YKL

Noma, 16 August 2008 I was lucky enough to return to Copenhagen for some more Nordic delights and had a fantastic time again. This thread already shows my infatuation with this restaurant, and on the basis of this latest visit, it seems they’re going from strength to strength. A few photos below - was playing with a new camera but even so, the photos are less flattering than I would have hoped - but hopefully they give an idea of what we enjoyed. Snacks Eaten and enjoyed with our champagne aperitif (although I failed to note which champagne we each chose). So we had the smoked and pickled quail‘s eggs (have I mentioned I like these?), followed by radishes with a yoghurt and herb dip and malt soil which probably won the prize for prettiest presentation. But my favourite was the updated version of the chicken skin and ryebread sandwich filled with cream cheese and vegetables although the crisp bread with turbot roe and herbs and vinegar taste was pretty good too. Greenland shrimps, dill oil, cream and white currant granita A superb opening - the shrimps were sweeter and richer then ever, and the granita provided a wonderful fruity zing. I’ve tried different variants of this dish through the seasons and this was as wonderful as I hoped. Utterly glorious and as we cleaned our plates, the only disappointment was that we couldn’t eat it all over again. Danish squid, pickled kohlrabi, beach herbs, parsley cream A new benchmark in squid for me - so tender it practically melted in my mouth and yet full of flavour. The seafood has always been a highlight of my noma visits but even by those high standards, this was something special. Mackerel and grilled cucumber, Dill and nasturtium leaves - with horseradish snow Did I say the squid was a new benchmark? Well this mackerel was quite possibly even better - velveteen texture and deliciously rich but the genius component was the grilled cucumber which combined smokey char with a cooling effect. Fabulous bite from the nasturtium leaves too, and the horseradish snow accentuated the freshness and purity of the dish. Excellent. By this time we’d moved onto the first wine of the evening - 2006 Grüner Veltliner ’Spiegel’ Fred Loimer, Kamptal - very very nice - probably too nice since I seemed to drink most of my glass! Søren’s vegetables, Fresh cheese, brown butter sauce, leek flowers and green gooseberries Wonderful - it’s the first time I’ve tried their fresh cheese and I sincerely hope it’s not the last because it was utterly lovely - so delicate and elegant; and the pairing with the vegetables made it even more successful than the vegetable field for me. Favabeans and smoked marrow, Seaweed and verbena sauce Ah … no pic from me I’m afraid, was flummoxed by the low light. And it’s a shame because it was a very striking presentation with the fava beans and marrow hiding under a veil of Norwegian seaweed. But taste wise was less successful than the other dishes that night - all the individual components were good but for me, the dish lacked cohesion and was somehow less than the sum of its parts for me. So no special love for the dish as there had been for the seafood - perhaps a work in progress? Never mind, what next? Firstly some new wine - 2006 ‘La Lune (Anjou) Magnum, Ferme de la Sansonniere (Mark Angeli), from the Loire valley - think this might have been the biodynamic one .. which set us up very nicely for … Turbot, celeriac, chickweed Ah - a real treat - a new dish made from the turbot skirt (?) which had been salted before being lightly cooked, served with celeriac baked in hay, chickweed and other herbs and a runny yolk of golden yumminess. And it was delightful - richness from the egg, delectable fish and beautifully balanced and composed. Very very good indeed. Lobster in “red nuances“ A more poetic description from the menu rather than my scribbled notes of lobster with lots of red stuff (!) - specifically it was black lobster with beetroot - raw and glazed - red onion and red cabbage, hiprose (sic), redcurrants and lobster sauce. Best part was the lobster tail .. But my pics were so terrible that I can’t bear to post them. Lamb breast and cauliflower stems, sorrel and watercress The hunting knives are out - must be the main course! A nice dish to follow, lamb which had been poached for 24 hours before being glazed - resulting in lamb crackling (yum!) - and as noted above - a decent layer of fat for extra flavour. Served with 2000 Pic Saint Loup ‘Grand Cuvée’, Domaine de L’Hortus, Coteaux du Languedoc Yoghurt parfait, peas, celery, Spanish chervil, pea shoots, vinaigrette, yoghurt whey and mint oil First dessert of the evening - fresh and green and very successful as a palate cleanser with the sweetness of the peas being particularly remarkable. Served with a 2007 Moscato d´Asti ‘Bricco Quaglia´’, La Spinetta, Piemonte which was delicious. Fresh blueberries, Pine and thyme Specifically blueberry sorbet I think with pine granita and berries and thyme flowers. Very good. Blackberry sorbet, milk granita, beetroot sorbet and jelly Final dessert of the evening - and one I enjoyed very much - although it probably helps that I like beetroot a lot! Think we had a different dessert wine for this - but not sure what it was. And so we were finally done. Well, apart from tea / coffee and a flødebolle each … and then some drinks after in the bar which gave us a chance to meet some of the kitchen team afterwards which was great fun, J and a pleasure to meet more of the enthusiastic team whose hard work makes me so blissfully happy each time. I know I’m incredibly fortunate to get these kind of experiences at noma when I visit, and each time it happens, I can’t quite believe my luck. It’s a lovely thing to go somewhere knowing that you’ll eat well and get to spend some time with super-friendly folk and then still find yourself staggered by what they deliver for you. The withdrawal symptoms are already kicking in, and I find myself hankering for my next visit …. it can’t come soon enough.

