NOMA Is Short For “Nordisk Mad” (A Friend Of A Friend)

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Thursday, 27th September 2012. Copenhagen.

the Malmø meeting is not the real reason for the trip. I’m a friend of a friend, and the man I meet has an opening at a NOMA-table and most kindly thought of me. NOMA is considered to be the best restaurant in the world the past years, and the birthplace of the current focus on new Nordic cuisine.

the set meny is basically identical for lunch and dinner; 13 appetizers followed by ten proper courses. the four of us have a lunch booking. we sit for four hours, and between us we’ve eaten our way through some of the finest restaurants of Europe, Asia and the US. nothing compares to the NOMA experience.

one of the sommeliers worked at one of our places for a brief while ten years ago or so. he didn’t know we were coming, but immediately dedicates his shift to our table through the entire meal. afterwards he invites us on a private tour backstage to see the facilities. fifty cooks work 16 hour shifts to make the magic happen. most of them work for free, I guess, they work to learn and to become better cooks and because there’s nothing else they would rather do.

the Malmø meeting was not the real reason for the trip. nothing compares to this. there’s nothing else they would rather do.