The best restaurant in the world

Merlin5

Merlin5

Merlin5

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Location
Finchley, London
I went to a drum student of mine yesterday and the parents, both consultant doctors went to Copenhagen for a couple of days last week to celebrate the husband's 50th birthday. Their kids went too.

They went to Noma, apparently voted the best in the world. He showed me photos of the place. It's in a massive old warehouse on the quay. Their booking was for 12.30pm. They arrived at 12.25pm and staff were waiting at the door when they arrived. Twelve people showed them to their table! About 40 tables in the restaurant and it was full apparently.

They said it was the best restaurant food and experience they've ever had, (and this from people who have done the Heston and Gordon restaurants before). Food is prepared for hours in advance. Certain foods are picked fresh from the surrounding areas on the day of the booking. He showed me a photo of the menu, but I can't remember any of the meals, very obscure stuff. I do recall him telling me that they had a sort of jelly made from pulped ants. He said it was very tasty. :/

Afterwards, they were given a tour of the kitchens and their dedicated research kitchen where they concoct the weird and wonderful. They were at Noma's from 12.30pm till 4pm. Wouldn't like to guess what it would have cost for the four of them, plus tips! Apparently they receive 20,000 requests for bookings each month!


edit: found the menu

Berries and greens soaked in vinegar for one year

Øland wheat and virgin butter

Fermented wild plums and wild beach roses

The first green shoots of the season with a scallop marinade

Milk curd and the first garlic of 2015

Grilled onion with onion preserves

Sweet shrimps wrapped in ramson leaves

Sliced raw squid and cabbage stems

Fresh langoustine

Urchin and celery vinegar

Male and female lumpfish with whole milk

Pumpkin, kelp and beechnuts

Egg cured in fermented beef and the last potatoes

Vegetable flower

Roasted bone marrow

A dessert of bitters and walnut oil

Forest flavours and chocolate
 
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The whole 'best restaurant in the world' thing does irritate me somewhat, but it is very good. I went a few years ago - the biggest shock wasn't the bill but a dish that consisted of a live shrimp!
 
oli collett said:
The whole 'best restaurant in the world' thing does irritate me somewhat, but it is very good. I went a few years ago - the biggest shock wasn't the bill but a dish that consisted of a live shrimp!
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Did you terminate the shrimp or leave it to live for another plate?
 
oli collett said:
The whole 'best restaurant in the world' thing does irritate me somewhat, but it is very good.
Click to expand...
I sort of agree. I tend to combine the multiple "best restaurant" lists, and then use them as my guide to the top restaurants.
I've not been to Noma (although my brother has, and said it was exceptional), but I've been to Eleven Madison Park (number 4 on the list), and that certainly was an incredible dining experience.
 
I'm all for nice restaurants but sometimes they just seem far to poncey..... 12 people showing you to your seat/ table? Also that menu seems so unappetising, hardly anything on their is 'cooked.' Each to their own. I'm sure many would disagree with me.
 
When I went to Noma a few years back the meal was around £150 per person, with the wine pairing (9 glasses) an extra £150. I think the experience is certainly exceptional, the food can be sublime and bizarre (sometimes both). Not something you need to do often though, amazing as it was!
 
I was going to go to Noma last month when I went to Copenhagen but it was closed for refurbishment, so I went to another Michelin star restaurant instead. I think due to the fame of Noma, a lot of Michelin star restaurants has opened up in the city in the past few years, I had 17 courses, lasted 4 hours, attended by about 6 different waiters and waitresses, explaining all the ingredients in each course. Very good experience and actually not bad value as it was £140, when compared to £45 I spent on 1 course and a drink at Hard Rock Cafe a day later!
 
Lima said:
I'm all for nice restaurants but sometimes they just seem far to poncey..... 12 people showing you to your seat/ table? Also that menu seems so unappetising, hardly anything on their is 'cooked.' Each to their own. I'm sure many would disagree with me.
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I mostly agree with you. Nothing on that menu makes me salivate. I'd like to be able to afford an experience like that and not make a dent in my pocket. But I can't imagine all this experimental stuff on their menu would please my palate as much as a good steak and chips tbh.
 
molinari said:
I sort of agree. I tend to combine the multiple "best restaurant" lists, and then use them as my guide to the top restaurants.
I've not been to Noma (although my brother has, and said it was exceptional), but I've been to Eleven Madison Park (number 4 on the list), and that certainly was an incredible dining experience.
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It's usually quite amusing to amass a list of the best restaurants in a country from some of the 'world' lists and note the emissions - you see some huge flaws

2-3 years ago, in the 'top 100 restaurants in the world' list there were entries for the likes of St john, hakkasan, nobu and err, bar boulud at the mandarin oriental, making the UK list look like a list of ten OK london restaurants with the likes of the fat duck at the top. This is because it's compiled internationally and has always been slanted towards restaurants in a particular place that chefs/judges would go to, ignoring many superior restaurants. I Still don't think

I've come across any other list or critic who rates dinner by heston as the best restaurant in the UK, or even london, it's certainly not a better restaurant than the fat duck, and yet it is there at number 5 in the world, along with the ledbury at number 10. So if that's what they come out with for the UK, how is it any sort of guide to the rest of the world :confused:.
 
