Noma (restaurant)

Noma(/ˈnoʊ.mə/) is athree-Michelin-starrestaurant run by chefRené Redzepi, and co-founded byClaus Meyer, inCopenhagen, Denmark. The name is asyllabic abbreviationof the twoDanishwords "nordisk" (Nordic) and "mad" (food).Opened in 2003, the restaurant is known for its focus on foraging, invention and interpretation ofNew Nordic Cuisine.In 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2021 it was ranked as theBest Restaurant in the WorldbyRestaurantmagazine.
Noma's original location was atStrandgade93, in an old warehouse on the waterfront of theInner Harbourin theChristianshavnneighbourhood in central Copenhagen.
The building is situated by theGreenlandic Trading Square, which for 200 years was a centre for trade to and from theFaroe Islands,Finnmark,Iceland, and in particular,Greenland. Dry fish, salted herring, whale oil and skins are among the goods that were stored in and around the warehouse before being sold off to European markets.
In 2003, the warehouse was turned intoNorth Atlantic House, a centre for the art and culture of the North Atlantic region.Noma was opened at the same time byRené RedzepiandClaus Meyer.The restaurant's interior was designed bySpace Copenhagen.
Between 12 and 16 February 2013, 63 of 435 diners became ill after eating at Noma, according to aDanish Food Administrationreport.The symptoms were attributed tonorovirus, which was believed to have been unintentionally spread by an infected kitchen employee.
Redzepi planned to close Noma after 31 December 2016 and reopen it in 2017 as an urban farm near Copenhagen.
Noma reopened on 15 February 2018 after a year hiatus.The restaurant itself also moved from its previous Strandgade location, now housing Restaurant Barr, to its current location at Refshalevej 96.
In May 2020, during theCOVID-19crisis, Noma re-opened as a wine and burger bar,with takeaway options. It is sometimes referred to as "Noma 3.0" by the food media.Redzepi planned to keep this open for at least a part of the summer 2020.
In 2021, Noma won first place on theWorld's Best Restaurant2021 list.
Noma is expected to close at the end of 2024 and transform into a test kitchen, Noma Projects, for online ordering.The dining rooms will occasionally be open as a pop-up restaurant.
The cuisine of Noma isNordic/Scandinavian; the restaurant's founders, Redzepi and Meyer, have attempted to redefine this Nordic cuisine. Its cuisine can be considered more an interpretation of Nordic food than classical Nordic food itself, according to Meyer in the bookNoma – Nordic Cuisine.Notable dishes include "The Hen and the Egg", a meal cooked by the diners themselves, which consists of potato chips, a wild duck egg, slightly wet hay, salt, herbs, wild forest plants, hay oil, thyme, butter, andwild garlicsauce.
Redzepi formerly worked at restaurants includingThe French Laundry,El Bulli,Kong Hans Kælderand Le Jardin des Sens. The head chef is currently Kenneth Foong, replacing Canadian Benjamin Ing in July 2020. Prior head chefs include Dan Giusti and Matt Orlando.The headsommelieris Ava Mees List.
From 28 July to 6 August 2012, Noma decamped to London for a 10-daypop-up restauranthosted byClaridge'shotel inMayfair, while the restaurant in Copenhagen was closed from 22 July to 13 August for refurbishment. Redzepi, along with head chef Matt Orlando and staff from the restaurant, served up a £195-per-head nine-course menu that included their versions ofsconesandclotted cream,Lancashire hotpotwith British ingredients, as well as live ants foraged in Denmark and flown to London.
On 29 March 2014, Noma announced that the restaurant would be relocating to Japan for two months at the beginning of 2015.
On 24 July 2015, Noma announced that the restaurant would be relocating to Australia for 10 weeks at the beginning of 2016.
On 12 April 2017, Noma Mexico was opened inTulum,Quintana Roo, Mexico.Noma partnered with Traspatio Maya, a nonprofit network of 15Maya communitiesto provideYucatecaningredients, such as white Naal Teel corn, Ixil onions, Xtoppepita, bee larva, andMeliponahoney from theCalakmul Biosphere Reserve.Products from the rest of the country are also included, such as Baja Californiawine, Chiapascoffeeand Oaxacaartisanal plateware.The pop-up closed on 28 May.
On April 13, 2022, it was announced that a popup Noma would open inBrooklyn,New York, operating from May 16–20 of that year.
In spring 2023, Noma had a 10-week popup inKyoto, Japan. In May 2024, it was announced that Noma would return to Kyoto from October 8 through December 18, and that this would be the last dates for restaurant service from Noma.
In 2010, the restaurant, as a relative newcomer, startlingly won the Best Restaurant title thatEl Bullihad held for four consecutive years. This came soon after previous first and second place chefsFerran AdriaandHeston Blumenthalannounced that they would be temporarily closing their restaurants. At the time, Noma was viewed as the head of a new movement to spreadNew Nordic cuisine.
In 2011, with El Bulli having withdrawn from the competition because they would be permanently closing, Noma was named the Best Restaurant for the second year. The restaurant won Best Restaurant without having earned a third Michelin star.
In 2012, Redzepi won the award for Noma yet again, being praised byRestaurantas being "the standard bearer for the New Nordic movement" and winning respect for his attention to detail and innovative approach. His use of local and seasonal ingredients foraged from the seashore and forest was also recognized.
In 2013, Noma was voted the second best restaurant in the world, having lost the first-place position toEl Celler de Can Rocain Girona, Catalonia, Spain.In 2014, Noma regained the title.
The restaurant was featured inAnthony Bourdain: Parts Unknownon 6 October 2013.