Bent Christensen THE SUBLIME 25. selected from the world s 50 best restaurants. De sublime 25 - udvalgt fra The World s 50 Best Restaurants

Bent Christensen THE SUBLIME 25 selected from the world s 50 best restaurants De sublime 25 - udvalgt fra The World s 50 Best Restaurants

INTRODUCTION The book includes descriptions, photos, menus and illustrations from visits to no fewer than 25 of the world s best restaurants acc. World 50 Best Restaurants rankings 2014. The World s 50 Best list is today the modern guide of today s most hot restaurants whether they are classical in its form or shelves the more avant-garde. Some offers an indulgence that besides flavor also create visual experiences of the æstestiske, the artistic, the overwhelming cross-border... The San Pellegrino list of The World s 50 Best Restaurants, published annually since 2003 by the British Restaurant Magazine, represents a number of different styles and expressions that make up The world s best restaurants. By definition these wideranging restaurants therefore potentially represent categories that differ completely from the three star establishments named by the red Michelin Guide, the competitor to The World s 50 Best Restaurants list. We are speaking two completely different worlds here. As a jury member of the World s 50 Best Restaurants for five years I have had the privilege of contributing albeit modestly to the annual list. It is with great curiosity and enthusiasm I have noticed the elasticity of format and criteria that make the list of the World s 50 Best Restaurants more vibrant and more representative of the trends of our time than other notable restaurant guides. My fascination with this field is part of the driving force behind this book. Bent Christensen NUMBER OF PAGES: 256 FORMAT: 24X34 CM The text of the book is both Danish and English ISBN 978-87-995621-3-8

EXTRACT #1 NOMA STRANDGADE 93 1401 COPENHAGEN K DENMARK www.noma.dk MERE END ET MÅLTID De fleste, der interesserer sig blot lidt for mad og restauranter, er ikke i tvivl om, at Noma hører til i avantgarden, men mange er ikke på forhånd helt klar på, at også det, der sker udenfor køkkenregionen, er i excellent topklasse. Betjeningen, serviceringen af gæsterne sker i et helt særlig uformelt men dog professionelt og ganske usædvanligt tempo, der bedst kan sammenlignes med Barcelonas form for at spille fodbold. Præcise pasninger, ingen afleveringsfejl. Den aften, vi var forbi, var der 75 kokke, souschefer, volontører, restaurantchef, sommelierer vores agerende, mange på gulvet og endnu flere på første sal, hvor U2 slappede af i VIP-rummet, ved siden af testkøkkenet. FORSKNING I LABORATORIET PÅ FØRSTESALEN Testkøkkenet er dedikeret gastronomisk forskning. Forskningen foregår netop nærmest i døgndrift. De forskellige aktører, mange fra fjerne kontinenter, er så at sige ikke til at drive herfra. De har desuden kolleger, der arbejder simultant i Nomas andet madlaboratorium placeret ombord i en nærliggende båd. Begge steder afprøves ideer, provokationer og tendenser, og i mange udførelser, hvor kun et minimum af dem i virkeligheden når frem til at komme på menuen. At foretage en sammenligning med Nomas mad og andre eliterestauranters er en yderst kompliceret opgave. Det er så innovativt at selv ordet innovativt ikke dækker. Det er også æstestisk på en helt særegen måde, som måske i virkeligheden er det, der kommer til at være det nordiske køkkens fremtidige særkende. Dertil kommer, at Nomas køkken er det mest perfektionistiske i udførelser, som kan opleves i disse år. Sammenligneligt med tidligere erindringer fra el Bullis periode eller dem som jeg glæder mig over ved hvert besøg på Mugaritz, Can Roca og The Fat Duck. For ikke at glemme Per Se og The French Laundry, der absolut også bevæger mig. Nomas æstetik og perfektionisme er imidlertid i et specielt univers, hvor de alene har en kollega at forholde sig til - og ja, det er Geranium og Rasmus Kofoed, jeg mener. MORE THAN JUST A MEAL Most people with only a scant knowledge of gourmet food and restaurants are in no doubt that Noma is one of the restaurants at the pinnacle of culinary endeavour but many do not realise that what is going on outside the kitchen is also absolutely top notch. The way guests are served is very informal, yet also very professional and at an unusually fast pace. A comparison that comes to mind is watching FC Barcelona s style of football. Precise footwork, never a muffed pass. On the evening we were there, there were 75 chefs, sous chefs, volunteers, the executive chef, sommeliers, our personal attendant waiter, many other waiters at our floor level and many more on the floor above where U2 were relaxing in the VIP room next to the test kitchen. RESEARCH LABORATORY UPSTAIRS The test kitchen is dedicated to culinary research. And it is ongoing, almost 24/7. The people working there, many of them from distant continents, do not seem to want to rest. And they have other colleagues simultaneously working in Noma s other test laboratory a short distance away: a boat in the harbour. New ideas, provocations and trends are tested in both places and in many different versions. Only a few of them actually make it on to the menu. Comparing Noma s dishes with those of other elite restaurants is like comparing apples with pears. The dishes are so innovative that the word innovative is not enough. They are also so aesthetic in a particular way this is perhaps what will characterise Nordic cuisine in the future. Added to this is the fact that execution of Noma s cuisine is as perfectionist as you can find anywhere at the moment. It is on a par with my memories from the time of el Bulli or the excellence I experience every time it is my joy to visit the Mugaritz, the Can Roca, and The Fat Duck. Not of course to mention Per Se and The French Laundry, which never fail to move me. But the aesthetics and perfectionism of the Noma restaurant are in a firmament of their own only one colleague runs parallel to the Noma and yes, I m speaking of the Geranium and Rasmus Kofoed. 160 161 NOMA COPENHAGEN, DENMARK RANKING 2014: 1 Visiting Noma is so much more than merely being served a good meal. It s a place where one s senses are bombarded again and again in incredibly fast progression. Sight vies with taste. Your hearing and your attention are constantly and intensely busy trying to make sense of the Babylonian linguistics around you, while enjoying the most pleasurable olfactory sensations. Chef René is everywhere, greeting guests formally, with a hug or a peck on the cheek depending on degree of familiarity. Everybody else in the team glides quickly alone or coordinated in groups at the appropriate moment between guests, tables and colleagues. They move at a pace, like the ants we will be enjoying later once did in their natural surroundings.

