Tag Archive for 'noma'

The most extraordinary thing happened to me: Chef René Redzepi invited me to the Cook it Raw! event – a culinary gathering of 11 top chefs of the world to take place at restaurant noma on Sunday 24th May, 2009.

The setup was inspired by the COP15 – United Nations Climate Change Conference this coming December and it was organised by Alessandro Porcelli of Nordic Gourmet Tour, in collaboration with René Redzepi, Andrea Petrini of Omnivore, L’Express (France) and the Danish Ministry of Business and Economic Affairs.

The theme for the cooking was rawness as a culinary technique and a meditation on nature, rawness as an interpretation, a legacy of something lost that needs to be regained, resuscitated and purified. Creativity beyond technology – Cook it raw, cook it clean!

The sun was shining beautifully from an azure blue and serene sky. I arrived at 6:51 pm, a bit too early, and jumped out of the car right in front of the noma entrance. Fortunately, I was not the first to arrive. A few people were already waiting at the wharf, chatting and enjoying the noma beer, which was served as the drink.

Inside, I was warmly welcomed by René, wearing such a smitten smile. He explained that there was a bustle in the kitchen and that the dinner would begin about a half hour later. Alessandro Porcelli welcomed me as well and ticked my name on his list.

I talked a bit with Lau and some of the staff. It was more than 3 months since I last visited noma, and I simply just enjoyed to be back in the beautiful premises and to sense the mood and atmosphere there again. Nadine, René’s wife, was so kind to me and summarized for me what had taken place already for the past last two days and what tonight’s plan was.

Then more guests arrived: International and Danish press, representatives of the Danish Ministry of Business and Economic Affairs, wine merchants, chefs and friends of the house.

Snack of fresh shoots with terragon terroir

At the tables all the guests were mixed with different nationalities. I had the pleasure of having Andrea Petrini and Bob Noto next to me.

Sommelier Pontus served the first (white) wine in high, slender glasses.  I was blessed with not only a glass of wine but also with the warmest greeting, and a kiss on my cheek too.

We the guests were suggested to have a guess on the wine. It appeared to be Danish. I’ve never tried any Danish wine before, so I didn’t guess this one. It was a tiny bit sparkling, and the scent and the taste were dominated by flowery Sauvignon Blanc notes and had a slightly sweet Riesling touch. It was easy and delicious, and I was pleasantly surprised. It was better than what I had imagined a white wine from Denmark to be.

Then the show got kicked off and each of the chefs presented his dish and the ideas behind it.

2008 Arwen, Lilleø, Denmark

A bull rush

René Redzepi

What’s inside this white box?

Fjord shrimps – alive and kicking!

Raw vegetables/bull rush/Fjord shrimps natural
Salad of green strawberries and tree shoots

I have to say straight away that the level of the cooking was extremely high. We’re talking perfection. The dishes were consistently pure, virginal almost. They tasted very fresh and light but the flavours came through distinctly. Actually, I didn’t  find them particularly sushi-like or too Asian/Japanese inspired.

Ichiro Kubota, Umu

Langoustines with Kinome pepper and mousse of broad beans
Oyster with Japanese citric dressing
Turbot with 5 spices and venison sauce with Yuzu pepper

2007 Muscadet Sevre et Maine ‘Granite’, Domaine de l’Ecu (Guy Bossard), Loire

The dish of Ichiro Kubota from restaurant Umu in London took my breath away. He totally moved me with this serving. First of all, the beauty of this dish was just obvious. Secondly, he served my favourite kind of oyster: Limfjord Oyster which I love for its delicate meatiness and subtle sea flavour. Third, the tastes were just incredible, full of complexity, delectable and surprising. One flavour sort of took over where another one ended; it was like a wave of new savours with a mixture of known ones. The finish was so long. A truly seducing dish.

Daniel Patterson, Coi

Earth and sea; new harvest potatoes and coastal greens

2006 Tocai Friulano, Roncús, Fiuli Venezia Giulia

Massimo Bottura, La Francescana

Pollution – 20.30 Modena

Claude Bosi, Hibiscous

King crab, pickled cucumber, white miso and beach herbs

2007 Riesling GG ‘Frühlingsplätzchen’, Emrich-Schönleber, Nahe

Dave Chang, Momofuku

Hawthorne, valley buttermilk, apple dashi with Dragsholms herbs

2007 Riesling GG ‘IDIG’, Christmann, Pfalz

Pascal Barbot, L’Astrance

Marinated mackerels, smoked eel and wild angelica

NV (2004) Vin de Table Tourraine ‘SauVignon’, Domaines des Maisons Brulées par B. et M. Augé

Pascal Barbot surprised me by an exceptionally high quality fish and by the composition of it as a whole. The way the dish was presented was just marvelous. It was sharp and the flavours were distinct. The texture of the green soup in the cup was thick-ish and a little piece of smoked eel underlined the theme and combined the two servings. A very strong impression with a lot of character. His serving came second on my list, after Kubota’s.

