The History of Nimb
The grand Moorish-style white palace
Today, the grand Moorish-style white palace in Tivoli Gardens is known as Nimb, named after the restaurateurs, who earned the establishment its reputation. Originally called Bazaren (The Bazar), the wings of the building accommodated small boutiques selling chocolate, fine gloves, and flowers during Tivoli Gardens’ inaugural year of 1843. Centrally located within the Bazar building was a magnificent restaurant, the only in Tivoli Gardens offering hot meals.
The Bazaar has undergone several restructuring phases, with the present being the third iteration. This building was inaugurated in 1909, designed by Knud Arne Petersen, who was director of Tivoli Gardens at the time and a skilled architect.
Fru Nimb in Tivoli Gardens
Vilhelm Nimb and his wife, Louise (1842 – 1903), opened their first restaurant in the Bazar building in Tivoli Gardens in 1872. Five years later, they assumed management of the Tivoli Gardens restaurant, Divan 2, affectionately referred to as Nimb's Veranda. Louise Nimb's spirit permeated the style of the establishment, attracting patrons that included royalty, politicians, and writers who relished the cuisine and ambiance. Known as Fru Nimb (Mrs. Nimb), she extended her hospitality to everyone, regardless of their status, and frequently stood alongside the buffet with her two daughters, Serina and Henriette, all adorned in white aprons and with friendly smiles.
Fru Nimb, a renowned cookbook author, was a pioneer in the Danish culinary scene. She introduced Tivoli Gardens to international gastronomic trends. The family frequently travelled abroad to gather inspiration for culinary techniques and restaurant design.
Fru Nimb incorporated contemporary French-inspired recipes, as well as exotic dishes and drinks from foreign shores. Notably, she was the first in Denmark to serve rare-cooked fillet steak and tomatoes.
At Divan 2, guests could enjoy coffee, lobster, open-faced shrimp sandwiches, roast duck, or explore the smorgasbord buffet adorned with lace tablecloths, flowers, and copperware. While not luxurious, the buffet featured hearty, attractively presented dishes, allowing guests to peruse before ordering. Fru Nimb’s innovative spirit led to the invention of a device that kept plates warm on the serving table.
Nimb's Smørrebrød Extravaganza
Around the 1880s, the classic Danish open-faced sandwich (smørrebrød) evolved from being a humble buttered slice of bread with plain toppings to highly adorned delicacies. Tivoli Gardens earned a reputation as the epicentre of Danish smørrebrød, and Nimb’s restaurants played a pivotal role.
In 1889, Danish smørrebrød was showcased at the Universal Exposition in Paris, with Tivoli Gardens’ restaurateur Vilhelm Nimb presenting his exquisite culinary craft to an international audience.
In the early 1880s, Nimb’s restaurant Divan 2 became the first establishment to introduce a smørrebrød menu to streamline orders from the many patrons. Soon adopted by other Copenhagen restaurants, such menus are now widely common.
Fru Nimb's Green Kitchen
Fru Nimb introduced the first vegetarian dishes at Tivoli Gardens’ Divan 2 as early as in 1894. This coincided with the Gardening Exhibition in Tivoli Gardens, where she crafted new, delicious, and inventive vegetarian dishes for visitors. These green dishes soon garnered a wide following among the vast audience.
One menu featured mushroom soup, spinach with eggs and toasted bread, potato cutlets with tomato sauce, fruit omelette, cheese, and fresh fruit. Other choices included potato pancakes with pickled cucumber, spinach pudding with croutons, pea soup with dumplings, cabbage with chestnuts, and fruit pie with macarons.
In 1896, the same year the Danish Vegetarian Society was founded, Fru Nimb published the vegetarian cookbook Utilisation of Vegetables for Vegetarian Dinners, featuring the menus developed for the Gardening Exhibition. The cookbook also described how to prepare vegetables using methods such as steaming or by utilising a haybox. An important message from the esteemed restaurateur was that vegetables should not be overcooked – they should be arranged and served whole and firm.
With the cookbook, Fru Nimb aimed to promote the use of vegetables in Danish kitchens, presenting the first recipes with the then-exotic tomato. Her groundbreaking dishes drew inspiration from abroad, particularly Italy, France, and Germany.
Søstrene Nimbs elegante Bazar-restaurant
Fru Nimb introduced the first vegetarian dishes at Tivoli Gardens’ Divan 2 as early as in 1894. This coincided with the Gardening Exhibition in Tivoli Gardens, where she crafted new, delicious, and inventive vegetarian dishes for visitors. These green dishes soon garnered a wide following among the vast audience.
One menu featured mushroom soup, spinach with eggs and toasted bread, potato cutlets with tomato sauce, fruit omelette, cheese, and fresh fruit. Other choices included potato pancakes with pickled cucumber, spinach pudding with croutons, pea soup with dumplings, cabbage with chestnuts, and fruit pie with macarons.
In 1896, the same year the Danish Vegetarian Society was founded, Fru Nimb published the vegetarian cookbook Utilisation of Vegetables for Vegetarian Dinners, featuring the menus developed for the Gardening Exhibition. The cookbook also described how to prepare vegetables using methods such as steaming or by utilising a haybox. An important message from the esteemed restaurateur was that vegetables should not be overcooked – they should be arranged and served whole and firm.
With the cookbook, Fru Nimb aimed to promote the use of vegetables in Danish kitchens, presenting the first recipes with the then-exotic tomato. Her groundbreaking dishes drew inspiration from abroad, particularly Italy, France, and Germany