Couple of places to mention from latest Copenhagen trip .. Friday night was dinner at www.cofoco.dk - we were in search of a decent but low key supper, and the set 3 course menu (with 3 choices for each course) for 275 DKK seemed to fit the bill nicely. And we had a pretty good meal - simple dishes, generally executed well and with friendly smiley service. There were three of us, so it was easy to just order everything off the menu … and so from memory we had: Starters - foie gras terrine; scallops with avocado, tomato and parmesan; green pepper gazpacho with granny smith. All were good and very flavoursome Mains - poussin with polenta and chanterelles; veal with summer truffles and potatoes; skate wing with samphire and capers - the skate was the best dish I think, although we were disappointed that the veal was tougher than it should have been - particularly given the 50DKK supplement Desserts - chocolate French toast with yoghurt ice-cream; crème brulee with vanilla ice cream; buttermilk with blueberries and ??? - isn’t it great when you can just push all the desserts into the centre of the table and all dig in?? All pretty nice So with some mineral water and a couple of glasses of wine, we paid 400DKK a head which seemed like fair value. Certainly a good option for a more casual meal in Copenhagen - and I can imagine that I’ll return. Also popped into the new nimb brasserie in Tivoli on Sunday morning - main website is www.nimb.dk - couple of pics of the room below Had mistakenly thought that they might do brunch, but no such luck, so we picked off the lunch menu. My sampler plate of various things including gravlax, air dried ham, fish cakes, herring etc was fine, but not standout. The others didn't rave about their choices euther which is a shame since it’s a nice room with an open kitchen so I can imagine that when it’s buzzing and the kitchen is in its stride, it could be quite a good venue. So … mildly disappointed and not in any rush to return … although am prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt and think that perhaps we were just unlucky. And lots of hot dogs over the weekend … well, woudn’t be very Danish if I didn’t would it?!

hurrah for world domination by the Flinns! Was in the Corn Exchange a couple of weeks ago and was thinking what a waste of a beautiful space.

is there going to be a book of this series?

watching it now .. and it's making me bloody hungry!! but didn't Tony Flinn cook at this year's Northcote Manor food festival?