Inaki Aizpitarte, Le Chateaubriand

Lobster, pigeon liver, chicken liver, wood sorrel

2006 Grüner Veltliner ‘Spiegel’, Fred Loimer, Kamptal

Davide Scabin, Combal.0

Steak Tartar B:C:

NV (2007) Rosé Vin du Table ‘Chemin de la brune’, L’Anglore, Rhône

Joachim Wissler, Vendôme

Venison and jellified pumpernickel soup

2006 Blaufränkish ‘Necken Markter’, Moric, (Roland Velich), Burgenland – wonderful wine this one.

Albert Adrià, El Bulli

40 sec bisquit and sorbet of flowers

The noma staff was incredible this evening. Throughout the night each of the guys came to my table and asked how I liked the food and how I was feeling. All of them were extremely kind and loving. That’s how I felt it anyway.

In fact, the whole atmosphere at the event was really warm and friendly. At the end of the night it felt like we were all part of one big family. The guests were giving standing ovation to the chefs; they earned it! Everybody was happy.

Cook it Raw! was a huge success. I sincerely hope we’ll se more international culinary gatherings here in my city. Kudos to Alessandro, Andrea and René!

René, I thank you dearly for inviting me and giving me an experience of a lifetime!

Links to more articles on Cook it Raw!:

• The Independent
• Decanter
• The National (Dubai)
• Information (Danish)
• Berlingske Fri (Danish)
• Politiken (Danish)

The Last time I dined at noma (May 08), René proposed a break of five to six months for me to see how much noma would develop over a half a year’s time. Okay I thought, and was looking forward to my plans for new grand experiences in Belgium, Germany, Holland, and Denmark – and so I figured that it shouldn’t be a problem to stay away from noma, and that time would pass fast. But my nomabstinence was not at all easy to handle.

Anyway, on 27th November -  exactly six months and six days after my last visit (the business lunch in September doesn’t really count) – I was finally back at the restaurant which has seduced me like no other place. It’s not only about the food. It’s the experience as a whole. Each time I visit I feel like I never want to leave again.

René wasn’t in that day. He had emailed me a couple of days in advance to tell me this and to temptingly  inform me that they had prepared a ten-course surprise lunch for me.

Inspired by JC, the photos from my meal are this time shot in RAW. I hope you like them. As a new feature you can now also zoom into each photo – just click it – and use the Previous and Next buttons to flick through all images in the post.

I arrived earlier than my companion and was overwhelmed by the kind greeting at the door when I entered – almost like they had just been standing there waiting the whole time. Lau welcomed me and decided that I should have a seat and wait in the lounge and so I opted for a very nice 2004 Olivier Horiot Rosé champagne ‘En Barmont’. A lovely glass of rosé bubbles with a wonderful nose and flavour making me think of summer and sweet strawberries and carried by a fine and acidic finish. Lau was kind enough to keep me company until Daniel, pastry chef, came out from the kitchen to say hi, and even Frederik, Zarah’s and my perfect host, dropped by to say hello.

The snacks of the well-known smoked and pickled quail’s egg, smoked cheese and vegetables sandwich between a super-thin rye bread slice and ditto chicken skin remarkably balanced and clearly indicating all three elements of it. They  were served at my table which was at the corner of the room and where I have been placed so often.

I was surprised to get the radishes at this late time of the year. They were of course accompanied by the lovely terragon “dirt”. But my all-time favourite pre-appetizer, though, has to be the curvy toast with wild herbs, vinegar and egg cream. The versatile flavour combination is a small journey of delicate savours of sweet and sour following each other while the crust crackles in my mouth.

We ordered complimenting wines to go with the meal and I asked to get them blind. I didn’t do it to make the lunch into a wine quiz but to force myself to notice the scents and tastes more consciously and for being more open to what I was experiencing. It extended my enjoyment of the wines.

A few of them were (welcomed) repeats, but all were lovely. I was especially carried away by the Muscadet ‘Expression de Granite’ with an unusually powerful nose of smoke and mineral which was reflected on the palate too. The Saint-Veran ‘Chevigne’ was another pleasant surprise with more than 48 hour’s air, power and much more aromatic touch compared to a typical white Burgundy. It was oxidized but without being sherry-like, it was still crispy. And the Châteauneuf-du-Pape ’Henri Bonneau was delighting too, of course, and a most balanced wine.

Greenland shrimps, cream, chlorophyll and white currant granita

2006 Domaine de l´ Ecu (Guy Bossard), Muscadet ‘Expression de Granite’, Loire

First course presented raw shrimps and white currants and was a fresh and delicate starter. If I say the quality of them was fabulous, I will come to repeat my self a lot in this review. So, I won’t.

Gotland truffles, walnuts and birch wine

2007 Battenfeldt-Spanier, Weissburgunder, Rheinhessen

The sous chef, James, served this following course that just made me pinch myself because I really thought my eyes were deceiving me. Brown, thin and perfectly round slices of truffles decorated the centre of my plate and with little glimpses of walnuts. James poured the liquid foam over the truffles, partly on top of the leaves and partly running down in between them so the juice covered the bottom plate.

