Welcome to Noma's Land!

FLASHBACK BEFORE 2019

Restaurant: NOMA (Copenhagen, Denmark)

Date Dined: April 25, 2018

With Chef Rene Redzepi

Everything happens for a reason. A split-second decision can have significant repercussions to your life. That's what happened to me with Noma -- although not necessarily directly from its food.

I have always wanted to dine in Noma -- ever since I heard that it served soil to its diners! As early as 2010 I tried to get there in vain while I was in Copenhagen. When it closed down, I thought I would never have that chance. But when it announced in 2017 that it was re-opening the following year, I saved the date and time when they would release the first batch of bookings.

At first, things went smoothly. At exactly the corresponding Philippine time (at night here), I was able to go inside the website and click on my preferred date for the minimum of two persons. I was about to get a 6:30 pm seating, when it suddenly entered my mind that if I was going to invite my friend based in Geneva, it would have to be the 9 pm seating so that he can make it. That's when I did a cardinal sin -- I CLICKED ON THE BACKSPACE BUTTON. Suddenly, all reservations were gone! I was frantically searching the website for other dates with a table for two in vain. And in a few minutes, all reservations for the season were gone -- except for a table for 8 for 12 noon of April 25. Now the problem was that I had to pay for the cost of the meal upfront, and the cost per person was already high, let alone multiplied by eight. So I decided to pray on it, and go to sleep.

When I woke up, I checked on the reservations again, and that lone table for 8 appeared again! So I thought, maybe it's God's will that I get it, especially since the date was a few days before my package tour to the Baltic countries. Besides, I was sure that there will be a lot of people on the wait-list that I can tap because it was THE Noma. So I paid for the table for 8!

When I contacted Noma, they said they could not fill my table with those from their wait-list. After I analyzed the situation, I understood their decision. Since I had paid the whole amount to Noma, the other people would have to pay me, instead of Noma. And they cannot vouch for payment to a total stranger. So I had undertaken to find seven other people, with the possibility of me shouldering the whole amount if I could not do so.

Now I lived half a world away from Noma. It was not as if I could easily invite friends to join me, and on a weekday lunch at that. So it was very difficult to find those seven companions. Eventually I was able to get my German friend to go with his girlfriend. I went over the Noma Facebook page, and I zeroed in on those who had complained about not being able to get a booking. I saw one, and when I checked his profile, we had 3 common Facebook friends! So I contacted him, and he was able to get two other people to join us. At one point, I was trying to reserve two seats for Chef Andre Chiang, but then he would not be able to make it, since the date was near his birthday, and his wife already had plans around that time. After an exhaustive search, I was left with two seats. With reluctance, I decided to contact a guy who had also posted in the Noma page but did not have much information on his Facebook profile. He said yes, and I took the risk that I might end up shouldering the cost of those seats if he and his friend did not show.

And then it came to the time for that lunch in Noma. I arrived a bit early, not only because I was excited for the meal, but also to be there to greet the total strangers who would become my lunchmates. And I was able to complete the table! From the way the ushers were not surprised that we were mostly strangers at the table, I think I was not the only one who got a big table to be able to dine there.

With my friends at the entrance of Noma

Greeted by the whole staff upon entry

When the door first opened, the whole staff greeted us, as was their tradition, we were told. We were asked if we wanted the beverage pairing, which was in addition to what I had already paid. (Tip: Get the juice pairing! Even if it is expensive, the flavors are unique!)

Noma had broken down the year into three seasons, based on the peak of the ingredients in a given time of year: Seafood, Vegetables, and Game & Forest seasons. We were there for the Seafood season.

Sea snail broth

Green gooseberry

Venus clams

Best of the mussel

Saffron and Arctic thyme

Dried fruits and shrimps

Cured trout roe and eggs

Cloudberry

Jellyfish (Well, it's really not jellyfish, but made to seem like it!)

Seafood platter Part 1

Scallop

Mahogany clam

Seafood platter Part 2

Limfjord oyster

Sea urchin

Dried sea cucumber (raw one just as sample)

Pumpkin seed and plankton (!)