Geranium, 4th April 2008 I had been hankering after a visit to Geranium for over a year now - due to some advance press on egullet and the pedigree of its chefs (Two time Bocuse D’Or medal winner Rasmus Kofoed and former noma chef and Danish Chef of the Year Søren Ledet) and its beautiful setting on the edge of the King's Gardens in Copenhagen. Given its focus on biodynamic and organic ingredients - whilst retaining a quiet national and regional pride - all sounded very appealing. Enthusiastic reviews elsewhere whetted my appetite further - so perhaps it wasn’t a huge surprise that they were awarded their first star in the March 2008 edition of the Michelin Main Cities of Europe guide. So - as part of a weekend in Copenhagen and in a spirit of adventure and further exploration of Nordic / Danish food - H readily signed up to an evening of gluttony here - lucky me J And we had a lovely evening - some good food, lots of wine and warm and attentive service - but with a gentle sense of humour that kept things personal and friendly. If you’ve followed the blog links above, then you’ll already have seen some gorgeous photos (so thanks to Trine and Zarah Maria for their skill - whilst my efforts are terrible - sorry about that - will try harder next time) and enjoyed their writings. In fact, the menu from Trine’s latest report is identical to what we enjoyed, but if I may beg your indulgence to relive a very good meal - then my thoughts and impressions are given below. Snacks: Potato crisps; Parmesan sticks with nettle mayonnaise; Pumpernickel bread; “tart” of lojrom and cheese; Ham from Skåne The highlights were the ham - smoked and sweet and utterly delicious and the rather too more-ish parmesan sticks. Rest were very good too. Amuses: Geranium jelly and apple and Scallop, beetroot (jelly and slice), capers, horseradish cream Well, it would have been wrong not to have geranium somewhere in the menu and this amuse / palate cleanser was fabulous. Delicate perfumed jelly and crisp apple flavours blending together into a mouthful of loveliness. Perfectly judged - neither flavour overwhelming the other - very impressive. The scallop dish was nice enough, but without the crystal clarity of flavours that marked the geranium jelly and perhaps not as a stellar scallops as I have been lucky enough to enjoy elsewhere - but very pretty to look at. Bread - buttermilk, oatmeal and spelt - with biodynamic butter. Very rich - very open and springy texture that reminded me of crumpets. First roll was a touch greasy, second one (!) was much better. Lightly smoked lumpfish roe, raw Jerusalem artichoke and powdered hazelnut oil 2005 Sancerre, Domaine Du Rouet, Loire They explained that lumpfish roe heralded the arrival of Spring in Denmark, and with an assortment of herbs as garnished that included chickweed, peashoots, woodruff, and wood sorrel - it was another very pretty looking plate of food. This time though, beauty was more than skin deep since it was delicious - the slight bitterness and nuttiness of the artichoke providing a great foil to the delicate fish roe as their texture tickled and slipped pleasurably round our tongues. A lovely dish - possibly one of the best of the night. King crab roast on bread, carrots, sea buckthorn and lemon cress 2006 Anjou, Les Vielles Vignes de Blanderies, Marc Angeli, Loire The crab foam was very intensely flavoured and was the most impressive component of this dish. But whilst we enjoyed it - perhaps not the most cohesive dish of the night IMHO. Scent of Rosemary, monkfish, puffed spelt, celeriac and burned leek 2006 Pouilly-Fuisse, Secret Mineral Denis Jeandeau, Bourgogne Ah, much much better - a kilner jar was placed on the table with a smoking rosemary branch - reminded me of a trick I’d seen at The Paul previously - and was a whimsical way of providing the diner with more rosemary notes. But really, it was all about the fish which was so so delicate and the flavours and textures which united beautifully to provide a very balanced and delicious plate of food. Very good - possibly H’s favourite dish of the night. Foamy potato, Cheese from Kristainsminde, Ryebread and oxtail 2006 Saint Joseph, Terre Blanche, Saint Joseph Monier, Rhone The charming waitress explained that this would be the first serving of the oxtail, and would be richer than that which preceded or was to follow. And she was right, but the potato was foamy enough to avoid sending us into a carb coma, and both managed to clear the plate. I did notice that it was very highly seasoned but it just about pulled it off. Happy Veal, buds and sprouts of wild garlic, salsifies, mushrooms and apple vinegar 2005 Les Clous, Vosne-Romanee, domane Prieure Roch, Bourgogne Fabulous dish - meat was so tender (probably sous vide?) but still had texture and rich flavour rather than becoming that unpleasant mushy texture which can sometimes happen. One of the best veal dishes I can ever remember having … Milk 2004 Riesling, Meunchberg, Vendange Tardive, Domaine Ostertag, Alsace Ah - an object lesson in how menu descriptions can often hide their treasures - they told us it was 6 forms - jelly, puree, foam, cake, frozen …. and summat else which escapes me! But completely delicious … and really amazing how one ingredient could give such different results. Each component was obviously texturally different, but the flavours had been pitched differently too - very very good. And I can’t believe my photo of white stuff on a white plate has worked when so many others didn’t this evening … go figure …. Pumpkin seeds, Cloudberry juice and white chocolate Ah - wonder if this was served into two servings - which is why we had a minor panic when we realised there was more food coming. First was a pumpkin seed oil icecream which was delicious and intriguing, followed by the pumpkin jelly wrapped round white chocolate ice-cream (I think) which was ok - but not my favourite. Pic of the first part only Petit fours: Peppermint and caramel chocolate; Rosehip meringue; Liquorice marshmallow; Chocolate and caramel flakeWas pretty stuffed by this point, but managed the delicious marshmallow and the decent peppermint and caramel choc - and very glad I did since they were marvellous. And so we were finally done …. Replete, happy, mildly inebriated … but having had a lovely evening. A good place, nice people, and they deserve to do well. Recommended if you’re in town. http://www.restaurantgeranium.dk/

