 |
| Noma, 20111 |
Rene Redzepi and Noma were voted back as number one restaurant last night (April 28) at the Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurant awards at the Guildhall in London. It is an excellent result, although I hold equal hope for Massimo Bottura (number three) and Brett Graham ( number 10) getting there sometime in the future. I have only eaten Rene's food on a handful of occasions, but I consider his New Nordic movement to be profound and important - it is the way food should be heading all over the planet. There is nothing more satisfying than sitting down somewhere and knowing the the style and content of the food you are eating reflects your locality. Sadly, the same doesn't apply to wine as the very best examples (in my biased opinion) usually emanate from France.
Anyway, this is a review I wrote earlier this year about Rene's latest book, which is a rubber-banded trio of three publications. I would urge all would be chefs to carefully read the Journal portion as it gives an excellent account of the pressures, trials and triumph of being a world-class chef...
Chef René Redzepi and Noma were propelled to fame by being judged the world’s best restaurant by a collection of critics and food professionals three years in succession. He is considered to be the founder of “New Nordic” cuisine, which reinterprets the produce of Scandinavia and confronts the diner with experiences such as eating live shrimps, ants or seaweed and foraged herbs.
A decade ago, the kitchen was the refuge of misfits, dropouts and even the criminal classes between assignments. Nowadays, it is also the goal of some Ivy League or Oxbridge graduates to gain a place in one of the handful of restaurants like Noma in Copenhagen that are re-defining culinary traditions.
 |
| Ants at the Claridge's meal |
Unlike the earlier, Modernist tradition of Spain’s el Bulli, (judged the worlds best restaurant four years in a row) which offered dozens of contrived tasting sensations in succession, Redzepi and Noma are firmly rooted in celebrating seasonal offerings in a raw but cerebral way. El Bulli made a point of challenging diners assumptions with extraordinary creations which owed much to chemical and molecular invention without any reference to seasonality. Noma, on the other hand, is firmly rooted in seasonal produce specifically from the Nordic region.
Redzepi has already written a defining book about his restaurant – this time, what is on offer is a series of three unadorned books in a cardboard box with recipes, snap shots and most importantly, his journal for 2011.
 |
| Rene at Claridge's |
Written in the narrow space between finishing service and falling asleep, it is the best portrait yet of the intellectual and emotional challenges facing one of the most creative chefs in the business.
Who would want to be a stagier (trainee chef) in a leading restaurant? It involves 80-hour work weeks, the likelihood of being scarred (mentally and physically) and the prospect of spending far more time with colleagues than your partner or spouse. And to cap it off, you are not even paid.
Redzepi’s journal goes some way to explaining why his stagiers at least, put up with the hardship. Every Saturday night, kitchen staff are asked to offer up a new take on a dish and submit it to the rest of the kitchen. One result was an edible mussel shell made of flour, squid ink and clam juice. During his first proper holiday after winning the award in 2010, his kitchen were tasked to exhaustively explore new ways of serving a carrot. The variety of options tried were as comprehensive as any scientist trying to unlock some defining theorem. Someone turned fermented carrots into a drink; puréeing was a complete blind alley but some time later, dried carrots ended up in a new dessert.
 |
| Noma dish in 2012 |
Then there was an entire period spent exploring what was termed trash cooking (edible parts of fish heads) or wrestling with how to use lamb brains in new ways. What emerges is a picture of a kitchen constantly working to redefine flavours with kilograms of preserved vegetables for the winter or powdered ceps for added intensity.
 |
| Lobster dish, 2012 |
On top of this, there is the drama of serving other world-famous chefs for the first time and what their reaction will be or the preparations for the now annual Mad Food Camp, where chefs, scientists and activists gather under a circus tent for two days of seminars and displays.
 |
| At the Polish Cook It Raw, 2012 |
Such creative approaches to cuisine do not come cheap either for the participants or the customers. There is the added drama of how the restaurant almost faces closure because of its unprofitability until prices are raised and some efficiencies are introduced without compromising Redzepi’s vision.
 |
| Noma, 2011 |
PS: Rene's guide about where to eat in Copenhagen
http://www.bonhams.com/magazine/16449/
and Rene's account of his favourite room in Copenhagen:
http://www.bonhams.com/magazine/11594/