Noma’s Game & Forest menu celebrates Denmark’s autumnal bounty. Check out our Noma dinner course-by-course and plate-by-plate if you’re curious about the 18 dishes that were often weird and always wonderful.
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Dining at Noma was a dream that came true mere hours after we arrived in Copenhagen.
It’s not every day that we dine at a 3-star Michelin restaurant that’s also the reigning Best Restaurant in the World. It’s also not every day that we eat food like reindeer penis and duck brain cooked by a world-class chef and his many minions.
Update Noma has announced that it will be closing its restaurant operations at the end of 2024. Consider yourself warned.
The path to Noma showcases local vegetation and the occasional sunflower.
Our journey to Chef René Redzepi’s restaurant started in 2012 when we launched this website. Little did we know that we’d eventually travel the world for three years before living in Europe.
We also didn’t know that we’d be thrilled at the opportunity to spend more than $1,000 for dinner featuring a range of eclectic meats and Nordic fruits of the forest. We learned some hard lessons in 2020 but we’ll always consider 2021 to be our payback year, culminating with our meal at Noma.
Get all the details about our Noma dinner from start to end.
Our 2021 Game & Forest Dinner at Noma in Photos
Bear caramel was one of many sweet surprises during our dinner at Noma.
Writing about our dinner at Noma is one thing but, as the expression goes, pictures speak louder than words. So, for once, we’ll let our photos tell the story.
Course 1 – Reindeer Brain Custard
Served inside a reindeer skull, this reindeer brain custard was topped with pheasant broth and braised seaweed bits. Its rich flavor was reminiscent of marrow.
Course 2 – Hipberry Stuffed with Pollen + Plum
Served atop moss, this Hipberry was filled with pollen and tasted like apricot.Not your average plum, this one was dried and filled with herbs.
Course 3 – Pickled Quail Egg + Oregano Salad
This quail egg was gently pickled with seaweed.Made with Mexican oregano grown onsite and local mushrooms notable for their deep umami flavor, this oregano sandwich was simultaneously smoky, salty and sweet. Its flavor lingered well after our final bites.
Quince added the final touch to this wild boar belly fermented in garlic. These mushrooms were locally foraged and barbecued on the grill.
Course 5 – Apple Salad
This apple was filled with apple salad, aromatics and elderberry kombucha broth. We used the spoon to scoop up every perfectly brunoised apple cube as well as the delightful broth.
Course 6 – Yellow Beet Sashimi
Yellow beet sashimi didn’t just cover cloudberries and plum. It was also the most artfully plated course of the meal.
Course 7 – Reindeer Penis Ragout
Served on a leaf, this ragout included various bits including reindeer brain and reindeer penis.
Course 8 – Pumpkin in Koji Butter
Served over a sauce of tomato water and barley butter, this soft pumpkin wrapped inside a pumpkin leaf reminded Daryl of foie gras.
Course 9 – Bear Dumpling
This dumpling filled with bear stock and fried in bear stock was ‘beary’ tasty. A crispy duck skin wafer and bear caramel served on a spoon completed the course.
Course 10 – Duck Brain
The first duck course was the most controversial of the meal and not because of the spoonable duck brain served in a duck bill. Daryl appreciated all aspects of the dish while Mindi found the fried duck leg’s 16 spice blend to have a strangely unpleasant flavor.
Course 11 – Whole Cooked Wild Duck
We both agreed that the second duck course was excellent. Aged for four days and barbecued, this wild duck was served with sauce made with mushrooms, truffle and seaweed. The chestnut flatbread was equally impressive.
Course 12 – Mushroom Broth with Sumac
The last savory course, a broth teeming with mushrooms and berries, was a showstopper thanks to the vivid red sumac that doubled as a spoon. We dipped the sumac into the broth, sucking it again and again until the broth was gone.
Course 13 – Buttermilk and Scoby
Buttermilk parfait with scobi jelly commenced the dessert phase of our meal.
Course 14 – Saffron Ice Cream with Poppy Seeds
Dessert got real with this beeswax bowl filled with saffron ice cream and Mexican chocolate. Poppy seeds and licorice provided the final touches.
Course 15 – Reindeer Marrow Caramel
Reindeer marrow caramel, plated in a narrow bone along with freeze dried blueberries and colorful flowers, completed our epic meal’s full circle.
Wine – 2015 La Reine Chardonnay
This bottle of 2015 La Reine Chardonnay from France was the perfect complement to every course though we paired glasses of Christian Tschida’s spicy red Balsamia with the meal’s more robust meat courses.
Noma is located at Refshalevej 96, 1432 København K, Denmark.
Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on the 2foodtrippers website and YouTube. The married Food and Travel content creators live in Lisbon, Portugal.
Disclosures
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Tasty
Friday 10th of March 2023
With all of the great food in the world they give this hot mess the best restaurant award. Ridiculous!
Suze
Thursday 12th of January 2023
Wish they would close altogether. Most of that food needs a burial sadly
J
Tuesday 10th of January 2023
No thanks. My doctor told me to cut back on Reindeer penis.
andyk
Monday 9th of January 2023
If I want to throw up I;ll stick my fingers downs my throat, not spend 100$ to achieve it. Only 5% of the dishes look edible.