Well, it’s taken me a whole year to get to the Goose but finally managed it for Sunday lunch at Easter and had a very nice time indeed. There were 3 of us, which gave us an good opportunity to fully road test the menu, although we did order an extra starter we couldn't possibly pass up the black pudding starter .... All in all, it was very good - the meat and poultry in particular seems to be of very high quality, and the smiley and accomplished service made for a very relaxed afternoon. My pics are rather shabby compared to efforts above, so scroll quickly if needs be(!), but from memory, we had: Starters Parmesan and chive risotto - good pronounced chive flavour to provide excellent balance. Much enjoyed by San Pigeon salad, kale and salardaise potato - excellent pigeon, and nicely rare too - worked beautifully with the kale although sadly the salardaise potato was a touch too salty for me. Unless it was meant to be like that. Country terrine with piccalilli - it was the home made piccalilli that particularly appealed and it was very good. The country terrine itself was nice enough, although to be honest, it was completely outshone by the terrine of cotswold chicken, ham, shitake mushrooms and home dried raisins which the kitchen kindly sent as a taster / gift. Fabulous meat, and lovely fruitiness from the raisins - would be an excellent choice from the ALC Black pudding with smoked belly pork and celeriac puree - it’s rare that I don’t opt for a black pudding dish from a menu, and this was a first rate example - surprisingly light in texture, but still rich and flavoursome. I may have got the description of the pork wrong, but it was delicious Mains - were much more traditional - and wasn’t taking notes so have already forgotten the provenance of the meat but the roast beef and roast lamb were both excellent. The smoked haddock, poached egg and chive veloute (think that’s right) was hoovered up in record time, which was not surprising based on the forkful I snaffled. The aforementioned Yorkshires were impressively billowy, but come to think of it, neither of us finished ours - can’t remember why … Anyway, the plates were cleared and I unpacked a spare stomach to prepare for desserts …. which were: Pre-dessert of apple granita and apple pannacotta - bloody marvellous. Crisp, refreshing and neither too sweet nor too creamy. We almost scoffed our sister’s whilst she was away from the table but she came back just in time. Caramelised lemon tart and blackcurrant sorbet - excellent - the pastry was incredibly fine, and the lemon cream itself was wonderfully zingy. Lemon tart is probably one of my favourite desserts and based on this, I can’t see that changing. San said she would have preferred more sharpness, but I had no problems with the loveliness. The sorbet was also v v good. Brownie and vanilla icecream - adored by chocoholic sister …. I thought it was good, but chocolate desserts rarely make me as gurgly as lemon tart. Rice pudding with apricot (?) - rich, creamy and comforting. Mmmmm. Coffee and mint tea and petit fours followed, and it rounded off a lovely afternoon. Pretty good value too - the bill for all the above with a very drinkable Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and before service was £120. So - delighted to have finally made it … sorry to have missed Matt … but saw and ate enough to confirm my view that it’s the ALC where the real excitement and fun is to be had … and with such lovely service (worth mentioning again) - if I can sort my diary out, hope to be back to do just that!

same here - so hurrah for BBC iplayer! Delighted for Tony Flinn of course, and was actually quite impressed by the Nigel Haworth performance, which was not my view after my meal a couple of years ago. As Gary says, the week of the North will be essential viewing here. Think the Sat Bains and Glyn Purnell week looks pretty promising too. But does make me regret not having got organised for lunch at Anthony's again ... may be more difficult to get in now! Still - such success would be richly deserved

a fantastic report dosconz - and one of the most enjoyable threads I have read on EG for some time - thanks again.

Thanks for putting together all these posts docsconz - terrific reading for all of us who couldn't be there.

winteringham fields?

- well done both - it is Purnell's .... is that a dead heat?! either way, someone else's go now ...

thank you cheffmatt - entirely due to luck and an unfeasible amount of time spent lurking on food discussion boards and blogs rather than actual dining experience. Sorry. I guess I should come up with something then? how about this - I imagine someone will get this pretty quickly .. Cornish crab, apple with celeriac, smoked paprika honeycomb, seaweed Gressingham breast of duck, black rice, kohlrabi cooked in beetroot and pomegranate, shallot puree, autumn greens Textures of parsnips with mulled black figs

Ledoyen?

