Enjoy the Spoils of Success – A North Atlantic Food Adventure beginning at “Noma”, Denmark

This article first appeared in The Q Review Winter 2019 Edition.  To receive your FREE copy – Subscribe here

Travel Destination – Denmark

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.

Noma, Copenhagen

Greenland is a Danish territory, and the easiest (and almost only) way to get there is via Copenhagen.

En route from Australia, a single night in the Denmark capital was a perfect opportunity to visit one of the most famous restaurants in the world – the iconic Noma.

At the forefront of the reinvention of Nordic cuisine, Noma has recently re-opened in dramatic new premises, and is fast reestablishing itself as a world class, quintessential dining experience.

With bookings opening months in advance, and selling out within minutes, a reservation at Noma was hard won and much anticipated. So did it live up to the hype?

The entrance to Noma is understated, to say the least.

In a quiet, overgrown and almost industrial corner of central Copenhagen, a single wroughtiron sign indicates you have arrived at your destination.

But while you pause, wondering if you are in the right place, Noma team members materialise, and one party at a time, guide you along the entrance path, showcasing the restaurant’s gardens and greenhouse en route.

Many of the dishes are unlike anything else you will have ever tried.

Finally you arrive at the restaurant doors, which swing open dramatically to reveal the entire restaurant team waiting to enthusiastically welcome you, including the famed head-chef himself, René Redzepi.

The new Noma restaurant is small, just 12 tables, brightly lit, and designed with a classic Nordic aesthetic.

Once seated, the experience continues to be as surprising and delightful as the welcome.

With a total of 20 courses, the menu is an eclectic extravaganza of expertly and artfully prepared fare.

Many of the dishes are unlike anything else you will have ever tried, with novel ingredients, or common ingredients reimagined. Some dishes are brought to the table by the chef’s themselves, who explain their creations with pride. Waitstaff, many of whom are Australian (apparently chosen specifically by René because of our “laidback charm”), are highly professional but not fussy, and the whole experience is seamless and impeccable.

The menu at Noma changes with the seasons, and in summer the focus is entirely on vegetables, with a meat-free menu. And while the array of non-meat ingredients were definitely some of the most innovative and exquisite we have ever encountered, the carnivores of YOLO Travel would not have minded sampling from the meat and fish menus that occur at other times of the year.

So was it worth it? For dedicated foodies, keen for a truly unique and completely unforgettable dining experience – the answer is a resounding yes!

If you would like to try and secure an reservation, visit noma.dk good luck!

The target destination was Greenland above, but with a stopover in Copenhagen the chance for dinner at Noma was an opportunity to good to resist!

To learn more about visiting Denmark, Greenland, The Faroe Islands, and other “adventures for the discerning traveller” visit YOLO Travel at youonlyliveoncetravel.com.au