Steam

The place

Steam sits at Gråbrødretorv 9, one of the prettiest squares in the City, a couple of minutes off Strøget. The idea is authentic Chinese breakfast and brunch, the kind of morning food you would find steaming on a street corner in Shanghai or Fuzhou, made properly in the middle of Copenhagen. Buns are folded by hand, the tofu is set in house, and the dough goes into the fryer to order. Nothing sits around. The kitchen starts at 3am so the soy milk is freshly ground and still warm when you dip into it at brunch.

What we ate

We went deep, and the table filled up fast. First the vegetable bun, bursting with soft tofu, earthy mushrooms and toasted sesame. Then golden pan-fried pork buns with a crispy base and a juicy middle. That crackle when you bite through the bottom is the whole point.

The homemade silken tofu comes two ways, and you want both. Savory with soy, mushrooms and herbs, and a sweet one with honey and golden pearls. Both melt in your mouth. The steamed pork bun is soft, juicy, pure comfort. The noodles carry a spiced meat sauce with fermented chili, perfectly spicy and packed with umami.

Then the classics. Youtiao, the golden airy fried dough, dipped straight into that warm 3am soy milk. Add a tea-marinated egg and it does not get any more traditional than this. The pan-fried dumplings are seared golden, filled with pork and shrimp, crispy bottom, juicy inside, with a little shrimp tail peeking out of the wrapper. The spicy beef bun brings tender beef with a slight heat, and there is extra homemade chili crisp if you want to push it further.

The sleeper hit is A Taste of Fuzhou. Wontons where the wrapper itself is made from pork, pounded paper thin by hand, floating in a light, clear broth. A labor of love, and you can taste every hour of it. For the finish, sweet black rice congee, creamy and gently sweet, and a crispy sesame ball, light and chewy, stuffed with red bean paste.

The drinks

Skip the flat white. Steam pours single-origin tea, and the freshly ground soy milk doubles as a drink and a dip for the youtiao. Warm, nutty and nothing like the carton stuff.

Who it is for and when to go

This is for anyone who is tired of the standard Copenhagen brunch formula and wants something they cannot get anywhere else in town. It works for two people grazing slowly and even better for a group that orders wide and shares everything. Pricing is easy: 139 kr. gets you three items, then you add as you go. Come hungry and plan to add. Brunch runs from the morning Friday through Sunday, and the square is at its best in the morning light, so go early and take your time. We were invited, and this visit was sponsored.

Handmade buns, paper-thin pork wontons and soy milk ground before sunrise. Steam is the most interesting brunch opening in Copenhagen right now, and we are already planning the next visit.

But now… the real question is… where do we go next?