
I was on the phone the second the lines opened to bag a table three months in advance at Noma, generally considered the world’s second best restaurant.
Head chef René Redzepi forages and sources strictly Nordic ingredients to create his menu of 20+ courses – and one that banishes pepper and olive oil, instead serving up sea urchin, ants and bee larvae.
Here are my top 5 dishes from what was an unforgettable dining experience. And don’t miss two additional eating tips for smaller budgets in one of Europe’s best dining destinations.
1. Moss
Festively named after its cervine habitat, the reindeer moss is deep fried to a texture so brittle, it was difficult to hold without it crumbling. Sprinkled with cep dust, it tasted of a salty, earthy forest.
2. Coconuts
3. Pancakes
4. Poached eggs
5. Ants
For more info on Noma and booking a table head here.
Two other restaurants to try
Host
The newest opening from Cocofo, a popular restaurant group in Copenhagen. If Noma is out of your budget, or most likely, you can’t nab a table, Host is a (slightly) more purse-friendly Nordic option. At £30 a head, the three course menu with a few extras thrown in included an intensely ‘shroomy cep soup palette cleanser. A highlight was the oxtail and beef, with a bouffant of bright pink shredded beetroot. There’s some theatre thrown in too: lobster arrived accompanied by a burning sprig of juniper whose piney smell transports the diner straight to December. Norre Farimagsgade 41, Copenhagen 1364
Bevars
Bevars is a neighbourhood cafe at the foot of Ravnsborggade, the street home to vintage Danish Design. First find yourself an original Jo Hammerborg light; and then celebrate with a coffee and a homemade rum truffle here. The truffle was extremely chocolatey and made dense with oats. The interior? Not letting down team design Denmark, this cafe is white and wooden with bespectacled locals in knitwear occupying the seats, tapping away at their laptops. Lights dimmed, it turns into a homely bar come nightfall. Ravnsborggade 10 B, 2200 København, Nørrebro