EXTRACT #2 DEKORATION MED SUGERØR DRINKING THE TABLE DECORATION Vi måtte desværre efter denne champagne/kaviar-deputation løsrive os og gå til bords, hvor vi fortsatte vort vellevned away from our champagne and caviar bonanza and proceed- But even great moments have to end: we prised ourselves og lod appetizers glæde såvel øje som mund. Et blad af ed to our dining table where our luxurious evening continued østers-urt, en mundfuld kongekrabbe på passionsfrugt og with appetisers that delighted both eye and palate. A little palme-hjerte, en lille blåmusling med usædvanligt selskab af oysterleaf, a mouthful of king crab on a bed of passion fruit chorizo, safran og oregano og en knivmusling i asiatisk and heart of palm, a dainty blue mussel, unusually garnished kimonoforklædning, soja, daikon og shizo. with chorizo, saffron and oregano, and a razor clam enveloped Allerede da vi satte os ved bordet, kunne vi glæde os over en in an Asian kimono of soy sauce, daikon and shizo. usædvanlig borddekoration, der viste sig at være hugget i is. Even as we arrived at our table we had appreciated an unusual Nu var tiden kommet, hvor isen skulle indgå som en del af table decoration it was an ice sculpture. Now the time had aftenens kulinariske oplevelse. Indholdet blev nydt gennem come for it to divulge its contents and contribute to the sugerør, og en frisk afkølet rødbedejuice tilsmagt med hibiscus og lakrids afsløredes. Måltidet igennem blev vi i et frisk fresh beetroot juice seasoned with hibiscus and liquorice. flavours of the evening. We enjoyed it through a straw: chilled tempo guidet rundt i et smagsunivers, der havde noter fra The servings of the meal had in quick succession guided us næsten alle verdensdele. Vi var i det sicilianske (caponata), through a range of flavours with reference to many parts of the det japanske (tofu) og det franske univers (trøffel-kartoffelsuppe), det ungarske (gullasch) for- soup), Hungary (goulash) in addition to world: Sicily (caponata), Japan (tofu), France (truffle and potato uden naturligvis det amerikanske Chicago-restauranten a range of American flavours, of course, fra Californien til New Hampshire. Alinea byder på velsmurt from California to New Hampshire. kokke-håndværk, isnende overraskelse DET RENE SKØNMALERI og verdenskøkken. PICTURE PERFECT Vi glædede os usigeligt til signatur- It was with great expectation that we desserten, som kan siges at befinde Chicago restaurant Alinea awaited the Alinea s signature dessert, offers clockwork culinary sig i grænselandet mellem kunst og which straddles the traditional delimitations between art and gastronomy. craftsmanship, icy surprises gastronomi. Vi havde som mange før and world-class cuisine. os ladet You Tube-videoklippet fra Like so many other people we had Alinea begejstre os, men nu var øjeblikket kommet til at se, watched the Alinea YouTube video with great interest now hvorledes bordets dug og service blev fjernet og erstattet af the moment had come for the table to be cleared and the en helt anden overflade, et vandtæt klæde der fungerede tablecloth replaced with a waterproof base. The scene was som dække. Herpå begyndte dessertmesteren med stærke set for the master pastry chef to start wielding his art, transferring his edible components to the canvas with a flourish bevægelser at bruge sine remedier, som maleren overfører sine farver fra paletten til lærredet. Det blev et skønmaleri, like a painter transferring colours from his palette, resulting abstrakt i sit udtryk, der blev åbenbaret på bordet foran os, in a beautiful abstract painting directly on the table in front med chokolade, grøntsagskombi, nødder, bær, honning og of us, with chocolate, a vege- table combo, nuts, berries, diverse essenser. Vi havde set det på You Tube, men at honey and various essences. Watching it on YouTube is one opleve kunstværket blive skabt lige foran vore øjne var virkelig thing but having this work of art created right in front of us en meget sanselig oplevelse. was a very sensuous experience. Vi sluttede aftenen med en snak omkring Alineas søsterrestaurant, Next, der er mindst lige så vanskelig at opnå en bordreservation til som netop Alinea. Det lykkedes os at markere vores interesse for at besøge Next så tydeligt, at vi dagen efter kunne opleve Nexts veganske menu, et måltid der i sin karakter gav mig et endnu større gastronomisk gok i sanserne end Alinea, der bare serverede det, som jeg forventede - det fremragende i gastronomisk eliteklasse, men ikke så dogmeagtigt som Next. Aldrig før har jeg spist et måltid, hvor jeg så ofte måtte erkende, at jeg ikke vidste, hvilken råvare jeg nød, kun at alle retter smagte f... fantastic. Towards the end of the evening we discussed Alinea s sister restaurant, Next, where table bookings are at least as difficult to get as for the Alinea itself. We managed to make our interest in visiting Next very clear, and lo and behold, the next day we ate our way through the Next s vegan menu, an experience which blew my senses away even more than our evening at Alinea, where we were served what we expected to be served excellent elite gastronomy. Next served totally different, dogma-style gastronomy. Never before have I eaten a meal where time and time again I had to acknowledge that I didn t know what I was eating, only that every serving was fantastic. 18 19 ALINEA CHICAGO, USA RANKING 2014: 9...Here we were met by the restaurant manager, who immediately asked whether we would like to begin our visit in the kitchen. He didn t have to ask us twice! In a flash, the three of us were seated at a beautifully laid table in the engine room of the restaurant, i.e. its kitchen, being served champagne and caviar in generous quantities. All the while we were watching the restaurant s 20 or so chefs quickly and efficiently carrying out their clockwork culinary crafts- manship around us. It was all somehow very unreal - and very pleasurable. By no means an every day experience.

