Kasper Steenbach, Journalist and editor
My favourite place in Copenhagen is the italian trattoria 'Hos Fischer' in Østerbro. I’ve been enjoying my pasta here regularly since my good friend David Oliver Fischer set up shop back in 2008. The place reminds me of when i used to live in Italy.
I first met David Fischer when I moved to Rome in 2006. He worked on the pasta crew on the three star Michelin restaurant, La Pergola. A mutual friend of both David and I had arranged for him to pick me up at the Termini, the main train station. Next thing I know, me and David are racing through the streets of Rome on his classic Vespa. During my year in Italy he became a close friend of mine.
There is no shortage of good Italian restaurants in Copenhagen. But 'Hos Fischer has come to mean a lot to me. Not only do they make the best pasta dishes in town. It is also a lesson of how simple and great tasting food is all you need. It never gets complicated beyond the point of a juicy steak with a side of lettuce.
I actually live quite far from Hos Fischer. So when I travel across town to Østerbro for a visit, it means a bit more than when I swing by my local joint. I never visit the area for a stroll up and down Østerbrogade. It’s always with the purpose of hanging out at Hos Fischer. Maybe catch a football match on the TV at the bar. Of course to go alongside my Pasta Cacio e Pepe and some good company.
The trattoria has also served as the setting for a lot of important dinners. When I left my job at Politiken, I had my farewell dinner at Hos Fischer. As well as my 40th birthday. During my tenure as Editor-in-chief at Euroman, I often used Hos Fischer and it’s relaxed atmosphere for interviews, among others the one I did with Kasper Schmeichel.
Hos Fischer has a nice and relaxed vibe that has been kept from the former occupant, Erlands Pub. A genuine Copenhagen bodega with slot machines and a billiard table in the basement. Both relics survived the transformation into an Italian restaurant. After a meal, you are encouraged to grab a cold beer and a game of billiard.
Naturally, I have a lot of memories connected with Hos Fischer. Firstly because of my friendship with David. But also because it serves as a mental getaway back to a very happy time in Rome. The Italian way of life made up of espressos, bar visits, getting lost in the streets and 5-a-Side football matches with the locals.
Hos Fischer
Victor Borges Plads 12
2100 Copenhagen Ø
