The Copenhagen restaurant Noma has been voted the best restaurant in the world for the third consecutive year.
Restaurant Magazine, the British publication that has named the world’s fifty best restaurants since 2002, cited Danish chef René Redzepi’s “meticulous attention to detail and innovative approach". Redzepi – who was named one of the top 100 influential people by Time magazine – developed Noma’s New Nordic Cuisine concept of using only fresh, organic ingredients that can be found in the Nordic region (the name Noma is a contraction of 'Nordic' and 'mad', the Danish word for food). Noma’s efforts are credited for moving Nordic cuisine to the forefront of world food culture. Michelin created a minor controversy earlier this year when it failed to give Noma a coveted third star.
“We think that food from our region deserves to have a voice in the choir of the worlds other great cuisines,” said Noma co-owner Claus Meyer in his New Nordic Cuisine manifesto.
That was a call that was clearly heeded by Restaurant Magazine, as another Danish restaurant made this year's top 50. Copenhagen restaurant Geranium took the number 49 spot, another feather in the cap for chef Rasmus Kofoed, who won the prestigious Bocuse d'Or award in 2011.
Noma will be taking its show on the road this summer. Redzepi will open a temporary location at Claridge’s Hotel in London during the summer Olympic games. The Copenhagen location will be closed for renovations from July 20 until August 15. While in London, Noma will change its new Nordic cuisine menu to focus on using local ingredients from the UK. A five course Noma meal in London is expected to cost around 1800 kroner.
The Top Ten Restaurants, according to Restaurant Magazine
1. Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark
2. El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain
3. Mugaritz, San Sebastián, Spain
4. D.O.M., São Paolo, Brazil
5. Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy
6. Per Se, New York, US
7. Alinea, Chicago, US
8. Arzak, San Sebastián, Spain
9. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London, UK
10. Eleven Madison Park, New York, US
