One of the country’s most highly anticipated restaurant launches took place on Australia Day, with Noma Australia conducting its first service and earning rave reviews from both industry figures and food-loving consumers.
Noma Australia will operate at Barangaroo for a 10 week period, while its flagship restaurant in Copenhagen – which has been declared the world’s best restaurant four times – undergoes an extensive transformation.
The menu is committed to native ingredients, with dishes including wattleseed porridge; Albany snow crab with egg yolk cured in fermented kangaroo; sun-dried tomatoes served with sea urchin and pepperberries; and abalone schnitzel.
The $485pp menu was complemented by a range of beverage selections including an all Australian wine pairing, a non-alcoholic juice pairing and a short global wine list.
Gourmet Traveller reviewer Pat Nourse had nothing but praise for Redzepi’s menu, writing “They've dreamed up a cuisine based on native Australian ingredients that is bolder, more creative and – most essentially – tastier than anything anyone has served in a restaurant in Australia before.”
Roberta Muir from the Sydney Seafood School dined with her photographer husband Franz Schuerer and former chef at the Sydney Opera House and Berowra Water Inn Janni Kyritsis and said the meal was one of the best she’d experienced.
“No froths, "soils" or foams, just amazingly fresh Australian ingredients – mainly seafood – presented in a deceptively simple way.
“Franz said it was 10/10; Janni had an epiphany.”
Scheurer added, "In all my years of reviewing restaurants, this [is] the first ever 10 out of 10 … Absolutely stunning."
While a couple of diners were underwhelmed with certain dishes, the vast majority seem to have thoroughly enjoyed their experience and the attention that Redzepi has placed on native flavours and the quality of Australian seafood.
“Our restaurant is located at Barangaroo, Sydney, named after a historical fisherwoman. For thousands of years people have been coming to these parts of what is today Sydney, to eat the clams and fish form the waters right out front of us. It made so much sense to focus on that – things from the ocean, paired with the best seasonal specialties that we get from our journeys around Australia,” Redzepi said.
The restaurant’s design boasts a floor of red earth, two native Australian Xanthorrhoea trees, woven pieces by indigenous artisans and views of the waterfront. It spans over 500 square metres at ground level and encompasses a dining room, outdoor lounge area and an extensive kitchen and prep area that is open to the entry and dining areas.
“Being at Barangaroo has reminded me of Noma in Copenhagen, in terms of being on the harbour and the proximity to the water. I’m very happy with the fit out, it’s very different from our space in Copenhagen, yet it has our DNA in it. In collaboration with our partners (LendLease and Tourism Australia) we’ve succeeded in getting a distinct Australian-ness embedded into the walls,” he said.
Assorted shells topped with chicken and crocodile fat shards.