EXTRACT #3 FORENEDE BØNDER OG KOKKE FARMERS AND CHEFS COMBINE EFFORTS Gennem århundreder havde Peru gennemgået en kolonisering og total opsplitning, hvor bønder blev betragtet som andenrangs mennesker. Det var nødvendigt og på tide med en genforening og alliance mellem kokke og bønder for at sikre et stabilt second-rate people. It was time to create an alliance between chefs and farmers to secure stable supplies in spite of the For centuries Peru was colonised, and there was a sharp demarcation between its social strata peasants were regarded as leveringsflow i den til tider vanskelige infrastruktur, hvor dyrkningsområder er beliggende i bjerge, jungle, ved Amazonfloden country s complex infrastructure connecting towns and cities with farming areas in the mountains, in the jungle, on the banks og højtliggende vådområder. of the Amazon river and in its high-altitude wetlands. På dagen, da vi besøgte Astrid y Gastón, var hele området omkring restaurant og indgang fyldt med liv. Folk var samlet på On the day we visited Astrid&Gastón the area in front of the restaurant was teeming with life. People were milling about in gaden foran den brede indgang. Det virkede ikke som et tilfælde, mere som et udtryk for hvor hektisk et kvarter restauranten front of the wide restaurant entrance. We got the impression this was nothing out of the ordinary. This urban area always seems ligger i. Det var tydeligt, at de mange håbefulde besøgende, som forsøgte at få bord hos Astrid y Gastón, havde skabt et stabilt to be very busy. Clearly, the many hopeful diners attempting to get a table at Astrid&Gastón were contributing to a stable forretningsgrundlag for de omkringliggende mindre restauranter og cevicheriaer. business environment for the surrounding small restaurants and cevicherias. Umiddelbart indenfor bekræftedes det, hvor populær en restauration Astrid y Gastón er. Som var det Hard Rock Café, er der Once inside, another indication of how popular Astrid&Gastón is: Like merchandise for sale in a Hard Rock Café, you could her mulighed for at købe forskelligt AyG merchandise. Dette undlod vi dog og beholdt den nålestribede spillerdragt på. buy various A&G items. We refrained from doing that, choosing to maintain our professional approach. On our way to the På tærsklen til de bonede gulve blev vi igen mødt af et andet af Gastóns koncepter, en hektisk bar med ceviche og tapas. dining area we came across another of Gastón s concepts, a hectic bar from which you could buy drinks, ceviche and tapas. Vi undlod at spise, men nød en cocktail af fornem karat bygget over en lokal fortolkning af den latinamerikanske og grappa- We didn t eat anything at this point but enjoyed a beautifully composed cocktail, a local variation of the Latin- American lignende klassiker Pisco Sour. and grappa-like classic Pisco Sour. 28 29 ASTRID Y GASTÓN LIMA, PERU RANKING 2014: 18 For centuries Peru was colonised, and there was a sharp demarcation between its social strata peasants were regarded as secondrate people. It was time to create an alliance between chefs and farmers to secure stable supplies in spite of the country s complex infrastructure connecting towns and cities with farming areas in the mountains, in the jungle, on the banks of the Amazon river and in its high altitude wetlands. On the day we visited Astrid&Gastón the area in front of the restaurant was teeming with life. People were milling about in front of the wide restaurant entrance. We got the impression this was nothing out of the ordinary. This urban area always seems to be very busy. Clearly, the many hopeful diners attempting to get a table at Astrid&Gastón were contributing to a stable business environment for the surrounding small restaurants and cevicherias.