Squid in seaweed butter

Sea snails and roses

Smoked octopus and aronia

Head of the cod (with various dips)

Closer look at the yummy head of the cod

Second part of the head of the cod

Tomato and fig leaf

Pear and roasted kelp ice cream

Ice cream inside the "stone"

Cloudberries and pine cones

Sugar kelp tart

Plankton cake

I would have to say that this was the most unique rendition of seafood that I have ever had. Personally, my favorite is the Head of the Cod, particularly the portion with the fishbones. Definitely I recommend the juice pairing, especially since their fermentation process makes the texture smooth when you swallow. It is the same process which former Noma pop-up chef Thomas Frebel used in his new restaurant Inua (more on that on a future blog). But overall, the experience is breath-taking, because of the new ingredients and flavors that you encounter. Where else can you say that you were able to eat and drink plankton?

So how did this Noma experience change my life, you might ask? Remember that guy with the practically empty Facebook account? He is a fellow foodie who became my friend. He invited me to HIS hard-to-get reservations in Osteria Francescana (No. 1 in the 2018 World's 50 Best Restaurants) and Piazza Duomo (No. 16), and he was able to get me a reservation at Mirazur (No. 3). So if I had not made a split-second decision to click on the backspace button, I would not have been able to go to those restaurants. Just goes to show you that what you might initially think of as misfortune might actually a blessing.

My Memory of Andre Chiang and His Memory From Restaurant Andre

FLASHBACK BEFORE 2019

Restaurant: RESTAURANT ANDRE (Singapore)
Dates Dined: March 2, 2014
                   July 16, 2016

                   January 6, 2018

With Chef Andre Chiang in March 2014

This would seem like a super-outdated review, but I think that it is but appropriate that my first food post should be about Chef Andre Chiang and his now defunct Restaurant Andre in Singapore.

I had dined in other gourmet restaurants before I first dined in Restaurant Andre back in March 2014. However, when I tasted his appetizers which looked like sheets of paper, it was the first time I said WOW! It was my first experience with molecular gastronomy. It amazed me how much he can condense so much flavor into thin sheets of paper.

On the branch: scallop paper, French purple potato paper, Swiss chard paper;
On the wooden slab: onion with pear puree, chicken skin with Masala puree & caviar

I remember being so floored by the whole dining experience that I raved about it in a Facebook post. When I was uploading the pictures, I was flabbergasted that I did not have a picture of the dessert Snow, because I ate it without taking a photo! So I emailed the restaurant if I can get a picture. They emailed me back with it, saying that it was Chef Andre himself who took the picture!

Snow: light sponge cake, lemon trio, buttermilk snow, chips of skimmed milk, and pear sorbet

So I searched for Chef Andre on Facebook to thank him for the effort. To my surprise, he replied back. From then on, we would sometimes send messages late at night, usually when I offer him my congratulations for his awards.

When I was planning to go to Taipei on October 2015, I wanted to dine in his restaurant Raw. During that time, one can only start reserving at 12 noon exactly two weeks before the desired date. I was shocked when all reservations for that date were gone in 30 seconds! I told Chef Andre that it was so difficult to book there. He advised me that my browser should already point to the reservations link by 11:59 am, so that by 12 noon I should immediately click on it. So I did just that, and I was able to enter and key in my contact details for a table. But by the time I submitted them, the reservation was already full! I told Chef Andre that I hoped one day I will be able to dine in Raw. He took pity on me and said he will try to get me a reservation -- and I did!

When I returned to Restaurant Andre on July 2016, I had purchased his "Octaphilosophy" book, and he gave me an autographed limited edition copy!

With Chef Andre Chiang in July 2016

I learned that on August 2017 Chef Andre was going to have collaboration dinners with THE Chef Albert Adria (formerly of THE El Bulli) in both Restaurant Andre and Raw. I called long-distance to Raw at the designated time, and I even had my Taiwanese friend do the same. But as expected, that major gastronomic event was quickly fully booked. This time I had no shame and I BEGGED Chef Andre for a seat -- and he gave it to me. So I flew to Taipei just for that. And because of it, I got to meet Chef Albert Adria. With that connection, I was able to secure hard-to-get reservations at Chef Albert's restaurants Tickets and Enigma in Barcelona.