Sat Bains - 19 January 2008 A fun and enjoyable dinner here last week - with some very accomplished cooking. There were 5 of us, so we opted for the tasting room which has a menu for £95 per head "exploring taste, texture and temperature" and also gives a view onto the kitchen - always fun. We did get copies of the menu, but as Sat said himself "they won't make sense, and they're not supposed to!" - was more a list of the different flavours and textures etc we would get that evening. Although there were some last minutes tweaks - just to keep us on our toes! The full menu - or what I can recall from my scribbled notes is given below - as well as a link to the photos. Highlights of the meal were: - the duck egg with bellota ham and pea sorbet - as seen on the Great British Menu last year - and absolutely delicious. Fabulous flavours, cleverly balanced and simultaneously exciting and comforting - bravo indeed. -Carpaccio of monkfish, belly pork, avocado cream, local greens salad, smoked herring roe - doesn’t sound the most obviously cohesive of dishes does it, but the fish and pork were excellent examples of their kind. - a dessert of poached rhubarb, apricot, ginger ice-cream, coconut mousse (I think), basil and almond - light, refreshing and with a lovely blend of flavours - my favourite of the four desserts we were served. The tasting room is effectively a private room, with a sliding door view onto the kitchen … so we rotated where we were seated every couple of courses so that we each enjoyed a decent view onto the kitchen. This may have initially perplexed the team, but they soon took it into their accomplished stride. The young chef (whoops - forgot to ask his name!) who introduced most of the courses was very friendly and helpful, and Sat seems to be Mr Conviviality himself!! So - along with most of the view upthread - would certainly say it's worth looking up if you're in the area. We certainly plan to try and visit again - just a question of when … photos are linked here For reference, I think what we had was: Amuses of: Parmesan and spinach (?) cream Hamachi tuna with apple, fennel and yuzu dressing Prawn tempura and then .. Bread - 2 kinds - treacle and buttermilk Duck egg at 62 degrees, bellota ham, toast, texture of peas, sherry dressing Roasted scallop, peanut and sprout salad, roasted cauliflower puree, black Italian truffle Fore royale, textures of sweet corn - popcorn, soup, ice-cream Carpaccio of monkfish, belly pork, toast, avocado cream, almonds, local greens salad and smoked herring roe Sous vide lamb, braised neck, toasted and raw parsnips, anchovy fritter amnd treacle sauce Stilton soaked in port, oatcakes, wild honey Figs in port, pine nut icecream, fig puree, 4 yr old parmesan shavings Passion fruit puree, marshmallow mousse, dried butterscotch, candied grated liquorice Chocolate - chocolate mousse “cooked” on the ant griddle, more chocolate mousse - some with popping candy and some candied violets, olive oil jelly, and a chocolate olive oil ganache (from Damian Allsop I think) poached rhubarb, apricot, ginger ice-cream, coconut mousse (I think), basil and almond

went to Sam's chop house a couple of times last year - not bad, some dishes were pretty good - "a reliable place for a lunch pit stop during shopping" was how I summed it up. Was fairly soon after it opened though, so service was friendly but haphazard ... hope that's improved. but random internet wandering brought this place to my attention ... http://www.leedsseventeen.co.uk/ has anyone else been? seem to have won something in the Yorkshire Food and Drink awards in Dec (not sure how prestigious they are) .... and since it's only about 10 mins from me, i will eventually get organised enough to investigate ...

um, depends on what you're looking for ... absolutely second suggestion of Anthony's at Flannels aagrah is a reliable spot for curry no 3 york place another good spot for lunch or dinner with a bit of polish Red Chilli has generally been much favoured, but recent visits not quite as good as early visits. someone from the younger generation may be able to confirm if Mojo's and the north bar are still the best cocktails in town ...

we usually have a fuddle at work on Xmas Eve - in Leeds - everyone brings a bit of food and drink in - usually coordinated by someone to ensure we have some variety, and it becomes a nice little social gathering to start the festive season.

30+ people - that's a huge group!! not been to Croma (or in fact heard of it! and I couldn't make the web-link work when I clicked through) .. but another reasonable mid-range Italian would be Brio's. Depending on what style of food you wanted - maybe Anthony's at Flannels? Reliance is a relaxed place up on North St .. used to be very good - not been for some time, but that might work for lunch if you could take over the back room. but must admit, am struggling to think of child friendly places that aren't the chains of Pizza Express and Loch Fyne ..