EXTRACT #4 NATURE ON A PLATE ELEGANCE AND SENSUOUSNESS Naturen på bordet på 8. sal i Parkens nordvestlige tårn overvælder med sine elegante og sanselige udtryk. Ikke alene er serveringerne nærmest forførende. De præsenteres også for gæsterne i en ekstremt raffineret og præcis iscenesættelse. Hvad enten de serveres på bræt, på tallerken eller i skål, er fornemmelsen, at pincetten må være dette køkkens mest anvendte redskab. Hvert et blad, hver en kvist, hver en blomst eller frø er placeret med kirurgisk præcision. Om det raffinerede kan siges, at øjet og munden samarbejder. Hver en kvist her er spiselig, om den så er lavet på ost eller på en reduktion af saft, ekstrakt af en grøntsag som små, grønne kugler med dild som ophav - eller den tørre tot mos. Det er designet fingermad, ophøjet natur. Konceptet går igen i desserterne, hvor blommer, æbler og svesker kan opleves i mere eller mindre luftige former - og af og til ledsaget af essens af mørkt øl. The elegance and sensuality of the natural produce served at Geranium s premises on the eighth floor of Parken s northwest tower overlooking Copenhagen s large, recreational Fælledpark is totally overwhelming. Parken is the national stadium for football matches. Not only are the servings enchanting, almost seductive. They are also staged and presented to guests with the utmost sophistication and precision. Whether served on a board, a plate or in a dish, you get the impression that every component must have been arranged with a careful pair of tweezers. Every leaf, every sprig, every flower and seed has been added with surgical precision. The visual and the flavourful merge into perfect sophistication: Every sprig is edible, be it made from cheese or from a juice reduction, a dill weed extract made into tiny green spheres or a little dried moss. This is designer finger food nature at a sublime level. The concept is repeated in the desserts, where plums, apples and prunes come in more or less airy disguises sometimes paired with the essence of dark draught beer. 100 101 GERANIUM COPENHAGEN, DENMARK RANKING 2014: 42 Not only are the servings enchanting, almost seductive. They are also staged and presented to guests with the utmost sophistication and precision. Whether served on a board, a plate or in a dish, you get the impression that every component must have been arranged with a careful pair of tweezers. Every leaf, every sprig, every flower and seed has been added with surgical precision. The visual and the flavourful merge into perfect sophistication: Every sprig is edible, be it made from cheese or from a juice reduction, a dill weed extract made into tiny green spheres or a little dried moss. This is designer finger food nature at a sublime level.

EXTRACT #5 THREE BROTHERS, THREE MICHELIN STARS, A SPANISH TEMPLE TO GASTRONOMY Tag et fly til Barcelona og fortsæt med eksprestoget fra Sants stationen til Girona. Togturen tager 37 minutter og fører til byen Girona med sæde for det gastronomiske tempel El Celler de Can Roca, der i 2013 blev stemt ind på førstepladsen i San Pellegrino og Acqua Panna s the World s 50 best restaurantguide. Restauranten er naturligvis også tildelt tre stjerner i Guide Michelin Espana Det lyder måske overdrevent at kalde en restaurant et tempel, men for mig er El Celler de Can Roca vitterligt et tempel. Jeg har kendt til det i mange år, men besøgte det dog for første gang så sent som i 2012. Can Roca er et sted, som jeg har brugt mange timer på at researche ved at læse gastronomiske magasiner, se TV udsendelser og ikke mindst lytte til de folk, der har berettet om deres besøgsoplevelser her. Historien om de tre Rocabrødre, Joan, Josep og Jordi, i rollerne som henholdsvis chef, sommelier/maitre d og dessertchef er en lang eskalerende rejse, der begyndte den dag, da dengang 24 årige Joan modtog den første Michelinstjerne i 1995, nummer to fulgte i 2002 og endelig tre i 2009. Mennesker udenfor branchen har ofte og af forskellige grunde en forestilling om eller frygt for at besøge finere restauranter. I min verden er det meget enkelt at forholde sig til sådanne fine dining restauranter. Man skal blot læne sig tilbage, betragte og tage imod, hvad der tilbydes af mad, drikke, service og omhu. Man befinder sig i et nydelsens univers. Jump on a plane to Barcelona and continue on the AVE train from Barcelona Sants to Girona. The train takes 37 minutes and delivers you to Girona which is where you find the temple to gastronomy that is El Celler de Can Roca, which in 2013 was awarded first place in the San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna list of the World s 50 Best Restaurants. Naturally, the restaurant has also been awarded three stars in the Guide Michelin España. You might think I am going too far by referring to a restaurant as a temple but for me El Celler de Can Roca really is a temple. I have known of the restaurant for many years but did not actually visit it until 2012. I have spent many hours researching El Celler de Can Roca via reviews in gastronomy magazines, TV programmes and, not least, listening to people who have actually experienced it. The story of the three Roca brothers, Joan, Josep and Jordi chef, sommelier / maitre d and pastry chef respectively is the story of a long journey of development that began in 1995 when the then 24 year old Joan was awarded his first Michelin star. The second star followed in 2002, and the third in 2009. People outside the culinary sector for a variety of reasons are often apprehensive in some way about visiting fine dining restaurants. In my world it is uncomplicated. Just lean back, watch everything that is going on, and enjoy what is on offer in the form of food, drink, service and kind consideration. Bask in the sensuous enjoyment. 50 51 EL CELLER DE CAN ROCA GERONA, SPAIN RANKING 2014: 2 I must say my visit to the Rocas at El Celler de Can Roca in every way lived up to all aspects of my expectations: 27 servings and 13 different wines in 11 different glasses. The Rocas and their teams delivered a tour de force in terms of flavourfulness within every discipline. They dare to be edgy; they are serene and have the courage of their convictions. From my first visit I remember how the sommelier as the most natural thing in the world selected a natural light red wine to go with the first serving on the menu, and then served slightly sweeter white wines with the next dishes followed by dry whites. It was a very special wine journey.

