To Eat Or Not To Eat, That Is Not The Question

Copenhagen has decidedly turned into a global culinary destination with a focus on innovation,local produce and ethical practices

- Joanna Lobo

My cab driver Alan is surprised. My list of places to visit in Copenhagen doesn’t include one that was crowned the world’s best restaurant four times since 2003. “You aren’t going to Noma? It’s so popular with the tourists,” he says. I tell him I can’t afford it. In response, he tells me his favourite Noma story. A friend of his was at the restaurant for dinner, and spotted Jon Bon Jovi at another table. Being a fan of the singer, she decided to take the help of his dining partner to get an autograph. Bon Jovi’s companion kept his word, and, at the end of her meal, she got her autograph. The waiter then told her that Bon Jovi paid for her meal as well. And that’s when Alan’s friend learnt that the singer’s dining partner was none other than his fellow American singer Bruce Springsteen. “She blames it on pregnancy hormones,” chuckles Alan. “But, what a story to tell her child!”

As it turns out, everyone in Copenhagen seems to have a story about Noma, chef and co-owner René Redzepi’s two-Michelin-star restaurant, which opened its doors in 2003. Even tour guides will point out old and new locations, in case you want to take photos.

To me, Noma’s true genius lies in its locally-sourced ethos, and in elevating Nordic cuisine and putting it on the global map. “Before its launch in 2003, chefs were working from a classic French standpoint, inspired by [late] Paul Bocuse, the revered French chef. He influenced Danish gastronomy from the 1970s till the ’90s. Eating out was predictable as most restaurants had similar things on the menu, and guests were conservative in their choices,” says Karsten Kroman, master chef, owner of the All About Cooking school, and former secretary general of Bocuse d’Or, a biennial world chef championship in Denmark.