noma, 15 September 2007 Returned to noma in mid September for my final visit this year and had a fabulous time again with some unbelievable hospitality and attention. So if egulleters would be kind enough to accept my disclaimer that I adore this place and the people, and are prepared to indulge my re-living of the memories, then a few thoughts and pics are below. The seasonal menu hadn’t been updated since my August visit, but they still managed to provide half a dozen dishes which were new to me … We started as ever with Snacks and a yoghurt and herb dip - including a tapioca sheet (the white one in the photo), chicken skin and wheaten porridge sheets. And then followed with the smoked and pickled quail’s egg that I enjoyed so much last time. Very cute Milk skin, bleak roe, horseradish sorbet and ryebread crisps Milk skin seems a big feature over my last few visits - must remember to ask about this next time … Anyway, the dish was light, refreshing and pretty well balanced - and very pretty looking. But I wouldn’t say amazing …. I know what this kitchen is capable of .. and this is just a warm up quite frankly. But I think they taught me the Danish for bleak roe - gets my vocabulary up to about 5 words I think! Anyway, two photos because the roe was hiding on the first one .. Bread and skyr butter and spiced pig fat arrived next - no pic, since there’s so many upthread but since it was Chris’s first visit, was good and interesting to see how much he enjoyed it. And with assistance from a helpful waitress, we finally learnt to distinguish between the spelt and Manitoba rolls, which was a perfect excuse to eat more of the bread - just to check that we understood ….. Raw mackerel, gooseberry cloud, fennel juice and walnuts Ah - the milk skin is completely forgotten with this little bit of magic .. well, liquid nitrogen anyway! A delicious dish - fab fish, fantastically cold and refreshing and I loved the whole combination of marine, aniseed and fruit flavours. This is the kind of dish I love at noma …. now we were getting serious .. Tartar and wood sorrel, Creamed tarragon and juniper Quite simply, this should never come off the menu. Meaty, herby, perfectly balanced, texture, richness, a mouth tingling combination of flavours. As Chris said, you simply don’t want the dish to end. Shoots and malt, Potato purée A welcome repeat from my last visit and the vegetables were impeccably cooked this time - and despite their protestations and apologies at the start about repetition, was definitely worth having a second time! . Squid, oyster cream, potato skin and nasturtium leaves Hmmm … the light is fading quite badly by this point, but I wanted to try and give you a sense of this new dish (only created that morning … I think), and the squid was sooooo good, incredibly tender and the squid bouillon was a knock out. So a decent dish, and the great thing is … I have a sneaking suspicion that this dish will be polished and refined over the next few weeks to become something quite superlative. Worth looking out for … Skate wing and mussel liquor, Cauliflower in different textures No pic I’m afraid but my notes remind me that the skate was poached in butter, and that alongside the fish and intensely flavoured mussel foam, there was piquant elderberry capers and lovage cream which were all very good. But perhaps the most surprising element on the plate was the hay ash which I was really looking forward to after swooning over the king crab dish on my first visit … was expecting another unami assault on my taste buds so was a bit surprised to not get that. Hmmm … not sure what happened there ? Warm lobster salad, Red current wine and beach herbs Well, the light might have been fading but the kitchen were really starting to hit their stride now. I had this in August, and thought it was good then, but this was absolutely superb this evening. The black lobster was utterly utterly delicious and can‘t think of when I have ever had a better bite of lobster meat. We were all grinning broadly as they cleared our plates. Sweetbread, cauliflower cream, elderberry vinaigrette I love sweetbreads and this was rich and satisfying with great balancing from the delicious elderberry vinaigrette and tang from onion and garden sorrel. C and I loved this, and was one of the best courses of the night for me. Grilled Duck breast, chanterelles, blackberries, chickweed, lemon verbena and brown butter sauce It is so damn frustrating that I can’t provide a decent photo of this …. Possibly the most beautiful looking plate of food from the whole evening, You could see that every ingredient had been placed with pride and care, and yet avoiding the appearance of excessive contrivance. So let’s see - polished, beautiful and yet so natural - seems a pretty good representation of Denmark and Scandinavia!! And it was delicious - skin so crisp it was like duck crackling - which is always a good thing. Admittedly my duck was perfectly cooked, but M’s was a mite overcooked - which was a shame - and reduced the textural pleasure - fortunately the flavour made up for it. Raspberries and beet roots, Marinated rose hips A repeat from August (and an update from June if I check my notes …) and it seems to be improving each time! Really really enjoyed this - even M who doesn’t really like beetroot loved the combination of raspberries + beetroot + meringue + rosehip. The accompanying dessert wine was marvellous - a Brachetto … think it was Anthos Matteo Correggia and was seductive enough for M to purchase a case on return to the UK! Very very good. “Øllebrød” and skyr sorbet, Rye and milk Ok - this is a dish that a few people have raved about to me … but it was my first time for trying this … so was very much looking forward to trying this “beer porridge”. and it was soooo worth the wait - absolutely delicious. Taste wise, it was strongly reminiscent of Christmas pudding with its fruity spiciness or in fact the excellent bread pudding I enjoyed at St John recently … with rich creamy goodness from the milk siphon and sorbet. Actually, thinking of how bread pudding is made, maybe that shouldn’t be so surprising … I so want to eat this again … and again … in fact, even bought some rye bread at the airport to attempt it at home. (not that it’s happened yet …. Eventually) And so we were done food wise. Some very very good dishes, and impressive how they maintain such a consistent standard in the absence of René Redzepi - an testament to how skilled the kitchen and front of house are. The tartare, lobster, mackerel and øllebrød were the standouts for me … would quite happily eat those on each visit! Sadly I can’t fit in any more visits this year, but have plans to return in the Spring season. It will be a long dark winter without more nordisk mad to sustain me …. But I can force myself to be patient when I know such glorious magic and delightful people await me on my return …. Roll on 2008!