EXTRACT #6 FLAVOURS OF THE PAST Heston Blumenthal åbnede sin første restaurant The Fat Heston Blumenthal opened his first restaurant, The Fat Duck, Duck i 1995 i Bray i Berkshire, og med den restaurant in 1995 in Bray in Berkshire and quickly became a living icon. opnåede han ikonstatus i levende live. The Fat Ducks karma He brought the legacy of The Fat Duck with him to the restaurant at Hotel Mandarin Oriental by Hyde Park, now known as tog han med til sin London Knightsbridge-adresse på Hotel Mandarin Oriental på kanten af Hyde Park, nu med navnet Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. Here he brings gastronomic Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. Her genopliver han gastro- classics from the British Isles from as long ago as the 14th nomi-klassikere fra de britiske øer helt tilbage fra det 14. century back on the plate. Most of his creations are based on århundrede. De fleste kreationer er dog baseret på det 17., dishes from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, and they are det 18. og det 19. århundrede, og de tiltrækker gæster fra attracting diners from all over the world. hele verden. This in-depth perusal of old cookbooks led to many challenges. Denne grundige research af gamle kogebøger kastede It must have taken a lot of working out how to transpose the masser af udfordringer af sig. Det må have været en uhyre preparation of the various dishes from the original spits and lang og lettere kompliceret vej at skifte køkkenfrembring- open fireplaces and later log- and coal-fired stoves to elser fra oprindeligt åbne ildsteder over brændefyrede komfurer til nutidens tekniske vidunderkomfurer, ovne og andre technical innovations such as thermal mixers, sous-vide water present-day high-tech wonder ovens and stoves and other tekniske vidundere som thermomixer, sousvide og jeg skal baths and other kinds of state-of-the-art, all-singing-allkomme efter dig -udstyr. dancing culinary equipment. Køkkenchefen på Dinner er tidligere The Fat Duck-ankermand, executive chef Ashley Palmer-Watts. Men gæster, man, executive chef Ashley Palmer-Watts. But guests who The chef de cuisine at the Dinner is erstwhile Fat Duck anchor- der vælger at booke bord på Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, choose to book a table at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal must må parkere en eventuel forventning om et gensyn med Hestons The Fat Duck-oplevelser udenfor. Vi er i en helt anden ence. We are now in a completely different world. Far away part with any expectations of re-living The Fat Duck experi- verden. Væk fra det mere muntre, legesyge halvmolekylære from the then playful, semi-molecular, futuristic cuisine in futuristiske køkken i Bray. I stedet er køkkenet vendt på en Bray. The Dinner s cuisine represents a new direction, focusing tallerken til den rene, uforfalskede velsmag og det i gedigne on honest-to-goodness flavours, and sizeable portions to boot. portioner. Stadig retrospektivt, men It is retrospective but caters for sophisticated and expectant palates tilpasset en avanceret og forventningsfuld nutidig søgen efter ren looking for pure enjoyment. You are Dinner by Heston Blumenthal ved Hyde Park sender gæsten tilbage nydelse. Man er aldrig i tvivl om, i fortidens uforfalskede velsmag, never in doubt about what you are hvad man gelejder i munden. men på nutidens komfurer. putting into your mouth. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal by Hyde Park transports guests back to the unadulterated palatability of the past prepared on contemporary equipment 42 43 DINNER BY HESTON BLUMENTHAL LONDON, UK RANKING 2014: 5...Heston s Meat Fruit. I went for lunch at Dinner the other day. Of course, I had to have the courageously unappetisingly-named Meat Fruit, a chicken liver/foie gras parfait enrobed in a mandarin jelly, which has become the signature dish. Once I had tried my first mouthful, all thoughts of carefully composed photographs went out the window. Quick, take the damn picture so you can get on with eating more! It was one of those occasions on which clever formal dickery was more than matched by sheer flavour. Man, that liver mousse tasted incredibly great. Exquisitely light, whipped to within an inch of its life, with punchy seasoning, and an acidic tangerine coating to cut through that artery-clagging fattiness. The rest of the meal, and indeed the restaurant and service, were excellent too, but that meat fruit will stay with me for a long time to come.

EXTRACT #7 RESTAURANT FÄVIKEN MAGASINET IN JÄMTLAND IN THE FAR NORTH OF CENTRAL SWEDEN CAN SEAT ONLY 16 GUESTS. BUT MAGNUS NILSSON SPOILS HIS GUESTS WITH DELICACIES SUCH AS HOME CHURNED MOUNTAIN PASTURE BUTTER, THRUSH, AND MEAT FROM OLD DAIRY COWS. FÄVIKEN MAGASINET RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE Der er flere veje at vælge imellem, når ruten skal fastlægges for et besøg på en af nutidens mest omtalte restauranter, Fäviken Magasinet. Restauranten omtales af mange grunde, hvoraf gastronomien selvfølgelig er den væsentligste, men de eminente præstationer i køkkenet bliver om muligt endnu mere interessante på grund af gourmetstedets isolerede geografiske placering. Vi skal til udkants-sverige. Langt ud i ødemarken af dette langstrakte nordiske land, hvor der er langt mellem byerne, og hvor indbyggertallet pr. km er blandt de laveste i Europa. De fleste ikke-svenskere vil nok vælge flyet til Stockholm og skifte til destination Østersund. Herfra med taxa de sidste 8 svenske mil af hvilke, der går 10 på en kilometer. En anden mulighed er over byen Åre med toget. Men man kan også, som jeg gjorde, vælge at flyve til Trondheim og med rent-acar køre de ca. 125 km ad relativt utrafikerede veje gennem smukke naturområder til Åre, et af Sveriges mest kendte skisportssteder. Herfra er der få km til de senere års mest omtalte svenske restaurant, hvor Magnus Nilsson præsenterer et rustikt, landligt, terroirbaseret egnskøkken. Vi befinder os omkring 530 km nord for Stockholm og ca. 150 km øst for Trondheim. FÄVIKEN MAGASINET RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE You have the choice of a couple of routes when you decide to visit Fäviken Magasinet, one of the most discussed contemporary restaurants. It is talked about for many reasons, the most important one obviously being its gastronomy but its kitchen s brilliant achievements become even more interesting due to the gourmet restaurant s isolated geographical location. In Sweden, at the back of beyond. Far into the wilderness in the central part of this elongated Nordic country, where towns are few and far between, and the population per kilometre is one of the most sparse in Europe. Most non-swedes will probably choose to fly to Stockholm and transfer to a flight to Östersund. From there it is eight Swedish miles by taxi, i.e. 80 km, to the restaurant. You can also take the train, via the town of Åre. I chose a third option: flying to Trondheim in Norway, renting a car and driving 125 kilometres through beautiful scenery on roads with hardly any traffic to Åre, one of Sweden s best-known ski resorts. And then continuing another few kilometres along the road to reach the most-discussed Swedish restaurant in recent years, where Magnus Nilsson presents guests with a rural, rustic, terroir-based regional cuisine. We have arrived at a spot approx. 