All hope for a table was lost until about two weeks before our trip, Noemi texted to let us know that a table for 8 had opened up 2 days after we planned to return from Copenhagen. We had left word with Noma that we would take any table, any day, any time, any size party in the beginning of December. So, of course, we changed our flight and were set to experience Noma’s winter meat menu.
A few highlights:
The very first dish – the deep mushroom broth with fermented squirrel. You had to plow your nose DEEP into the bowl of white moss and breathe in deeply as you tipped the bowl back to taste the other-worldly broth. It was a perfect first sensory moment. The white moss and the pine shoots came back many times throughout the meal in various incarnations.
The other extraordinary bites to me were the “brain pie,” an unbelievably rich taco of reindeer brain and black truffle wrapped in a wasabi leaf. Also, the dried plum stuffed with reindeer heart and rhubarb, the caviar and pheasant broth aspic and the mushroom and quince glazed duck breast.
But really, it is hard to rank order the dishes. The menu was phenomenal and wildly inventive and the wine pairings were divine and suitably funky. I really hope there is another Noma food adventure for us somewhere down the road.
Forest broth with wild mushrooms and fermented squirrel
Reindeer heart tartar topped with sorrel leaves. You grabbed a handful of leaves and deer and dragged it through a sauce of egg yolk and ants, leaving enough sauce for the next course, reindeer sweetbreads deep fried in the same white moss from the broth.
Fried reindeer sweetbreads coated with forest moss
The egg white and ant sauce
Reindeer brain “pie” with black truffle and wasabi leaf
The inside of said taco.
Reindeer tongue skewers with pine shoots.
Salted cream, caviar and pheasant aspic.
Walnut and berry ceviche with caramelized baby pine cones.
A fairly alarming presentation, but the beetle was actually made of compressed fruit.
Crazy presentation of a tempura fried duck wing.
Magnus tucks in.
A novel duck brain presentation. You scoop out the brains with a rustic spoon made from the skull of the duck.
Crispy and delicious duck leg chicharron and a top view of the brain service. The top of the skull has been cut open to expose the rich, buttery duck brain.
Herbs just for show, meant only to showcase the thin slices of cured duck breast
Devine duck breast glazed with wild mushroom and quince
A pheasant “feather” meticulously crafted out of black truffle slices
An amazing bowl made of beeswax with pumpkin and morels
Sizzling bowl of wild mushrooms
Dried plums with pheasant heart and rhubarb paste
Blueberry ice cream topped with ants with sorrel leaves
Rose hips stuffed with quince
Chocolate covered forest moss with pine shoots
The mock duck feet were actually caramels made from duck fat.
Pickled crab apples
The wine flight
Rotten Apples and Other Delights 