A Danish restaurant has been named the best in the world, knocking Spain’s exclusive El Bulli off the top of the list for the first time in five years.
Noma, which serves up Nordic specialities – such as radishes in edible soil - in a converted 18th century shipping warehouse on Copenhagen’s dockside, was crowned number one at the annual S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards in London.
Described as an “homage to soil and sea”, Noma has two Michelin stars and specialises in “cold climate cuisine”. It is famous for using seasonal and local ingredients largely unheard of outside of the Nordic region.
Headed by 32-year-old chef Rene Redzepi, the restaurant has become a favourite of gourmets worldwide. Meals can cost around £150 per head.
“The restaurant has quickly established itself as a place of pilgrimage,” the judges said.
“Copenhagen is no longer the last stop on the gastronomic subway.”
El Bulli’s defeat is another blow for the world’s most exclusive eatery and its famous head chef, Ferran Adria, 47, after he announced in January that the venue would close for two years from 2012.
He said he decided to shut the restaurant, located on Spain’s north-eastern Catalan coast, for reflection, and plans to re-open it in a new format.
Adria is known for his avant-garde approach to cooking which uses high tech methods to “deconstruct” and rebuild ingredients to produce surprising dishes. He was still recognised at the awards when he was named chef of the decade.
The awards are organised by acclaimed British magazine Restaurant and determined by an extensive poll of 800 of the world’s most celebrated chefs, renowned food critics, leading restaurateurs and well-travelled gourmands.
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