530 km north of Stockholm and 150 km east of Trondheim. 86 87 FÄVIKEN MAGASINET JÄRPEN, SWEDEN RANKING 2014: 19 The most surprising produce of the evening was trast. We were informed it was a thrush. (There it lay naked on a plate, its long legs stretched out and its throat sort of bent forward... enjoy!) The thrush seemed so raw, that if it had not been plucked, it could almost have flown unaided into my mouth. We also had the pleasure of tasting the famous or infamous dish, Marrow and beef heart. The marrow was removed from the bone on a butcher s bench right in front of us. This was mixed with beef heart cubes and dressed with dainty flowers, giving this somewhat solid dish a lighter expression.

EXTRACT #8 BRAZILIAN GASTRONOMY THE INTELLIGENT WAY Med et kig til Italien og Spanien forener Helena Rizzo det moderne brasilianske køkken med respekten for brasiliansk tradition og for maniok-roden Helena Rizzo takes modern Brazilian cuisine forward while respecting Brazilian tradition, with a nod to Italian and Spanish cuisine and not least the manioc. São Paolo er megastorbyen med et enormt pulsslag. Selve den brasilianske folkesjæl er her så overvældende i sin farvepalet - i decibel som lavtgående jetfly - og i musikalitet, som bevæger i mere end én forstand. Den del af byen, hvor Mani har haft sin adresse siden åbningen i 2006, hedder Jardim Paulistano og hører til den mere charmerende og rolige del. Mani er navngivet efter den lokale maniok-rod, mandioca, der har noget nær folkeejestatus og er central for meget lokal madlavning. Kvinden bag Mani, Helena Rizzo, blev i 2014 tildelt hædersprisen The Veuve Clicquot World s Best Female Chef af komiteen bag World s 50 Best Restaurants. Det skete allerede året efter, at Mani for første gang trådte ind på World 50 Best-listen. Første ranking position var som nr. 46. Hun er såvel i sit private som professionelle virke i partnerskab med Daniel Redondo, som hun mødte under et kokkeophold i Spanien. De to står for et moderne køkken, der har rødder tilbage i traditionen og til hverdagens brasilianske madkultur. F.eks. Feijoada, som er en klassisk ret på bønner, men dog tillempet, så den smagsmæssigt fjerner sig fra normal forventning til netop dagligdags bønner. Parret er også mærkbart inspireret af Spanien og Italien. Begge var i deres yngre år bl.a. en periode ansat på legendariske El Celler de Can Roca. Det særkende, som mange finder i Manis køkken, er den overvældende, ja for nogle nærmest sensationelt velsmagende og kreative tasting-menu. Det gælder også desserterne. Vi noterer bl.a. en spændende tatar af kammusling serveret i jordnøddemælk maskeret med en tynd film af kardemommekaramel efterfulgt af lichifrugten fyldt med foie gras i selskab med en sauternes-gelé. Rizzos køkkenpræstationer betager ikke alene visuelt og smager delikat. De fremstår på en særegen måde intelligente. São Paolo is a gigantic metropolis with a strong, unmistakable urban pulse. The Brazilian psyche here is so overwhelming in its diversity as high-volume as a low-flying jet and so musical it moves you in more than one sense. The restaurant Mani is located and has been since it opened in 2006 in Jardim Paulistano, a relatively quiet and very charming part of the city. The Mani is named after the manioc root, mandioca, dear to the heart of the Brazilian people and a central ingredient in much of the local cooking. It is also widely known as cassava. The woman behind the Mani, Helena Rizzo, was named by the World s 50 Best Restaurants committee as The Veuve Clicquot World s Best Female Chef 2014. This happened barely 12 months after the Mani made its first appearance on the World s 50 Best Restaurants list. Its first ranking position was at no. 46. Both privately and professionally her partner is Daniel Redondo whom she met when working as a chef in Spain. The pair represent a modern cuisine which is nonetheless rooted in tradition and in everyday Brazilian food culture. One example is feijoada, the Mani s take on a classic Brazilian bean stew but with a flavour that lifts it way above everyday expectations of a common-or-garden bean dish. Rizzo and Redondo are also clearly inspired by Spanish and Italian cuisine. Both have worked at legendary El Celler de Can Roca for a while early on in their careers. One thing that is an extra special feature of the Mani s cuisine is its fantastic some would say sensationally flavourful and creative tasting menu. Its desserts, too. Among other servings we particularly noted an interesting scallop tartare served in peanut milk glazed with a thin film of cardamom caramel, followed by a lychee stuffed with foie gras and served with a sauternes jelly. Not only are Rizzo s culinary creations visually enticing and exquisitely flavourful. They seem particularly intelligently crafted. 136 137 MANI SÃO PAOLO, BRAZIL RANKING 2014: 36 We were also served one of Helena Rizzo s signature dishes, egg perfecto. It consists of an egg perfectly cooked for two and a half hours at exactly 63 degrees Celsius and is served with pupunha foam. Pupunha is the heart of a palm that grows throughout tropical Latin America. The restaurant s main courses were very diverse but we were tempted by the catch of the day. The fish in question was served either fried with grilled sweet potatoes, fresh goat s cheese and red onions or slow baked with tucupi foam, which is also made with mandioca juice, and banana topped with the Mani s own mandioca flour and garnished with herbs and blooms. The slow cooked fish dish was one of the definite highlights of the day.

