The end of Noma as we know it
On this New Year’s Eve 2016, when the the ball drops in Copenhagen, the lights go out at Noma…But don’t despair, Chef René Redzepi’s urban farm Noma redux is already under construction across the river!
Dramatics aside I got to experience the 4-time best restaurant in the world for myself this past May, and it’s taken me three months to collect my thoughts.
Sometimes it pays to be Early
My husband Sage never likes to be late, and since our visit to Copenhagen was specifically to dine at Noma, there was no way we were going to miss it with a little too much time at Nyhavn. Turns out the early bird gets the worm, and in this case, a photo with Chef René Redzepi while he was outside watering the moss. Yes, I too was shocked that he watered his own moss 🙂
Maybe because it’s such a hard reservation, but the staff at Noma makes you feel this will be your last time at Noma, and possibly your last meal on earth. So it better be a good one! From the moment we walked in the door we were family, complete with English speaking waiters from as close to home as Seattle where my husband grew up. Just a coincidence?…
14 Courses and 4 Hours of bliss
Rhubarb and seaweed
Vegetable Platter: Flatbread & ant paste, pickled quail egg, a black currant berry
Be careful not to eat the rocks
Radish pie
Seasonal herbs and fresh green asparagus with whipped cream
Bread and virgin butter
Fresh milk curds and the first green garlic shoots
It was hard for me not to giggle about somehow having the FIRST green garlic shoots! And much to my surprise it has a much sweeter and softer taste than traditional garlic. So don’t worry, you don’t have to eat the rest of your meal alone.
Cooked white asparagus with barley and elderberry leaves
Sweet lobster, lavender and rose oil
Æbleskiver
A traditional Danish dessert served during the holidays or anytime Chef René Redzepi would like 🙂
Steamed king crab and egg yolk sauce
Such a guilty treat considering we had seen him alive just hours early being proudly paraded around the dining room 🙁
Charred ramson and scallop paste
Turbot grilled on the bone with sweet shrimp
This is where I begged for the meal to stop…life was just too good.
Dessert of bitters “Gammel Dansk”
Moss cooked in chocolate with egg liqueur
Just like something out of Alice in Wonderland. I was almost afraid to take a sip and suddenly find myself wandering inside my bowl of chocolate moss.
The entire meal is topped off with a behind the scenes look at the kitchen and property done with an air that makes you believe you are the only couple chosen to do this tour, when in fact it’s probably every table.
Therein lies what makes this restaurant so great…because most of us don’t come for the moss.
The Damage
It actually sounds worse in Krone (pronounced kroner), but a meal for one at Noma will set you back 1,900 DKK (about $284). Lunch and dinner are the same price but as dinner is a much harder reservation to secure just be happy you are there! A wine pairing is 1,100 additional Krone but that includes 8 bottomless wines…and I mean bottomless.
Case in point, I took this photo just because I was so impressed with the hue, but really I was probably just on my 5th bottomless wine…
Savoring the last sips of Noma as we know it.