12 people.
I would like to go, but agreed with others it's to much, especially the 12 servers, it wrecks the atmosphere and experience.

Benares (Atul Kosher place) was like that so many servers crowding you, and the food had mistakes in it. So many servers is just not good service, just utterly disappointing and over priced.
Much prefer smaller places, waiters shouldn't be obvious but there when you need them. Preferably before you realise yourself.
 
Copenhagen is one of my favourite places in the world :), Noma is an absolutely sublime dining experience.
 
oli collett said:
It's usually quite amusing to amass a list of the best restaurants in a country from some of the 'world' lists and note the emissions - you see some huge flaws

2-3 years ago, in the 'top 100 restaurants in the world' list there were entries for the likes of St john, hakkasan, nobu and err, bar boulud at the mandarin oriental, making the UK list look like a list of ten OK london restaurants with the likes of the fat duck at the top. This is because it's compiled internationally and has always been slanted towards restaurants in a particular place that chefs/judges would go to, ignoring many superior restaurants. I Still don't think

I've come across any other list or critic who rates dinner by heston as the best restaurant in the UK, or even london, it's certainly not a better restaurant than the fat duck, and yet it is there at number 5 in the world, along with the ledbury at number 10. So if that's what they come out with for the UK, how is it any sort of guide to the rest of the world :confused:.
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I've seen some of those flaws that you mention and it does sometimes puzzle me too, and that's why I never use just one list as my guide. Combining several different best restaurant lists, along with critic reviews, and websites like TripAdvisor, has done me very well in the past. In all honesty, I haven't had a bad meal at a restaurant in a very long time when I've done this reading before hand. At the end of the day, you can just ignore these lists along with the critics (let's not get onto discussing what we think of the food critics!! :)), food is a personal thing after all.
 
Raymond Lin said:
I was going to go to Noma last month when I went to Copenhagen but it was closed for refurbishment, so I went to another Michelin star restaurant instead. I think due to the fame of Noma, a lot of Michelin star restaurants has opened up in the city in the past few years, I had 17 courses, lasted 4 hours, attended by about 6 different waiters and waitresses, explaining all the ingredients in each course. Very good experience and actually not bad value as it was £140, when compared to £45 I spent on 1 course and a drink at Hard Rock Cafe a day later!
Click to expand...

Copenhagen has one of the most renowned restaurant scenes in the world. It's great to live here as there are new places and concepts being opened all the time. It sounds like you went to Kiin Kiin? It's a great place and the only Michelin star Thai restaurant in Europe (AFAIK).

'New Nordic' is obviously one of the main themes for a lot of restaurants here, if anyone is thinking of a trip to Copenhagen I have a whole list of places to recommend!

Just a few would be:
Radio
Bror
Host
Formel B
Geranium

It doesn't all have to be bad on the wallet either, there are some great chains like Madklubben which are very affordable, change menus often and have different concepts at different locations e.g Steak, Italian, French, New ideas, Nordic etc.
 
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Benihana said:
Copenhagen has one of the most renowned restaurant scenes in the world. It's great to live here as there are new places and concepts being opened all the time. It sounds like you went to Kiin Kiin? It's a great place and the only Michelin star Thai restaurant in Europe (AFAIK).

'New Nordic' is obviously one of the main themes for a lot of restaurants here, if anyone is thinking of a trip to Copenhagen I have a whole list of places to recommend!

Just a few would be:
Radio
Bror
Host
Formel B
Geranium

It doesn't all have to be bad on the wallet either, there are some great chains like Madklubben which are very affordable, change menus often and have different concepts at different locations e.g Steak, Italian, French, New ideas, Nordic etc.
Click to expand...

I went to kokkeriet, which is Danish cuisine with a twist.

http://www.kokkeriet.dk/da/kokkeriet-restaurant-forside.html

Snacks
roe – malt – smoked cheese
pumpkin – eel - aquavit
shrimp – tomato - dill
cod – beet - capers
veal – carrot - parsley

Amousse
squid – cauliflower – hazelnut

crab – apples - celery – walnuts
kale – cockle – tarragon
spinach – hen egg - beans
yellow split peas – beets – spruce
pikeperch – carrot – ceps
poussin – lobster – brussels sprouts
sweetbread, pear, elderberries
duck – mushrooms – Gammel Dansk
beef – plums – bitter chocolate

cucumber - white chocolate - mint

sweet bread – lemon mousse – meringue – verbena
anise – berries – beetroot – nougatine

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