty rich with Butter and Brown Sugar.
At this point fairly impressed, though a little surprised that everything save for the Almond Croissant had been warm to touch on arrival, it was with expectations built up by both independent and in-house propaganda that "The best almond croissant I have ever eaten" was tasted, the baked, filled and re-baked Pastry well constructed and not overly sweet but a far cry from those in France, San Francisco or even Las Vegas, not to mention Bageriet Brød in the same city at Enghave Plads 7.