Bucket List: Nordic Cuisine in Copenhagen
(Noma is a restaurant in Copenhagen that has been ranked the best restaurant in the world four of the past five years by Restaurant Magazine.)
If you would have told me that I would be eating at the crown jewel of the culinary world and declared best restaurant, Noma, I would have coyly smiled, looked at you sideways and promptly changed the subject. If you would asked me if I was planning a trip to Copenhagen, Denmark, the answer would have been assuredly no.
But life tends to be full of surprises, and that is exactly what I did! I went to Copenhagen, under the sole pretext to dine at “The World’s Best Restaurant.” Who doesn’t need a little decadence from time to time?
This opportunity was presented to me by an American girlfriend in Paris, Kelly. Up to 100,000 people vie for a spot at this cozy 12-table restaurant each month, so getting a reservation is like finding a Dane who isn’t up for a beer at 10am: impossible! She had spent many months trying to get these coveted reservations through public channels (calling months in advance when the reservation books opened up, while tightly crossing her fingers), but was never successful. But thanks to her American persistency and resourcefulness, she reached out to a friend whose husband had connections to the chef…et voila! C’est fait! After a quick trip to the EasyJet website, I became her thankful and lucky companion on this foodie pilgrimage.
As to not spoil the surprise, or set expectations too high, for my dining experience at this resto, I tried to limit my research prior to arrival. However, I couldn’t go in completely blind, so here are a few of the fun details I knew when I walked through Noma’s doors for our 8:30pm dinner:
1) All plates would be prepared with local, fresh ingredients…some foraged by the restaurant’s “foraging team” who scour Denmark’s hidden pockets of forest and coastline for exotic edibles. The cuisine would be Nordic, but Nordic with a twist.
2) We would be served a minimum of twenty plates!
3) Chef Redzepi, born in Copenhagen, has worked in other great restaurants like French Laundry and El Bulli, is known for incredibly inventive cuisine and likes clean flavors.
4) And, of course, I would be spending a small fortune!
Our first treat was hidden in the flower arrangement on our table!
Exposed, grey wood beams in the ceiling gave the dining room a rustic feeling, but the dancing candle light and fresh flowers highlighted the room’s understated elegance. True to the Danish sense of style, the interior of Noma was minimalistic but charming and cozy.
Once placed at the table, champagne was poured and the onslaught of the first fourteen plates commenced. Our premier starter was hidden in the flower arrangement. The twig was actually “malt flatbread” with dried juniper to make it look very realistic. The moment I plucked it from our table decor, I knew this would be like no other dining experience I have ever had.
We then ate moss! It was fried and somehow a delicate flavor of mushroom was imbibed into it. We had to “hunt” for the edible mussel. The presentation, served on a bed of green moss and white stone, was spectacular.
Then, dried Carrot and Sorrel in the foreground and behind it Rye, Chicken Skin and Lumpfish Roe on the marble platter.
Pickled and Smoked Quail eggs, served in a bed of “award winning” hay. When the egg container was opened a light cloud of smoke wafted from the hay nest. Fantastic!
Radish and Baby Carrot in Soil and Grass: This was one of my favorite starter dishes. Kelly and I each got to harvest our veggies from the potted garden. The fresh radish and carrot came out covered in “soil,” dark roasted hazelnuts, and “grass,” a green pesto. Delicious and delightful.
Eberskivel and Muikku: I thought these were turtles, but alas I had nothing to fear. They were just delicious mini whitefish that decorated an even more delicious eberskivel. The savory eberskivel’s flavor finished in my mouth with the slightest hint of sweetness.
The Highlight of the Night…the Bread! The crust was a dream as it cracked and flaked on my plate and in my mouth. It was presented to us slightly warm which made the homemade butter melt into its delicate porous and soft center. Dare I say it was the best bread I have ever tasted…and that is something coming from a woman who lives in the land of the baguette. This sourdough wheat loaf was made solely for Noma, and clearly with lots of love.
So after the fourteen small plates finished and the bread presented, eight main course dishes and two dessert dishes were to be served. The flavors during this experience were all so different, unlike anything my taste buds had the pleasure of knowing before.
One of the signature dishes at Noma is “The Hen and the Egg.” We were presented a super hot skillet and an egg on a bed of sweet hay and then instructed to crack our egg and cook it on the skillet. Next followed a myriad of instructions about adding different herbs, sauces, and butter, but frankly, after the bottomless glass of champagne and six wine pairings, it all seemed a bit overwhelming.
Dessert was called “Pear Tree” because there was clearly a pear on the plate, but also because the green spongy cake item (which melted on the tongue) tasted like a pine tree!
Kelly and I were the last guests to leave Noma. With lingering pine-needle flavors on our palate and a souvenir menu, we said our good-byes and exited the front doors content and all abuzz about the unforgettable meal we shared together.
It is true that my pocket book was definitely a lot lighter on the walk home. But having been inspired by the best of their trade, traveling to see a beautiful Scandinavian city and sharing a memorable evening with a wonderful friend, I only felt enriched. Thank goodness for life’s surprises…but not so sure if I will be ordering anything with pine needles again anytime soon.
Jen Jedda is an adventurer, entrepreneur and admirer of all things beautiful in our vibrant world. She has traveled to over 38 countries, lived in five, and currently resides in Bellevue, WA. You can read about all her travel tales on her personal travel blog, One Girl’s Adventures, or shop the extraordinary treasures she finds around the globe in her online boutique JJ Caprices.
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