You know (by now) that truffles have a very special place in my heart and despite the fact of my at times easy access to them, I had never imagined to get a dish basically just comprising truffles. I was stunned! The very fresh and succulent Gotland slices crisped in my mouth in trying to battle the walnuts’ crunching texture. I liked the flavour of the two together and the birch softened the earthy and bitter tones. In my view though, a bit more sweetness would have improved it. Anyway, it’s for sure one of the most decadent things I have been served to date.

Norwegian sea urchin, cucumber, milk and dill

2007 Weingut Groebe, Riesling Kabinett trocken, Rheinhessen

And now to the highlight of the meal. Five little orange sea urchins amongst grilled cucumber, scurvy grass, dill and frozen milk formed the most beautiful and delighting experience. The flavours were delicate and went extremely well together from the very cold and sweetish feeling at first (the milk), followed by the bitterness of the sea urchin and tweaked by the aromatic dill to the incredibly long and delicate finish dominated by the sea urchin. It was a clever combination and a completely innovative but very harmonious dish. I simply loved it.

Søren’s vegetables, sea buckthorn, cream and garden purslane

2006 Fred Loimer, Grüner Veltliner ’Spiegel’ (magnum), Kamptal

Next was a painting in oil of summer and a vegetables garden. Well, it was such a smiling dish and offered miniature crops and made it seem more like spring time than a month to Christmas. I loved the look of the translucent roots, perfectly cooking to a slight bity texture. The fresh-made cheese was mild and gave substance to the crunchy Søren Viuff vegetables, and the sauce combined all the ingredients and added salt.

Radishes from Lammefjorden, egg yolk and seaweed

2005 Domaine Julien Meyer, Riesling ‘Muenchberg’, Alsace

This is another reason why I adore noma: The variety. From highly complex and exquisite dishes like the one above to something as simple as this: radishes, egg yolk and seaweed beautifully presented on a grey and black-dotted plate and stressing the uncompromisingly rough simplicity. The radishes were bitter, but only a little bit, and the egg was softening the taste, which was again twisted by the seaweed.

Skate wing, watercress, celeri cooked in hay, vild herbs and stems

2006 Denis Jeandeau, Saint-Veran ‘Chevigne’, Bourgogne

Next was a wonderful skate wing. So easy to comprehend and appreciate; yet another aspect of simplicity. The creamy flavours really complemented each other. The quality of the fish, I tell you, my mouth was watering by the look of the knife cutting through the delicate white and slightly reddish fish meat close to the centre. It was so full of taste.

Lobster in “red nuances”

2006 Domaine Richard Leroy, Anjou ’Les Noëls de Montbenault’, Loire

I’ve got lobster a few times at noma, but this version surely beat them all. The quality of the lobster was pure perfection! As a whole, the dish was exciting with this beautiful and red theme naming beets, redcurrant, seaweed, elderflower capers, onions and more.

Veal tongue and celeriac, veal breast and garden sorrel

2001 Henri Bonneau, Châteauneuf-du-Pape ’Henri Bonneau’, Rhône

The only meat course this afternoon was veal tongue. The first memory that always strikes me when someone mentions veal tongue, is of the one that my mum used to cook. My memory is that of a giant veal tongue lying on the kitchen table, boiled grey and flavourless. Eating it was the weirdest thing; sensing the little blisters against my own tongue. Not especially nice.

But – this veal tongue was a completely different thing. The meat was thinly sliced and rolled, and carefully cooked, so tender and with a very delicious veal taste that wasn’t like offal at all. The veal breast was the hairy thing on top. Unfortunately, after seven courses I was too full to clean the plate. If I had eaten this with my eyes closed I would never have guessed it was veal tongue.

2005 Vigneau-Chevreau, Vouvray Moelleux, Loire

Overripe pear and whey, malt and woodruff

On to the first of two desserts, which was a refreshing cleanser. A white landscape that only missed the red woolly gnomes’ hats to resemble a miniature Christmas landscape. The slight soft, moist and sweet pears got substance from the iced whey (skyr) and sweetness from the melted brown malt sauce and the crunchy tops of anise-flavoured meringue. Excellent.

2001 Domaine Marcel Deiss, Huebuhl, Alsace

Truffle from Gotland and curd

I couldn’t believe this: Truffles for the second time this afternoon? Curd balls were rolled in truffle crumble and decorated with orange caramel branches resembling tongues of fire. The dominating taste here was the truffle, but the dish was still dessert-like because of the creamy curd and the sweet sugar combining and balancing the ingredients. Lovely.

Goodness, I was full. And little tipsy. I sashayed back to the bar for coffee, flødebolle and a fortifying Marc de Bourgogne from DRC. James even came by and kindly chatted with us.

The other guests had left, the restaurant was almost empty and the quiet winter darkness enveloped noma. My companion’s remark summed it up: It’s so wonderful here. I don’t feel like leaving at all. That is the whole point. There is something so special about the lunch at noma.

Many, many thanks James, Ulf, Jacob and Lau!