Noma

René Redzepi deserved the lomejordelagastronomia.com International Award in 2008, an honor that has been bestowed on Ducasse, Robuchon, Guérard and Adrià. At 31 years old he finds himself, to leave no doubt as to his historic transcendence, among the top two or three chefs in the world. The professional growth he has displayed in his most recent season–a qualitative leap forward that, except in the case of Ferran, we have never seen–leads us to believe he has a glorious future ahead of him.
René is the Scandinavian Michel Bras of the third millennium; the likening is worthy. In the current panorama, what makes this chef unique is the identity of the message, differentiating itself in a substantial way from everything else out there. He practices green, organic cuisine, rawness in its perfect quantity, dedicated to the landscape, in search of local herbs and vegetables, sometimes well known, generally unheard of, that explode onto the dish in a natural, essential, but not minimal, way. “Vegetarian” gastronomy with the assiduous presence of exceptional seafood, since the product he uses, be it modest or fancy, is always of the highest quality. A cuisine that reduces fat to its minimum expression. When he employs dairy products, which is somewhat often, they are always of the “skim” variety. A cuisine that is truly miserly when it comes time to add the sugar: “low in calories”. Futuristic cuisine, dedicated to nature and the values of the new generations: lightness, aesthetics, health… but it is capable of creating new sensations within this profiled message. A personal, different philosophy, charged with character, brimming with talent. Few chefs that we have seen in our long professional career have such aplomb, such consistency, such reflective capacity, such imagination… René possesses the natural gifts that distinguish privileged people; the ones who make history. We stand before a genius.
A GENIUS who, in 2009, incorporated nothing short of twenty-something astonishing and exuberantly virtuosic creations. First up, dark bread toast with raw peas and cream cheese: a beautiful, exquisite display of textures. The radical, consummate salad: baby radish with guacamole, capers and toasted malt. Outstanding in staging and flavor: toast with turbot roe and herbs and flowers. More purity and more color: raw calamari with fennel juice, fresh greens and ice-blended herbs. Electrifying counterpoints: raw prawns with seaweed, rhubarb cubes and beet. A playful dish to be eaten by hand: wild sorrel atop raw beef carpaccio with tarragon-dill sauce. Floral passion that manifests itself yet again in the seasonal assortment with junket, bread and wild garlic green sauce. Giant Norway lobster over oceanic stone with seaweed cream and violet seaweed powder. The low-temperature egg is impeccable, served with white asparagus, wild greens, rush and herb sauce. The turbot cheeks and meaty fibers, removed from the crown of bones that surround them, as well as new potatoes and herbs; another marvel. Refinement and fantasy abound in the tremendous lobster with violets, turnip, baby romaine, chives and marine air. Going head-to-head with the famous dish by Bras: vegetable gargouillou subtly pickled with marrow. And so the works of art continued to flow out of the kitchen… filet mignon with cucumber and milk curd... until you have no choice but to say “enough”. One of the best meals of our lives.
As one can see, René Redzepi’s proposals are always, and absolutely, militant, conforming to a way of being, with a manner of thinking and acting that doesn’t prioritize its connection with people. This is not easy gastronomy. Controversy will abound, but the cuisine will triumph. Like it or not, no one can argue its global blooming. 
Even the restaurant itself, located near a river in an old salt warehouse, is simple and charming, as is the service. The tablecloths drape in an utterly natural way… the personality is involving.