A long overdue food journal |||

Noma

When I moved to London in 2007 and started to dine out more, get more interested in the restaurant scene. There was one restaurant that held my attention more than any other, and that was Noma. It took me almost 10 years but I finally got my chance to eat at Noma back in 2016 and it still stands the test of being the best meal I ever had which is a hard thing to pull off when you’ve waited so long to try something. I mean generally things that you build up in your mind never live up to expectations, let alone exceed them. However, that day we spent in Copenhagen is so memorable, from the incredible meal, the company, the tour of the kitchen and building, before ending our night at our friend Nina’s house drinking vintage champagne and ordering pizza late into the night. It’s one of those moments that you think to yourself Damn, life is not just good, it’s great”

I ended up going to Noma again back in 2022 for their Vegetable season, which is now housed in a new part of Copenhagen and a bit of a laboratory as opposed to a restaurant. I won’t bore you with the future of Noma as that is all public knowledge, but I unequivocally owe a debt to Noma who inspired my passion for food, my interest in trying the unknown (Ants and moss anyone?), and the joy of bringing friends and family together to share a meal.

When you first get to the restaurant, you are seated in a waiting area where they serve you a quick drink to settle you in. We were then ushered into a beautiful dining area that overlooks the garden, I forgot we were in the city as you look around as it’s all lush green, plants hang from the ceilings and around the tables, which as you can expect are beautiful delicate scandi designs. Vegetable season consisted of about 15-20 dishes. Some of the dishes seemed almost too beautiful to eat (Flower Tart, radish pie), while others were so incredibly delicious that it gave me hope that we can reduce our meat intake if we can prepare dishes like this (cucumber skin dolma, potato wrapped in sea lettuce). The thing about Noma, outside of the incredible culinary skills on display by the chefs, is that the service is most likely the best you will ever experience. The staff go out of their way to make you feel welcome, it’s a warm, inviting, friendly atmosphere that doesn’t have the stuffiness of a three Michelin star restaurant. I’ll finish here by simply saying, this is the place I’ve compared every other fine dining experience too, and I’ve yet to find a place that can match it. So the timer is on, hopefully you can make a trip out before they shut their doors.

Price per head: £650 and up

Flower TartFlower Tart Cucumber Skin DolmaCucumber Skin Dolma Potato wrapped in sea lettucePotato wrapped in sea lettuce Radish PieRadish Pie

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