For the second time in two years Noma would do a pop up in Kyoto. Rene has previously said that getting ready for a pop up takes two years. With that in mind the expectations are naturally even higher for the second round as Noma at this time has a better understanding of everything from the space in the kitchen, the micro seasons, suppliers and just everyday life in Japan.
Being back in Kyoto and walking through the doors at Ace hotel brought me a lot of joy and an even bigger smile on my face as I exited the elevator and saw lots of familiar faces outside the entrance to the restaurant. All of that was intensified walking through the beautiful noren clothed and greated by Rene in the open and beautifully decorated dining room. Already here you can see that the bar has been raised from last time from the customer made chairs with “atami” mats, to the 10.000 dried leaves hanging from the roof from a wooden construction that reminded me of the private dining room back in Copenhagen. The first couple of minutes was also spent admiring the beatutifull space with all of its small intricate details from the winecooler, tree sculptures and a bamboo wall.
Our first dish of the menu would be a gigantic steamed king crab. Brushed with a finger licking delicious miso with just a hint of lime this was pure bliss.
Noma does also like their theatrical presentations and the next wood be a small crab with jellied crab meat which would naturally be served in its own shell. Obviously delicious as well.
One thing is the creativity of Noma when it comes to presentations but also when it comes to the creativity of ways to eat their dishes. They would show this for the next dish which was salmon roe with finger lime and pumpkin bushi which were to be eaten directly from a leaf. As delicious as it was creative.
Smoked butter. Sounds delicious when you say it right? And it is. Here it would be served as part of a sauce together with ginkgo nuts, fermented small pine cones from Denmark and tomato dashi. Especially the latter is important to balance the rich butter and bring balance to the dish.
We would continue with more umami and incredible sauces. To me it was also a testament as to how Noma keeps raising the bar in single aspect. In came a plate where the handle was made out of a snail house. On the plate we would naturally find a sea snail in the most incredible sauce of grilled koji, quience broth and so much more. Such a rich, complex and delicious dish yet it looked so innocent and simple.
However the most simple dish was next. Bamboo which you would dip in sencha butter. I never thought I would eat bamboo and if I did I never thought that it would be delicious. Surprise surprise it was.
The next dish was called marinated wasabi. A small taco in the form of a wasabileaf wrapped around a buckwheat waffle and a series of ferments. Since Noma did a pop up in Mexico 8 years ago they have used a bit more spicy and heat in their dishes. Here the spicy worked perfectly, especially considering its place in the menu.
Naturally Noma would have to put rice on the menu. This time it would be black rice with a salty creme. For me it was the only dish that didn’t hit the mark.
Vegetables usually makes up the backbone in Nordic gourmet restaurants, but despite that a salad is definently not normal on tasting menus. This I would however call a salat. A selection of different very crunchy herbes and an amazake sauce would therefore be one of the best salads I have ever had.
In recent years to an increasing extent sometimes Noma serves simpler dishes that are all about flavor. This dish was just that. Grilled abalone mushroom topped with black truffles and on the side cured egg yolk with whiskey vinegar if I remember correctly. A trip to umami heaven.
4 people sticking your face in a bowl of leaves doesn’t sound like a classic experience with a 3 Michelin star restaurant. However that was exactly what we would do. In the bowl of leaves was also a rich and delicious broth. Off course Noma does a simple broth better and more impressive than anyone else.
The final savory dish would be called wild deer hot pot. In the pot was however not a soup but a lightly grilled Hokkaido dear, maitake mushroom both and another rich and complex broth. It goes without saying that it was very delicious.
Making desserts look like seafood has become a Noma tradition. Here an oyster was imitated filled with crunchy bits and a nice citric flavor.
Earlier this year Noma got a new dessert chef. A post with big shoes to fill from some legendary chefs such as Rosie Sanchez and Malcolm Livingston just to name a few. With this dessert Francisco Migoya proved that he has the potential to join their legendary league and it was done with chestnut, a rich caramel and caviar. Pure deliciousness.
The next dish almost Nostaltic. They used chocolate from Mexico, pine ones from Denmark and peanuts from Kyoto to create a chocolate dessert as only Noma can do it.
It was now time for the last dish of the menu. A beautiful Japanese house topped with citric ants. A perfect way to end this meal. Creative, beautiful and naturally delicious.
I think its fair to say that I have been a frequent guest at Noma for the past 9 years. It is a pleasure to see their transformation. Noma is still very much pushing boundaries, but not at the expense of flavor. To me both are better than ever. With Noma in mid 2025 will close in their current form and live as a popup restaurant I also thought about what is the natural home for Noma? Noma does stand for Nordic Food (NOrdisk MAd) in Danish. The natural conclusion is that Noma belongs in Copenhagen but experiences like the last two popups makes me wonder if Noma has evolved more into a modern Japanese restaurant or a Nordic one? At least for me the two popups they have done in Kyoto have been some of the best menues I have ever had at Noma as they manage to combine local ingredients with selected imported ingredients, Japanese and Nordic techniques with a pure Japanese pairing for an incredible result. So if Noma is to have a presence in Japan going forward it would only be natural and naturally a great fit.
No Comments