EXTRACT #9 GLÆDE FOR ØJET Også signaturretten Sin blev os til del. Beetroot Tapioca. En visuelt flot servering på en efterligning af en ipad med indbygget lysspil. Måske mere et ønske om at glæde øjet end maven. Desserterne var baseret på elegante kreationer i mundrette versioner og med vægten lagt på farvespillet på tallerkenen. Vi opdagede æbler, pærer, rosiner, solbær, lime, quark souffle, vanilleis, kanelkiks, sorbet og marshmallows. Min sjæl hvad vil du mer? Endnu en fin detalje oplevede vi i aftenens forløb. Sædvanligvis indeholder tjenernes indledende præsentationer af de serverede kreationer en lang række råvareelementer, som har dannet den sanseoplevelse, som køkkenets elaborering har færdiggjort. Ofte kan man som spiser have svært ved PLEASING THE EYE We were also served: the signatur dish Sin ; Beetroot Tapioca ; a visually impressive serving made to look like an ipad with moving lights. Perhaps the aim here was to please the eye rather than the palate. The desserts were elegant compositions in bite size versions, the emphasis being on colour schemes on the plate. We discovered apples, pears, raisins, black currants, lime, quark soufflé, vanilla ice cream, cinnamon biscuits, sorbet and marshmallows. It doesn t come any better. There is one more detail I have to mention. It is customary for waiters to tell you about the servings as they arrive, mentioning a long list of produce, which, combined and helped along by kitchen expertise and hard work, are the basis of the sensory experience, which you are about to under indtagelsen af retten at huske alle delelementer. Det løser man her ved kontinuerligt at placere en lille beskrivelse af retterne hhv ledsagende vine trykt på tyndt papir i visitkortstørrelse. Papiret placeres i en lille holder på bordet ud for gæsten. Fiks idé og en fin hjælp for den nysgerrige. Konklusionen, som rodfæstes yderligere efter næste morgens indtagelse af en eksorbitant fremragende morgenmad, er, at Schweiz har fået en suveræn arvtager til tidligere legendariske kokke som Frédy Girardet, Philippe Rochat og Gérard Rabaey. Man kan følge Andreas Caminadas tanker, indfald og opskriftskort på kompositioner ved at abonnere på hans meget flotte og velredigerede magasin, der bærer hans navn, og som udkommer to gange årligt. indulge in. It can be difficult for the diner to remember every ingredient while enjoying the serving. This problem has been solved at Schloss Schauenstein by successively placing a short description of each serving and / or wine pairing, printed on a small card in a holder on the table in front of the guest. A clever idea and a great help for the curious gourmet. My conclusion, confirmed by an exorbitant, wonderful breakfast the next morning, is that Switzerland has found a supreme successor to its legendary chefs of the past, such as Frédy Girardet, Philippe Rochat and Gérard Rabaey. You can pursue Caminada s thoughts, ideas and recipe cards with his compositions by subscribing to his sixmonthly, very attractive and well edited, eponymous gourmet magazine. SCHLOSS SCHAUENSTEIN CH 7414 FÜSTENAU SCHWEIZ www.schauenstein.ch 204 205 SCHLOSS SCHAUENSTEIN FÜSTENAU, SCHWEIZ RANKING 2014: 43 You ve got to ask the question: How has this restaurant so high in the Alps and so far from all other gastronomic landmarks found its voice on the list of the World s 50 Best Restaurants? Andreas Caminada s CV, his ambitions, creativity and unstoppable drive towards innovation have been the driving force, the first violin. But he still needs the orchestra and its individual musicians to play his music and gain resonance. After receiving his basic chef s training locally, Andreas worked at food related jobs in Zürich and for some years in Vancouver, Canada, which he found very inspiring. At no point did he seriously contemplate settling away from his home region near Chur.