thank you rjs1 ...

I´m far from computer literate ... and in fact I´m wondering if I´m literate at all since the only Fay Maschler review for 12 Sept 07 I can find is this one below ... which references noma but is actually for a review of Texture in Portman Square? http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/restaurants/...viewId=23411839 What am I missing? I had another lovely evening at noma last night ... and will eventually posts pics and ramblings ... but don´t hold your breath!

Neu and Trine - thanks for the kind comments. have finally gathered some notes on what we had for dinner ... including insertion of my dodgy photos ... so for new readers, would suggest you refer to Neu's and Trine's pics where possible! noma, 10 August 2007 Snacks with yogurt herb dip - new addition to the snacks was a puffed tapioca sheet with sprinkling of vinegar, which seemed to have a faint marine flavour which was rather nice. Smoked and pickled quails eggs Fabulous. Popped whole into your mouth as instructed and you are rewarded with a warm runny yolk (one of life‘s greatest simple pleasures I think) but this richness is elevated by the haunting smokey notes and light tang from its pickling. Utterly delicious … more please. Peas and celery A lush and verdant celebration of summer - so sweet and delectable in its garden freshness - and very clean plates from all of us. Oysters, cucumber and nasturtium leaves Almost too pretty to eat, but the waiter was quite right - tasted too good not to eat it! Oyster gel in the centre, dots of oyster and parsley cream and refreshment from the cucumber curls, fruity sharpness from apple balsamic vinegar - a lovely combination of delicate flavours - and really rather nice indeed. And for me, an interesting contrast to the winter version I adored in December with apple snow …. Raw shrimps and green gooseberries, Fresh cream and dill Ah - another summer makeover for one of my favourite dishes from my September visit last year. The Swedish shrimps were excellent and just melted in my mouth, and the refreshing gooseberry granita provided a great balance of sweet, sharp, fruitiness and of course, temperature interest too. Emma wasn’t able to have raw seafood, but you could hardly say she was missing out when she was served this … Yep, those fabulous langoustines again. *sigh* Shoots and malt, Potato puré Sorry - couldn’t get a decent picture here … so hurrah for Neu's pics - but essentially the potato field from December (see earlier posts) had blossomed over the intervening months and was now a flourishing summer vegetable garden, complete with malt soil. Razor clams, leeks and mustard flowers Ah … think this is where we started to go off-piste from the main menu, and what a corker. The razor clams were incredibly tender and sweet tasting, so full marks for that - good allium notes from the leek … don’t seem to have a distinct taste memory of the mustard flowers and sauce, but overall impression was that this was one of the best dishes of the night. Well worth looking out for … Warm lobster salad, Red current wine and beach herbs No photo I’m afraid, … but I did manage to scribble down that we got 2 parts of the lobster, main body was roasted (and had a very very savoury taste on the outside - never got round to asking where that came from) and the tail was poached in butter … think I preferred the tail part. Sweetbreads, hazlenuts and walnuts, “dust” of thyme Any place that serves enormous wedges of sweetbreads will always make me very very happy. Goat-kid, lovage cream, onions, elderberries I couldn’t have anticipated from the plain-sounding description how good this dish was going to be … think I can see a pattern that many of the meat main courses I’ve been served have been cooked sous vide, but this was a champion dish amongst a high standard. I always saw the expression - “meat so tender you could spread it” - as one of those overblown metaphors; didn’t realise it could actually be true! And such divinely sweet and delicate flavours - its restraint was initially surprising until I was reminded it was kid rather than goat. Loved it. A LOT. And the bone marrow provided lovely richness but to be honest, it was all about the meat. Raspberries and beet roots, Marinated rose hips Pretty in pink, no? As ever, the sorbets and fruits were lovely, with a sweeter beet ice this time (and therefore much more enjoyable) and the marinated rose hips providing a intriguing sharpness. And the sparkling dessert wine (2006 Bricco Mondalino, Malvasiva di Casorzo d’Asti ‘Molignano’, Piemonte, Italy) was delicious with it … maybe that’s why I drank too much of it!! Blueberries and milkskin, Pickled pine tree shoots and sweet bread served with 2005 Nigl, Grüner Veltliner Eiswein, Kremstal, Austria Think this is the 3rd time in as many visits that I've had milk skin at noma!! Much lighter than previous versions it seemed, and I could see how it added a new texture to the dish, but to be honest, the sorbet and berries were so good, it seemed a bit of a distraction for me. But I realise that makes me sounds unreasonably picky so I’ll shut up about that now. But fab accompanying wine again .. And so we were done .... and retired to the bar for some good coffee and refreshing tea made from camomile and blueberry leaves. And a P4 of a beetroot flødebøll - eaten in two bites as instructed, and not because I’m greedy! We were discussing each other’s impressions at the end of the evening, and I’ve already spoken of Fredo’s enthusiasm above. Think what most impressed my friends was that everything over the long evening worked so well … Was great to chat to the team at the end of the evening, and we were given a quick tour of the refitted kitchens and a beautiful private dining room upstairs. In fact, we probably kept René talking a little too long given that he had an early morning flight to Iceland to sort out some supply line issues, and it was the Faroe Islands last month - it’s certainly a busy life! Was particularly interested to hear of a chef event at the beginning of September with 16 chefs including Alain Passard and Wylie Dufresne (and Heston Blumenthal and Sergio Herman I think?) coming to Copenhagen to cook a special meal, under the theme of “Looking North“. It’s exciting for them to host such an international event, and am so pleased that the level of recognition for their work continues to grow. Personally, I intend to return and pay homage to them as often as they will tolerate me! Besides which, I was told this time that some guests have visited 40 - 50 times - so surely this is a new target for me, no? … we’ll see …

