While perusing sites several weeks ago about things to do on a planned trip that included a few days in Copenhagen, I came across a number of references to Noma, a restaurant that had earned No 1 in the World status a number of times in the past decade. Although I recall having read at one time about Noma and heard that it had been the subject of a documentary, I truly knew little about the eatery or its offerings.
After reading a score of on-line reviews about the place, though, I discovered that the unusual fare is what attracts diners. Anywhere from 15 to 20 courses (small) are served, with much of the food having been foraged within hours of the dining experience.
Unfortunately, information I read about Noma revealed that it takes months to get a reservation at the restaurant whose chef, Rene Redzepi, has been the subject of documentaries and many articles. In fact, Noma had a pop-up restaurant last year in Australia for about six weeks, and 28,000 people remained on the waiting list.
So, after reading about the restaurant, I went to its website and clicked on reservations. I discovered it is a months-long process to secure reservations and we were due in Copenhagen within a few weeks, but I saw an option to apply for the waiting list for a shared table at the famed restaurant. So I filled in the info, noting the dates we would be staying in the beautiful city in Denmark.
LUCKY US!
Frankly, I sort of forgot about the whole thing until I received an email from Noma that it had a cancellation for two persons on a day we would be in Copenhagen and asking me if I might beinterested in filling in. The email arrived while my husband John and I were cruising The Baltic on the Serenade of the Seas. So I tried to describe Noma to John, noting its frequent ranking as the top restaurant in the world and its attraction for those chalking up places on their bucket lists. I casually mentioned that our Nordic meal probably would cost more than our hotel bill would be for three nights in Copenhagen, and John was not amused. He said: “Forget it.” I ignored his opinion and replied YES to the email. As requested, I provided credit card information (MY credit card as that way John might be more amenable to accompanying me to a meal for which he was not paying---a first in 46 years of marriage).
That night, I mentioned to a few people on the ship that John and I had a chance to dine at Noma and I was besieged in a humorous way with offers to buy me out by people who had tried for months to get reservations and had been rebuffed. John was beginning to feel a bit more enthused about the whole thing, even after I informed him that we would be eating a lot of small courses of food that might include ants as well as vegetables culled from forests and other places in the Copenhagen area. Noma is known for its offerings of foods picked from wooded sites in the area as well as delicately prepared small portions of meats, fish, etc.
Thus we arrived at the appointed time to a restaurant that is well-appointed without fancy tablecloths or the trappings of some exclusive establishment. The staff greeted us as we entered and we accepted an offer of a glass of champagne (not free) as we waited with others in a small lounge. We then were brought into the main section that seats 45 people per meal. We dined at the lone shared table with three other couples, all young enough to be our offspring. They included a Turkish couple now residing in London, another couple from London, and an American who works in Saudi Arabia with his companion, a Korean woman living in Germany. Being with others, in my opinion, made the experience more delightful as we discussed each dish, and used our cellphones to take photos of the food.
Diners can choose to pair the meal with wine or juice. John chose the wine option and I selected the juices; thus we could share each other’s drinks and see exactly what comes with both choices. As each course was served, a waiter explained what we were to eat; the wines and juices were described by another waiter. Staffers were all over the place, being attentive to the lucky people dining at that time.
WHAT DID WE EAT?
First course?
Rhubarb and seaweed. Not exactly fare we eat at our beloved New Jersey diners. Then a three-in-one vegetable offering that featured a black currant berry, a pickled quail egg and flatbread with ant paste. That’s right---ant paste. (Actually, ants often are part of the Noma menu and I was prepared to taste them if offered---and then hand off the rest to John!) These foods, incidentally, came on a bed of not-to-be-eaten moss, in which one of our tablemates discovered a worm. (She did not eat it!).
Sometimes the waiters put down appropriate silverware for us to use for a course---and, in some cases, as for the aforementioned platter, it was a “use your hands and eat in one bite” suggestion for us patrons.
What else did we enjoy during our two-hour-plus experience?
Radish pie…asparagus with whipped cream and white asparagus with elderberry leaves…sweet lobster with lavender and rose oil…fresh green garlic shoots, etc. How about charred ramson? It’s a green from the garlic family that was accompanied by a sharp knife as it is hard to cut. (And chew, in my opinion). Oh, it came with a scallop paste, by the way. Teamed king crab in egg yolk sauce and turbot with sweet shrimp were also among the menu items.
One of the dessert selections proved most fascinating to yours truly: Moss cooked in chocolate with egg liqueur. Yes, this moss was to be eaten---and it really was quite good!
The wine selections looked good to me, but John, who is knowledgeable about such things, was not overly impressed. As for the juices ---well, two of them were green and I heard the waiter say something about wood sorrel! Not your everyday orange juice…
After the meal concluded, we all were taken on a tour of the kitchens and learned about how the food is gathered (staffers hit the forests for some of the selections) and then delicately “hand-prepared” for extraordinary presentation at the tables.
BRING YOUR WALLET
John and I have had the fortune of eating an array of foods at some interesting restaurants in our years of overseas travels (I was less than enthusiastic to discover I was eating pigeon one night in Morocco) but the Noma meal certainly garners a special place in our culinary undertakings.
Yes, our meal cost plenty as in PLENTY but we were on vacation and I chalked it up to a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
After all, I doubt if we will be chewing on ramson in Westfield N.J. in the near future…
So if you ever plan to head to Copenhagen, look up Noma and see if you can grab a reservation--or go on a waiting list. You will be enthralled…
(See picture of chocolate-covered moss under PHOTOS)