BEJA BEJA

Friday, October 10, 2014

NOMA

To describe NOMA in one word, I would say the experience was sensory. Your ears experience it first through the resounding warm welcome. Your eyes, by the immaculately clean spaces and the uncanny plating presentations. Your nose, through the smell of the different dishes as the servers uncover them right in front of you. Your taste buds, as you contemplate flavor combinations you've never had in your life. Your sense of touch, through dishes you must eat with your hands.

Whimsical, would also a great way to sum up my experience there. The dishes were incredibly playful for a restaurant with the very serious title of number one in the world. There was the Nordic coconut, hollowed and filled with soup you sipped through a straw; the quirky presentation of an empty tin with two bite-sized blinis; the quail eggs served in a giant egg. The list goes on and on.

Most surprising though, was how incredibly tasty the juice pairing was. Wine pairings you can get anywhere, but the option of a juice pairing was a first. All the juices were homemade and paired perfectly with each of the dishes. If you should find yourself lucky enough to dine at NOMA - get the juice pairing.

Not surprising, is that more than 20 different nationalities are represented among the staff. Our server said that half of the front of the house staff (servers, hosts, etc) were Danes and the other half were international. In the kitchen, it was mostly Americans, with 2 Koreans, 2 Japanese, 2 Germans, 2 Finns, 2 Guatemalans, 1 Indian, 1 Canadian, etc. Since it was such an international staff, meetings were conducted in English so that everyone could understand. In total, about 50 people work there with about 15 chefs in each of the kitchens: plating, prep, and the Nordic food lab. The capacity at NOMA is 45, so you're getting roughly a 1:1 ratio between staff and customer.

red current and lavender

nordic coconut

moss and cep

cheese cookie, rocket and stems

pickled and smoked eggs

white cabbage and samphire

aebleskiver, lovage and parsley

sea urchin toast

pike head

burnt leek and cod roe

apple and kelp

shrimp and ramson, radish and yeast

milk curd and blueberries, lemon thyme and pine

beef tartar and ants

beetroot sloe berries and aromatic herbs

egg and fresh greens

turbot and nasturtium, cream and wood sorrel

aronia berries and sol

potato and plum

caramel, yeast, and skyr

danish in the style of noma

chocolate covered pork rind

plating kitchen

staff dining room, prep kitchen, bbq station, dining room

herbs in the staff room

talented canadian showing us the back of the house; chef redzepi in the test kitchen

group photo with the talented and international noma staff

I doubt I'll ever have an experience like that again and of one thing I am absolutely certain: I am grateful beyond words for having been able to dine there, even once. It was without a doubt, one of the best meals of my life.

How I got the reservation: I had been trying to secure a reservation at NOMA since 2011. Every month on the 6th, I would wait for the online booking to open at 10:00 am, and until 9 months ago, all of those attempts ended in failure. Moral of the story: don't give up! Persistence pays off.

Friday, April 4, 2014

MY FAVORITE RESTAURANTS IN VENICE

It took me a while to eat well in Venice. When I first visited as an exchange student with friends, we could only afford to eat a proper restaurant for one of our meals and the choice we made was terrible. The next few visits, I didn't do much research or secure any reservations, so our meals were mediocre at best. During my last two visits, thanks to tips from locals, blogs, and countless hours of research online, I found my favorite restaurant in Venice. There are still a lot of restaurants I want to try (listed at the end), but here are some great places to get you started, should you find yourself lucky enough to visit the beautiful city of Venice.

VENICE RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATIONS:

ANTICHE CARAMPANE
Address: San Polo 1911. Phone: 041 524 0165. Hours: 12.30-2.30pm, 7.30-10.30pm Tue-Sat. Closed Aug.

This is my favorite restaurant in Venice and one of my favorites in all of Italy. If you only have time to visit one restaurant in Venice, let this be it. There are a number of factors that make it appealing. It's hard to find so it's mostly locals (make sure you pin it on google maps before heading out), it doesn't cater to tourists (there's a sign outside that reads, no pizza, no lasagna, no tourist menu), and of course, the food is mind-blowingly delicious. Here, I tried some of the best razor clams ever (my husband claimed it was better than Tickets in Barcelona, a bold statement). The moleche (soft shell crab) was out of this world. The fritto misto and crudi, magical. With all this amazing food though, the one thing I always look forward to here is the simple paper cup of fried shrimp they serve as the amuse bouche. Don't even think about coming here without a reservation. My first attempt to try this restaurant ended in failure because I called about a week out and they were fully booked. On my next attempt, I called a month in advance and was able to book a table. Prices aren't cheap, but if you're planning on splurging on one meal, do it here.

PRONTO PESCE

Prontopesce is opposite the Loggia in Rialto fish market, just off Campo delle Beccarie.

Address: San Polo 319, Phone: 041 8220298, Email: info@prontopesce.it, Hours: Closed Sun & Mon. Tues, 9A-3P and 6P-8P. Wed-Fri, 9A-3P and 7P-11:30P. Sat, 9A-3P and 6P-8P.

This is actually where I had one of my breakfast meals. It's a casual take out/fast food shop and everything is pre-made, but still tastes fresh. There are freshly baked scallops, raw oysters, baccala sandwiches, etc. The selection is always changing and depends on what's fresh on that particular day. Very affordable by Venetian standards and definitely worth seeking out.

OSTERIA DI SANTA MARINA

Address: Campo Santa Marina 5911, Castello I, Phone: 0415285239, Hours: Mon, 7:30PM-10:30PM. Tue-Sat, 12:30PM-2:30PM and 7:30PM-10:30PM. Sun, closed.

A solid place, but it was not as good as I expected it to be. If you are staying in this part of town, it's definitely worth a try if you have a few days. My favorites were the pasta dishes. The antipasti, while beautiful, were a bit too modern and ambitious for my taste. A full meal with wine for two was about 90 EUR. I may have gone on an off day, so I would definitely be open to trying it again. Reservations necessary.

AL COVO

Address: Castello 3968. Phone: 041-522-3812. Hours: Fri-Tues 12:45-2pm and 7:30-10pm.

This place definitely lives up to its reputation as one of the best restaurants in Venice. Excellent food, great service, and fresh seafood. Plenty of Americans eat here (because the co-owner is American), but so do a lot of Italians. Bonus points for being open on Sundays!

CORTE SCONTA

Address: 3886 Calle del Pestrin. Phone: 041-522-7024. Hours: Mon & Sun, closed. Tue-Sat, 12:30P-2P and 7P-9:30P.

The first thing I noticed upon entering this restaurant was that there were a lot of locals, which is always a good thing. Everything was plated exquisitely and made my mouth water. The fritto misto and crudi were spot on. Overall, the food was very good and the prices were reasonable. I would go back.