With Chef Albert Adria and Chef Andre Chiang on August 2017

One thing that I have to mention though. Before the collaboration dinner, I had booked to attend the chefs talks of Chef Andre and Chef Albert. However, it was conducted in Taiwanese, so I did not understand a thing! Even though Chef Andre was in front of a large audience, he was able to notice my blank stare. So he had one of his staff go over to me to say that I did not have to pay for the talks. THAT for me is a true example of being aware of your customer's needs and providing excellent customer service!

So when he announced that he was closing down Restaurant Andre on February 2018, I made it a point to get a reservation and fly to Singapore to dine there for one last time. His farewell menu featured the best of the best dishes of Restaurant Andre. The pictures of those dishes are shown below.

Restaurant Andre had his own Octophilosophy, which means that every time you dine there, you get at least eight dishes which fall under his eight consistent themes. But even before you get those main dishes, you already get a plentiful array of exciting small bites.

Black cherry, red coral capsule

"Black Gold" escargot/blood/reindeer heart

Roasted coffee chestnut

Patatas bravas/toasted garlic/savory chocolate

Onion petal and crab miso

Abalone/kombu/liver

Fish & chips

Butternut/salted egg/vanilla

Beef/caviar/potato souffle

Ark shell/clam veloute/horseradish snow

Air baguette

Charcoal/piquillos/sweet prawn (Hmm now which one is the edible "charcoal'? No cheating! Pick up and quickly pop into your mouth!)

Now if you are not yet full, then you move on to the main dishes.

TEXTURE: Chanterelle/shiitake/matsutake

PURE (Part 1): Heirloom tomato/sancho sorbet

PURE (Part 2): Champagne rose vinaigrette and crab loin

ARTISAN (Part 1): 17 legumes du moment/charred toro vinaigrette

ARTISAN (Part 2): Fermented broth (poured after the 1st part to absorb what was left)

SOUTH: Seared gillardeau oyster and gnocchi/scallop lasagna/caviar aubergine

UNIQUE: Sayori barigoule/fumet emulsion/artichoke & porcini

SALT: Atlantic halibut/oyster/pork trotter

"Memory" is the only constant dish in all seatings of Restaurant Andre. It was the first dish that Chef Andre created which he called his own. It still stands as my favorite dish of Restaurant Andre, as well as one of my favorite dishes of all time. And why shouldn't it be? It has two of my favorite ingredients -- foie gras and truffle!

MEMORY: Foie gras royale/black truffle coulis/chives

Before serving the next main course, they showed us the whole slab from which our dish will be coming from.

I could have finished the whole thing, but instead they served us with a more manageable size for the sake of the other diners.

TERROIR: Wagyu beef/white truffle/chicory red beetroot sandwich

Before they served us the desserts, they gave us a palette cleanser:

Feijoa sorbet/Jewish plum pickles/verbena marshmallow

Cucumber berry

We also got the iconic dessert which other chefs had tried to visually duplicate.

Peche de vigne/muscadine/pink coriander

In tribute to the ice cream street vendors of Singapore, he has a dessert called "Ice Cream Uncle", which interprets the ice cream sandwiches that they sell. He had even allocated a donation to Uncle Ng to help support the latter's passion of selling ice cream.

The petit fours was more than just four bites.

Petit fours: Sucette, The Noir, nougat, madeleine, macaron, and pate de fruits

Afterwards, we got take-home presents. I got a box of Karin's Room blue butterfly pea & lavender tea. My niece got an egg-like container.

All in all, I can truly say that it was one of the best meals that I have ever had -- a testament to the success of Restaurant Andre.

With Chef Andre and my niece on January 2018

Andre Chiang has since moved on to other endeavors. He has opened "The Bridge" in Chengdu and "Sichuan Moon" in Macau. I hope to be able to try his new dishes there sometime soon -- if I somehow manage to get reservations there. As he had quoted Matisse when he autographed my menu, "Creativity takes courage, and we choose to be the courageous one." He has proved to be fearless in closing Restaurant Andre at its peak in order to expand his creativity.

Chef Andre, I finally got to use your picture of Snow in my blog after five years! Belated Happy Birthday!