Hi Neu .. am still getting some notes together and wanted to check a couple of details with the restaurant - but in the meantime, a few snaps can be found here ... http://www.flickr.com/photos/ykl/sets/72157601389066432/ Really struggled with the light as the evening went on, and ended up resorting to cameraphone! so apologies for quality of the pics .. will try and finish my notes soon .. Someone else asked me which was my favourite meal of the ones so far, and it's so hard to pick one! My first visit in Sept 06 and I was absolutely floored and astounded by what I was experiencing .... so in terms of an emotional response - then it's that one but that may have been strongly affected by the fact that I didn't really have preconceptions. Since then, on each subsequent visit, I arrive expecting great things and can still leave impressed and excited - which is more of a feat perhaps? Am really enjoying the fruits and veg in the spring / summer menus, but my impression (perhaps inaccurate) is that the seafood is particularly good in the colder months, and I really appreciate the ingenuity displayed during the dark months ... so pickled elderberries, different fruit vinegars, more root vegetables ... so no, don't really miss them since the other dishes are so good, and of course, perfectly reflect the season. My own rather biased view is that you would eat well whenever you dined at noma, but think some of their most successful and distinctive dishes have been the musk ox tartare, the sheep milk mousse with sorrel granita, there was a king crab dish with leeks in hay ash ... and anything with the langoustines from the Faroe Islands is very very very good. Hope that answers your question ...

They were kind enough to just take care of the menu for me .. so basic 7 course was same as yours except no skate wing but a fabulous razor clam with leek and mustard flower dish instead (one of the highlights of the meal actually), and a couple of extra insertions which were peas and celery - wonderfully fresh and verdant oyster, cucumber and nasturtium leaves sweetbread and walnuts and hazelnuts - also v v good Will try and pull together more detailed notes later this week, and perhaps some photos but this meal was practically flawless and so clean and fresh. It was the first visit for my friends and F was so bowled over by course 3, he ran out to ring a friend back home in Brussels to insist that they arrange a repeat visit!