The story
At Connection on Østerbro, the entire premise rests on intimacy. Only ten guests are seated per service, all gathered around a single solid long table in a modest, home-like room where the acoustics are good, the chairs are genuinely comfortable, and a playlist of pop and rock classics hums in the background. There is nothing performative about the setup — it feels, deliberately, like a very good dinner at someone's home.
Alan Bates is English, and his résumé reads like a map of the last two decades of fine dining: The Fat Duck, El Celler de Can Roca, Henne Kirkeby Kro, Studio. Connection is his own room, and the difference shows. Bates presents most of the courses himself, while Jeppe Nexø — who followed him from Studio — handles the wine with quiet precision.
A slow-poached oyster with plankton emulsion opens the evening, pulling the ocean into focus from the first bite. Then comes bread that earns its own mention: Parker House rolls with butter worked into the dough, baked after absorbing chicken fat. It is, by any measure, exceptional bread.
The fish course pairs turbot with mussel velouté, thin slices of courgette, a few mussels, and freshly smoked baerii caviar. Smoking caviar is a provocation, but it works — the deep umami and salt of the roe remain intact while the smoke adds complexity and a quiet edge that lifts an otherwise gentle dish.
A course called cowboy toast arrives next: butter-fried brioche with foie gras and truffle. Rich, classical, unashamed. Then lamb from Varde Ådal in two preparations — fried sweetbreads with Bates' own version of minted peas, paired by Nexø with a 2018 La Bruja de Rozas natural garnacha from the Gredos mountains; and a perfectly grilled lamb loin with mushroom and red pepper alongside a 2013 Crozes-Hermitage from Alain Graillot. Dessert is baba au rhum with vanilla ice cream. After that, guests move to an adjoining lounge for coffee and petits fours while the second seating takes the table.
White Guide has awarded Connection its Masters level distinction for 2026 — its highest tier — describing the meal as a masterclass in balance between classical flavour and thoughtful reinvention. Given the scale of what Bates has built here, ten guests at a time, that recognition feels entirely earned.
Recognition
Details
History
English chef Alan Bates' impressive CV includes addresses such as The Fat Duck, El Celler de Can Roca, Henne Kirkeby Kro, and Studio. He has now opened the doors to an intimate and personal dining experience on Østerbro under the name Connection. There is room for only ten guests per seating, and everyone sits together at a sturdy long table in extremely comfortable chairs. The decor and atmosphere are homely and intimate in the modest premises, where the acoustics are good, so it doesn't matter that there is some volume on the playlist, which primarily consists of pop and rock classics. The first course is a lovely long-poached oyster with a flavorful plankton emulsion that adds another dimension of sea flavor. Next, we are served some of the best bread we've had in a long time – Parker House rolls, which have butter in the dough and have absorbed chicken fat during baking. The evening's fish dish consists of turbot with mussel velouté topped with thin slices of squash, a couple of mussels, and nothing less than freshly smoked beluga caviar. Some might consider it sinful to expose those precious sturgeon eggs to smoking, but we tip our hats, because it works completely. The caviar's characteristic deep umami and salty sea flavor are still present, while the smoke adds further complexity and a slight edge that suits the otherwise relatively mild dish. This is followed by another slightly indulgent course called cowboy toast, even though there is not a trace of minced beef or soft onions, but rather butter-fried brioche with foie gras and truffle – classic rich deliciousness that pleases, although the truffle is quite mild, but it's also hard to find flavorful truffles in May. Bates presents most of the dishes himself, while Jeppe Nexø, who has followed him from Studio, offers impeccable wine service. The final savory courses feature lamb from the Varde River Valley in two variations – first, fried sweetbreads with Bates' own version of childhood minted peas, to which Nexø serves a wonderful natural Garnacha, the 2018 La Bruja de Rozas, from the Gredos Mountains west of Madrid. The wine is relatively light in color and offers fresh berries and herbs on the nose, which play beautifully with the dish's mint, along with good minerality and acidity that can cut through the richness of the sweetbreads. Before we've had time to lower our arms in delight, we are poured another star wine (and we are, mind you, on the cheaper of the two wine menus), the 2013 Crozes-Hermitage from Alain Graillot, which with black pepper and dark berries on the nose plus a nice age is a lovely match for the dish featuring a piece of perfectly grilled lamb fillet, mushroom, and red bell pepper. After dessert, which is a fine baba au rhum with wonderful vanilla ice cream, space must be made at the long table for the evening's second seating, so we are ushered into the adjacent lounge to enjoy coffee and petit fours. Here we can conclude that Connection has delivered a masterclass meal in beautiful balance between classic deliciousness and clever innovation. Add to that the excellent wines, the impeccable service, and the homely atmosphere, and it's hard not to leave happy or continue elsewhere.