EXTRACT #10 TYSK KOKKE-FORBILLEDE Vi fik også en god interviewsamtale med mesteren, Joachim Wissler selv, inden vores middag. Her fortalte han om sit arbejde og sin vision om at kombinere smagsmæssige modsætninger ind i mellem også med små spilopmæssige indslag i råvarevalget, skulle det senere vise sig. Og om det tyske køkken, som han føler internationalt er trådt mere i karakter. På samme måde talte vi om - som Europa og Verden har bemærket, at selve det store Tyskland også her knap 70 år efter Anden Verdenskrigs afslutning er begyndt at markere sine egne meninger på den internationale politiske scene og sætte dem igennem. De nye tyske topkokke har de seneste ti år fundet deres egne veje. De har løst sig fra deres franske forbilleder på samme måde, som det måske i højere grad er blevet bemærket i gastronomiens verden, at Det Nordiske Køkken også har, forklarer Wissler. Selv er han naturligvis det måske vigtigste forbillede for de fremstormende yngre landsmænd. Restaurant Vendôme skifter planmæssigt menukort efter årstiderne - selvfølgelig efter meget grundigt forarbejde. Og blandt de aktuelle op til 16 serveringer er aldrig gengangere fra tidligere, uanset rettens modtagelse, garanterer Joachim Wissler: Men vi har heldigvis heller aldrig oplevet kundereaktioner på en enkelt ret, der har givet anledning til overvejelser om at tage den af menukortet før tid. Kun har vi højest to-tre gange selv vurderet kvaliteten af de nødvendige råvarer så ustabil, at vi har været nødt til at udskifte en ellers fastlagt servering med en anden, forklarer Wissler og fortsætter: Ingen er jo ufejlbarlige, men jeg tror, at den meget grundige overvejelses- og forberedelsesproces, inden næste kvartals menusammensætning endeligt er besluttet, er med til at forhindre, at den slags udskiftninger bliver nødvendige, siger Wissler, 50 år, og uddannet på sydtyske restauranter og leder af Vendôme siden 2000. Wissler skaffede allerede stedets første Michelin-stjerne året efter, den anden i 2002 og den tredje i 2004. Stjernerne er siden fastholdt. Hvilket også understreger stedets meget høje stabilitetsniveau. Sin egen første Michelinstjerne vandt Wissler allerede i 1995 som køkkenchef på et andet slot - Reinhartshausen i Rheingau. Omvendt forklarer han samtidig, at nye teknikker, som han ser i køkkenerne rundt om i verden, indimellem også er med til at gøre egne drømme om serveringer, realisable: Uden at teknikken nogensinde må blive et mål i sig selv i mit køkken. Det handler ikke om, hvilken teknik vi bruger i køkkenet, men hvad vi bruger den til, understreger han. ROLE MODEL FOR GERMAN CHEFS We were also afforded a pleasant interview with Joachim Wissler, the master himself, before dinner. He told us about his work and his vision of combining contrasting flavours from time to time also with little mischievous twists to the selection of produce as we discovered. We talked about German cuisine which he feels has now come into its own internationally. Just as and we also discussed this Europe and the rest of the world have noticed how Germany now barely 70 years after the end of World War II has started to make its opinions known on the international political stage and become a player to be reckoned with. Joachim Wissler explains: German top chefs have found their own way over the past 10 years. They have loosened their ties to their earlier French role models in much the same way as Nordic cuisine has, although the development of the latter has perhaps attracted more attention in the world of gastronomy. He himself is, of course, perhaps the most prominent role model for up-and-coming younger German chefs. Restaurant Vendôme changes its menu according to the seasons obviously after very careful planning and testing. And there are never repeats among the current servings up to 16 of them irrespective of how the individual dish has previously been received, Joachim Wissler assures us. Fortunately we ve never had guests react negatively to any dish in a way that has made us consider taking it off the menu before we planned to. Twice or three times we ourselves have decided that the quality of a particular type of produce has been so unpredictable that we have replaced a serving featured on the menu with another. Nobody is perfect but I believe that the very careful thought and preparation that go into planning the menu for the next three months help prevent the necessity of such replacements, says 50-year-old Wissler, who learned his trade while working at various restaurants in southern Germany, and became head chef at the Vendôme in 2000. Wissler won the restaurant its first Michelin star the following year, its second in 2002 and its third in 2004. It continues to have three stars, underlining the restaurant s very high, stable quality level. Wissler won his own personal Michelin star back in 1995 when he was chef de cuisine at another German castle, Reinhartshausen in the Rheingau. But still he explains how learning new techniques from other restaurant kitchens across the world can make the culinary dreams he wants to create possible. He adds: Technique in itself must not become the be-all and end-all in my kitchen. It is not about what techniques we use but about what we create using our techniques. 234 235 VENDÔME BERGISCH GLADBACH, GERMANY RANKING 2014: 12 Mackerel with melon, river crayfish with crackling, and truffles with lemon are some of the original and tasty combinations presented to us as part of a number of surprising, and sometimes provocative servings at the Vendôme. The waiters were, of course, extremely competent and knowledgeable about both food and drink but also pleasantly unpretentious and welcoming. The tempo at which the dishes were served was pleasant, giving body and soul a chance to keep pace with what was going on all through a wonderful, long evening of gastronomy at the very pinnacle of the art.

THE CONTRIBUTERS Skribenter Allan Poulsen Thomas Haldrup Mads Stenstrup Poul Larsen Bent Christensen Søren Pedersen Anders Qwist The team who have visited and described the selected Sublime 25, are a diverse group. We include three highly trained and still active chefs, Søren Pedersen (Norsminde Kro); from the Bagatelle, Oslo, we have both souschef Thomas Haldrup and Chef Allan Poulsen (2008 Chef of the Year (Denmark), in 2011 the restaurant he ran (Henne Kirkeby Kro) was named Restaurant of the Year (Denmark) and in 2012, Restaurant of the Year - Nordic Countries ; the renowned wine importer Anders Qwist, who is also engaged in the gastronomic restaurant environment; and cheese affineur and supplier to the gastronomic elite, Poul Larsen; journalist Mads Stenstrup with his unfailing gastronomic nouse; and finally yours truly, restaurant reviewer and publisher of the annual Danish restaurant guide, Den danske Spiseguide, as well as of the 66 Best Restaurants Nordic Countries.

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