What’s next after Noma: Copenhagen’s newest revolution restaurant
When the world’s ‘best’ restaurant (2010 to 2014) Noma opened it’s doors in a trendy warehouse on Christianshavn waterfront in 2003, no one would have expected the journey to move as it did. With the guidance of Rene Redzepi and Claus Meyer - their mission was to create interpretations of Nordic food, not 'just' Nordic food. With their famous recipes, such as Hen and Egg, the began a revolution which made waves worldwide as the Nordic food revolution began. When Noma closed its doors and appeared again with pop up restaurants in Japan and Mexico, the influence in cuisine around town, and also in restaurants opened with former Noma trained chefs. This reputation and foody revolution mean that this pioneering restaurant had itself left a gap in its formed hallowed ground as the old building lay empty. Well not anymore.
Taking on the famous space left behind is new restaurant from head chef Thorsten Schmidt - Barr.
All photos are from the Barr website & Instagram
Here comes Barr
The name ‘Barr’ means ‘Barley’ in old Norse, and Barr’s head chef is Thorsten Schmidt - a chef with a very high reputation (including catering for the Danish Royal Family wedding!). He's following in the very big footsteps of the world’s most famous restaurant - Noma. He’s taken over the famous riverside restaurant venue with his new concept restaurant - Barr. This is not something he has done alone though - luckily for him, he has a great team and is co-running the show with Redzepi himself. So the Nordic food revolution continues! Barr is a little bit different though. They are focusing on recipes and ingredients not only from Denmark, but from the whole Northern food belt, including the UK, Ireland, Belgium and Holland. You can still expect some seasonal traditional recipes, a healthy dose of foraging and eating what you can source locally. There's also a difference in price tag, with Barr serving a Bar Menu which is inexpensive.
Cooking in a Historic Setting
The restaurant has only been open 2 months but has already created quite a stir. They have retained the 17th century building’s history - as a formed maritime warehouse it has old beams and high ceilings. And now the staff are all funky and tattooed - with the obligatory Danish beard!
Here’s what they say…
"Barr draws from the eating and drinking traditions of the European Beer Belt. We serve FAMILIAR foods along with a GREAT SELECTION of beers, wine, akvavit and drinks, building on the last decade’s GASTRONOMIC DEVELOPMENT in Copenhagen."
Cooking with Beer
The food is based on cold-climate cuisines - which is anything form the North Sea Beer Belt - Danish, Dutch, British, Norwegian and Irish cuisine. To go with this down-to-earth food and get back to basics - the meals are supposed to be pared with beer. After all, they are grain foods, not grape! There are complex flavours in beer - which is used in the cooking - and the tastes are supposed to compliment the beer on offer. There are 100 beers, 20 drafts and 20 wines - for those that really really want it."The cooking of this region has always fascinated me – from classic dishes like the humble frikadeller (Danish meatballs) and schnitzel, to the use of marmite in cooking in Britain."
We hope you enjoy our foody recommendations! Check out our hostel at www.copenhagendowntown.com