Noma is supposedly the ‘best restaurant in the world’ and a culinary gem. But is it up to scratch? <\/p>\n
Exchange students Reese Alexander (Canada) and Grace Kr\u00fctsch (Australia) are members of an informal food club that made it their business to find out.<\/p>\n
The University Post couldn’t afford to be in on such an experiment, but luckily we were able to sit down with them subsequent to their meal. We wanted to find out one thing: Was it really<\/em> worth it? <\/p>\n So what attracted you to Noma? What\u2019s all the fuss about?<\/em> You heard about the restaurant before Copenhagen?<\/em> “It was a bit like visiting Russia, it wasn\u2019t a really pretty place and you don\u2019t really like all of it, but it\u2019s amazing and everything was different.” <\/p><\/blockquote>\n What do you mean by that?<\/em> I looked at the menu \u2013 sea urchin in celery vinegar and egg cured in fermented beef. It all sounded pretty disgusting, weren\u2019t you put off?<\/em> So Noma wasn\u2019t worth it?<\/em> Favourite dish?<\/em> Is it all about the presentation?<\/em> Here\u2019s the big question everyone wants to know. What was the price tag?<\/em> So it looks like alcohol made up a good chunk of the price?<\/em> Was the wine anything special?<\/em> “I\u2019ve always worked. I worked three jobs in Melbourne to pay for my time in Denmark.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Did you get your money\u2019s worth?<\/em> Do you get money from the government to study here?<\/em> Ok, let\u2019s say you heard a story – Australian government pays for student dining experience or Canadian university foots the bill at the best restaurant in the world – how would you react to that?<\/em> No, no. I\u2019m just showcasing your experience.<\/em> Reese, you said students can now afford these kinds of experience \u2013 are you rich?<\/em> What would you say to someone who is on the fence about going to Noma?<\/em> See some of the dishes in the gallery below.<\/p>\n universitypost@adm.ku.dk<\/p>\n Like us on Facebook <\/a> for features, guides and tips on upcoming events. Follow us on Twitter<\/a> for links to other Copenhagen academia news stories. Sign up for the University Post weekly newsletter here<\/a>, and then follow the University Post on Instagram here. <\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It was DKK 1,600 for the food and DKK 1,000 for the wine and included a tablespoon of ants. Students took on the \u00b4world’s best restaurant\u00b4<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":5622,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","expression-news_article"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nReese:<\/strong> Noma was the first thing I knew about Copenhagen, about Denmark! I think it\u2019s because the person who convinced me to study here was really into food and design.<\/p>\nDidn’t actually… like… the sea urchin<\/h2>\n
\nReese:<\/strong> Yeah \u2013 it was the first thing. As I learnt about Copenhagen, I started learning about the whole new Nordic cuisine thing. So for me the interest wasn\u2019t just about the quality restaurant, but about the Nordic cultural movement.
\nGrace:<\/strong> I\u2019ve always been interested in food \u2013 I\u2019ve always worked in hospitality, in restaurants and with food. I work in a restaurant now in Copenhagen. I\u2019ve always been interested in the quality, and at Noma they\u2019re not just interested in the final product, they\u2019re also interested in the source of the product.<\/p>\n
\nGrace:<\/strong> They don\u2019t start with a dish. Like, a normal restaurant would have a dish and a taste in mind and work backwards, whereas at Noma they start with the ingredients \u2013 what\u2019s seasonal, what\u2019s available \u2013 and then they build that up to the dish.
\nReese:<\/strong> Yeah, they\u2019re also interested in whether it\u2019s ethically sourced, for example, no overfishing.<\/p>\n
\nReese:<\/strong> I had no idea what the menu was \u2013 that\u2019s sort of what I wanted \u2013 I didn\u2019t want to know what my food was going to be like. We got an elaborate description and most of the time they went into such small detail – it was nice to be surprised. They explained to me they don\u2019t even try to make every dish necessarily delicious. So not every meal we had was tasty.
\nGrace:<\/strong> Actually, I really didn\u2019t like the sea urchin.<\/p>\nMight as well do it right<\/h2>\n
\nGrace:<\/strong> No! There were so many tastes! There were tastes that I\u2019d never tasted before. I would never say it wasn\u2019t worth it. I would compare it to a trip to a country I\u2019d never been before, as opposed to just another restaurant.
\nReese:<\/strong> Yeah, it was a bit like visiting Russia, it wasn\u2019t a really pretty place and you don\u2019t really like all of it, but it\u2019s amazing and everything was different. We didn\u2019t really care whether it tasted good or not \u2013 even the way it was presented I\u2019d never seen before. You were eating such a different experience that you know you just couldn\u2019t get anywhere else.
\nGrace:<\/strong> It was such a spectacle \u2013 there was dry ice – and the smells and the visuals.<\/p>\n
\nReese:<\/strong> The pumpkin with burnt tea leaves in a cream sauce.
\nGrace:<\/strong> A green circle in the middle of a dry-ice bowl, broccoli and squid. And the one with ants \u2013 they tasted like citrus.<\/p>\n
\nReese:<\/strong> It\u2019s not a flashy presentation. It often goes beyond aesthetic. For example, the squid bowl was made of ice \u2013 so it kept the food cold. And they served duck over a bed of hay. It was more than just for the eyes \u2013 it was part of everything and so well thought out.<\/p>\n
\nReese:<\/strong> It was 1600 kr for the food and then 1000 kr for the wine.
\nGrace:<\/strong> Yeah, I had some drinks at the beginning too as well as the wine. So I just went for it!<\/p>\n
\nReese:<\/strong> I had just intended to get the meal, but I looked around and was like \u2013 I\u2019m only going to come here once \u2013 I might as well do it right!<\/p>\nThe tough questions<\/h2>\n
\nGrace:<\/strong> There were about seven wines \u2013 so each one would last two or three courses. We went white, red, rose desert wine. They were all delicious. <\/p>\n
\nGrace:<\/strong> We got 22 dishes which I think change pretty regularly, but there\u2019s no choice really, unless you have dietary requirements. But it was totally worth it.<\/p>\n
\nGrace:<\/strong> Yes, I do, but I also work here \u2013 I work in restaurants.
\nReese:<\/strong> Yeah, through my home university. I get a scholarship.<\/p>\n
\nGrace:<\/strong> Are you writing that story!?<\/p>\n
\nGrace:<\/strong> To be honest, I think it would be pretty funny. But for me I don\u2019t feel like that \u2013 as I\u2019ve always worked. I worked three jobs in Melbourne to pay for my time in Denmark.
\nReese:<\/strong> I think it\u2019d be funny as well. As I know kids who come from families who can easily afford university but they take out loans and then cash it in and spend it on whatever they want \u2013 so it\u2019s sort of interesting most students can now do this sort of thing.
\nGrace:<\/strong> It\u2019s easy to put a label on it and make it into a bit of gimmick, but we just like food – other students spend money on other things they value and are interested in. <\/p>\nJust do it!<\/h2>\n
\nReese:<\/strong> I\u2019ve always worked, and I don\u2019t get much money from my parents, so I don\u2019t think I am.
\nGrace:<\/strong> I wouldn\u2019t say I\u2019m rich. But I do have more of a disposable than most of my friends in Copenhagen because I work.<\/p>\n
\nReese:<\/strong> Go! Just Go. It\u2019s so much more than just going for a meal, more than an event. It\u2019s a cultural experience. To me it was like going to another city, or seeing a famous art museum. It\u2019s like the birthplace of an art movement.
\nGrace:<\/strong> Just f*cking do it!<\/p>\n