Chef's choice: Copenhagen

Ask the world's top 50 chefs to pick their favorite restaurant in the world. They just have. The answer is two Michelin-starred restaurant Noma in Copenhagen run by head chef Rene Redzepi. By successfully reinventing the Nordic cuisine, Noma has catapulted into the world's top three on British Restaurant Magazine's restaurant list. Forget about foie gras and coq au vin. Musk ox, wild birds and local berries is the new thing.

Introducing Nordic cuisine was against all odds when Noma opened five years ago. Now the restaurant has two Michelin stars and besides the prestigious Chef's Choice Award, given by the top 50 chefs in the world, Noma has also been elected third best restaurant in the world by Restaurant Magazine. This confirms the international trend that Copenhagen is the scene for innovative and experimental gastronomy.

Musk ox and berries from Greenland, codfish and seaweed from Iceland are part of the menu at restaurant Noma in Copenhagen - world famous for reinventing Nordic cuisine.

"A few years ago, no one knew about the Nordic kitchen. Now people know, that this is something you have to go to Copenhagen to experience," says Rene Redzepi, head chef and owner of Noma.

Beer in the sauce

"It's a very young kitchen. It's experimental and always looking for new ingredients. We use a lot of wild local produce, such as roots, berries, mushrooms and wild birds. Now wild herbs have become just as common in Copenhagen restaurants as parsley used to be," says Rene Redzepi.

Local and seasonal are key words in Noma's gastronomic repertoire. And whereas other restaurants are using wines in their sauces and soups, Noma uses beer and ale. It's all about using Nordic seasonal ingredients.

Stars rain over Copenhagen

In the Michelin Guide 2009 Copenhagen is awarded a record total of 14 stars, which is more than cities such as Rome, Berlin, Vienna and Madrid. Being a gastronomic capital, Copenhagen has its own food festival - Copenhagen Cooking - which is the largest food festival in the North. In 2009 the festival runs from 21 - 30 August.

Copenhagen Cooking

Noma

Geranium