Authentic yet innovative Malaysian makan in Copenhagen (All photos: Belanja)
Has it already been more than two decades since Denmark shifted from being a culinary backwater to modern cuisine powerhouse? Granted, its golden boy and undisputed leader of its New Nordic Cuisine movement — René Redzepi, who opened Noma in 2003 — has fallen from grace, but the Scandinavian nation continues to be the little engine that could, proudly holding its own in the global culinary stakes.
Even without Redzepi, the country has a formidable battalion of other names to continue leading the vanguard, most of them home-grown, such as Rasmus Kofoed of Geranium, Eric Kragh Vildgaard of Jordnær and Rasmus Munk of Alchemist. But ever since Noma burst onto the world stage, young and hungry talents have been making their way to Scandinavia in search of fame and fortune, among them a young chef with Malaysian-Swedish roots.
Born in Copenhagen to a Swedish mother and Malaysian-Chinese father, Krsnacaran Chan (better known as KC), 32, moved to Kuala Lumpur at the age of four. “I remember we ate out far more than at home,” he says. “There were four or five restaurants we frequented regularly and they included a Chinese-style hawker place with an incredible number of dishes to choose from. You could get roti canai at the front while there would be laksa and wantan mee by the side. There was also a mamak stall near our house in the OUG area that served nasi lemak, koay teow goreng and fried rice. The stall aunty had mastered each dish to perfection. Saturdays was mee rojak day — a special treat!”
When KC turned 12, the family uprooted themselves again — this time, to the Southern Hemisphere. “We moved to New Zealand for a year before ending up in Australia, where I spent most of my young adult life. But I can tell you, leaving Malaysia took away a big part of me. I especially missed the food and it has been an ongoing craving ever since,” he laughs.
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Belanja, his vegan Malaysian restaurant recently opened in the heart of the capital’s Gammel Kongevej district, has been enjoying a steady stream of rave reviews. KC considers it an ode to his roots, as he could not find authentic Malaysian food in the city prior. “Naturally, it was important for me to introduce Malaysian food the right way. There have to be the classics like laksa and nasi lemak, of course, but I also want to get creative and cook with seasonal produce, turning out dishes with little twists here and there. Getting certain ingredients remain a challenge, but we have great suppliers here that get us most of what we need,” he says.
“Being vegetarian myself, it was a personal decision for the restaurant to reflect this choice. Its name, meanwhile, stems from memories of my parents, uncles and aunties fighting for the check or sneaking away to pay the bill,” he adds, alluding to the Asian custom — an almost mandatory social ritual of being first to settle the payment. To those not from the region, it can be a puzzling, even comedic spectacle, where it is not uncommon for people to resort to ruses, such as stepping out for a smoke or to use the washroom, only to slip a credit card to the cashier en route. To outsiders, it is baffling; to Asians, it is an act of sacrifice and love, a way of showing affection and spoiling the recipient through one of the most important elements in any family — nourishment.
“It’s a beautiful thing to be able to belanja or treat a friend or family member, and that’s why I decided to go with this name,” he says. A look at Belanja’s logo shows two figures peering at a wok. “You can make out a child watching an older lady cooking. To me, this represents the aunty at the mamak stall. I remember being obsessed with her wok and watching her cook. I would always stand nearby as she prepared our meals and ask for extra chilli, even as a child. It is a core memory to this day.”
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Belanja manager and sommelier Alessio Scanavacca is also working hard to ensure the wine list is excitingly curated. “With such bold flavours, he really had to think outside the box, trusting his palate to find the right pairings for, say, a bowl of laksa. All I can tell you, though, is that when the match is good, it becomes a whole new dining experience,” says KC.
It was in fact KC’s sister who first set him onto the culinary path, he says. “She invited me to work in her restaurant in Geneva, as she knew I needed a fresh start after Australia. A year in, I fell in love with the rhythm of the kitchen. I mean, I always loved cooking, but it was the first time I seriously thought of it as a career option.”
A quick move to Sweden followed, where KC duly enrolled in cooking school. “I began earnestly experimenting with Malaysian food every chance I had, even after 12-hour shifts and on the weekends. I was obsessed with getting the flavours right and being able to make myself some good sambal.”
Returning to Copenhagen in 2021 with his fiancée in tow, KC was immediately attracted to the bustling dining scene and quality of life. “I did pop-ups for a year, all through 2025, with great success. Many of the events were sold out. So, naturally, there was the intention to explore whether a permanent space would make sense.”
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On his location in the capital, he acknowledges how the area “around here and Vesterbro is really popping these days”.
“So many new bars and restaurants have appeared, and it is equally lively at night. We have a great place, being so close to the city centre,” he smiles. “Copenhagen, of course, is extremely competitive and you will see restaurants opening and closing every week. This keeps me and my business partner Yohann Joyeux on our toes and motivates us to keep improving, while keeping up with everything that’s going on in the city as well.
“A celebrated chef in Denmark even brought his family to one of our pop ups, followed by his entire team of chefs for a staff party at the same location.
“I don’t think the time will ever come when I can say I have ‘made it’. As a chef, there is always something new to learn. It is a never-ending journey.”
Belanja, Gammel Kongevej 33B, 1610, Copenhagen, Denmark.
This article first appeared on May 11, 2026 in The Edge Malaysia.
