Last year (2010) More than 800 food critics, chefs and restaurateurs voted on the best restaurant in the world as part of the ninth annual S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards.Denmark's Noma snatched the top seat from the Spanish restaurant El Bulli, recognized as the world's premier molecular gastronome. El Bulli took second place, with the United Kingdom's The Fat Duck claiming third. Having already been at both El Bulli and The Fat Duck, we decided to get on the "experience" of the NOMA. Last October 2010, after about 50 phone calls during the only day where bookings are opened at NOMA, we managed to get a booking for two people! You already feel something special is happening there once they tell you they can accommodate you in January 2011 - 19th - for lunch only. Either you take it or you wait 6 more months...
Having our booking we scheduled our trip around this restaurant booking, visiting our usual suppliers in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and taking the plane to Copenhagen. A few days before THE booking, the restaurant called us to make sure we would show up. A fine YES and "is it possible to come at 1.00pm" from us got a sharp answer "please come at 12.00, the experience beggins at this time only".
The restaurant is situated in a very quiet area of the city, next to the river. We arrived in one of the most peaceful restaurant we ever been...
At NOMA, there are no waiters but only CHEFs. One of the particularity is that the Chef who cooked the dish is serving you. It means that during all our 20 courses, we met with 20 different talented and passionate chef who explained us everything about "their" dish especially made for "you".
In each top restaurant I go, I use to ask the sommellier to surprise me. This is one of the best way to discover new wines you have never heard of...
We first started with a glass of "special" Champagne which was only revealed to me after tasting. It happenned to be a Georges LAVAL, Les Hautes Chevres 2004. That was my first big surprise, because we just happened to become the official importer for Georges LAVAL in Hong Kong ! This wine is 100% Chardonnay, matured 10 months in oak barrels and then kept for 4 years minimum on its lees. There are only 1774 bottles produced of it + 10 Magnums. Georges LAVAL is one of the most extreme Bio-Dynamic producer of Champagne and in fact was one of the first grower I really appreciated on my first visit of Champagne many years ago. We then moved to some other dishes and the sommelier found me something really exciting.
Elodie BEAUFORT, LA Grande Charme, L'Or de Vix Pinot Noir 2007.
This wine, made of Pinot Noir is... white ! with a slight orange color. It was served along with some leeks and apples - one of my best memory from this restaurant.
We then had a
Domaine Alexandre BAIN, Mademoiselle H, Pouilly Fumé 2009. This wines was exceptional too and I had never heard about this producer (100% Bio too). I will try to import some in Hong Kong!
We then moved to another wine, something people do not find easily in Hong Kong which is
Olivier HORIOT, Rosé des Riceys, En Valingrain 2005.
This rosé wines is made in Champagne and this is one of the best expression of Pinot Noir one can find in North of France. The wine gold the gold medal from the agricultural committee in France (2008). It is only at NOMA that a sommelier will propose you such a wine..... success guaranteed.
Then, another dish and the sommelier tried to impress me with another Champagne
To his disappointment...and amusement, he found out we were the importer for Hong Kong too! I remember trying this wine in Cedric Bouchard cellars during one of these special visits where he "allowed" us to open one of this 500-bottle cuvée. The wine was considerably more opened than in the cellars - still my best rosé Champagne I have ever had. (The 2006 recently got 97RP, we only get 1/5 of the production from Cedric Bouchard...)
I forgot to mention that my wife - pregnant - was "obligated" to only drink non-alcoholic drinks! We were therefore proposed a series of 10 different bio-dynamic juices from all sorts of seasonal fruits and herbs (see photos).
We then moved to a wine from Alsace
DIRLER, PInot Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 2008.
Dirler is one of the Bio-dynamic stars of Alsace, only making hand-crafted wines from this region.
Then
Domaine de VILLENEUVE, Chateauneuf du Pape 2006 Magnum. Another bio-dynamic producer becoming quite famous in CdP. I was not really impressed with this wine - sadly.
The sommelier cracked on another bottle of champagne to match one of the dessert and to my surprise it was
That was also something I heard of because we are the importer for Aurelien LAHERTEin Asia. I was really happy to try this wine again as it is one of the best food-matching Champagne I can suggest to anyone. Made with the 7 grapes varieties of Champagne which are the Fromenteau, Arbanne, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Petit Meslier (4 of them are forbidden in Champagne since the 50s and producers can only replanted a certain amount of vines per year to keep the vineyards going - otherwise planting of these grapes are forbiden). One of the particularities of this Champagne is that it is made with the SOLERA method - exactly like The SELOSSE SUBSTANCE. (Solera system)
We finished the lunch at 5pm with Smoked bone marrow caramels... exceptionnal.
I think the photos speaks by itself, we really suggest anyone who can to experienceNOMA before it gets like El BULLI overoverover booked with a 2 years waiting list.
