This article first appeared in The Q Review Winter 2019 Edition. To receive your FREE copy – Subscribe here
In the tiny village of Iliminaq, located 200 kilometres north of the Arctic circle and home to just 54 residents, is Restaurant Egede.
Travel Destination – Greenland
For the team at YOLO Travel, a recent journey to Greenland and The Faroe Islands was designed around arctic adventuring – icebergs, glaciers, whale spotting and the midnight sun.
So to also find amazing culinary experiences in these far-flung corners of the world was an unexpected and delicious surprise.
Restaurant Egede, Iliminaq
Five hours flight west of Denmark, the massive island of Greenland is one of the least densely populated places on the planet, and one of the most inhospitable environments on Earth.
With vast ice caps covering almost all of the island, people eke out an existence on thin strips of land around the coast. And while global warming has increased temperatures in the southern regions of Greenland, permafrost still makes the vast majority of the island unusable for agriculture.
Food here is a necessity, not a nicety, and traditional hunting and gathering is still an integral part of life.
But it is here in Greenland that exists one of the most surprising fine-dining experiences in the world.
Locally caught fish with beurre blanc sauce.
Most meals in Greenland are simply functional and filling.
But it is here in Greenland that exists one of the most surprising fine-dining experiences in the world.
In the tiny village of Iliminaq, located 200 kilometres north of the Arctic circle and home to just 54 residents, is Restaurant Egede.
Housed in the magnificently restored village mission house from 1751, Restaurant Egede serves innovative Greenlandic fare, utilising locally sourced ingredients, prepared with modern flair.
Three course menus feature freshly caught fish from the surrounding waters and reindeer and musk oxen from the tundra, accompanied by foraged berries, herbs and prized greenhouse vegetables.
Egede is housed in the magnificently restored village mission house from 1751.
The chefs work wonders with their unique ingredients, and the meal is capped off with a warming Greenlandic coffee – a potent brew of alcohol and caffeine, theatrically set alight.
The view from the windows of Restaurant Egede is unforgettable – the wild North Atlantic ocean, with icebergs and whales gliding past, and a sun that just dips, but doesn’t set, in the sky before rising again.
The restaurant can be visited by staying at the adjacent Iliminaq Lodge (highly recommended!) or as a dining tour by boat from the town of Ilulissat.
Arrange your visit to Restuarant Egede via World of Greenland here.
Secure your accommodation at Iliminaq Lodge, also through World of Greenland, here.
Whale spotting through the Egede Restaurant windows.
To learn more about visiting Denmark, Greenland, The Faroe Islands, and other “adventures for the discerning traveller” visit YOLO Travel at youonlyliveoncetravel.com.au