Fifty-four Things That Went Through My Mind While Eating Dinner At Noma Mexico

Samantha Teague flew to Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula to eat at Noma’s latest international pop-up, which opened for seven weeks at Tulum. There were ferns, grasshoppers and lots of Birkenstocks. This is what ran through her head while she was there.

1. To get to Noma Mexico’s front gate (and by gate I mean “rope between two trees”) I bought flights from Sydney, paid for overpriced accommodation at the only yoga retreat not already booked out (it being the Easter long weekend) and paid about $US600 for dinner.

2. Gosh, what a lot of money. I hope it’s good.

3. Wandering along Tulum’s main coastal drag towards said front gate, my dining companions and I stumble across a group of smiling people all wearing white T-shirts, grey aprons and Birkenstocks.

4. Turns out these are the Noma people. A handful of the 145 employees and family members who were flown over from Copenhagen for the pop-up. Lucky bastards.

5. And they’re standing in front of a Mexican jungle.

6. Someone breaks off from the group and leads us around trees, ferns and bushes to our table.

7. Whoa! This floor is made of sand!

8. Don’t staff get sand in their German sandals?

9. I ask and am told yes, they do, and the Scandinavian team members wear socks under them to counter this.

10. A guest at our table asks if they may remove their sand-filled shoes.

11. “Of course!”

12. I’m now sitting at Noma with no shoes on. I feel like a toddler in a sandpit.

13. To help us forget our lack of sophistication we’re handed flutes of 2009 Roederer. Much better.

14. The first dish arrives at the table – it’s a woven basket filled with ice and topped with four plants I couldn’t name if you paid me.