Rene Redzepi, the man behind the world’s third best restaurant, is bringing Copenhagen's Noma to Sydney for 10 weeks in early 2016.
Noma Australia will seat just 50 people and will be located within the Anadara residential building of the new $6 billion Barangaroo precinct in Sydney.
It will be open for lunch and dinner five days a week for a 10 week period commencing in January 2016, with bookings for the restaurant opening later this year.
Chef Redzepi embarked on a similar adventure earlier this year, relocating Noma to Tokyo for five weeks. More than 60,000 people sought a booking at the Mandarin Oriental, where the pop-up seated 56 people for lunch and dinner, with each meal comprising 20 courses.
As with Tokyo, Redzepi will relocate his entire restaurant staff to Australia for the pop-up, including about 75 chefs, front of house staff and administration professionals, as well as their partners and children.
The Noma team will find the best of Australia’s produce to design an original menu, focusing on producers who have a respectful and passionate engagement with the sea and the land.
“I have always been attracted to the incredible diversity you find in Australia’s landscapes and ingredients, because they are like no other place I’ve seen before,” said Redzepi. “Australia combines strong influences from its Indigenous people with new communities from around the world. When you mix it all together, the result is something truly inspiring. It really is the perfect place to come and learn.
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“We look forward to the new year and this new exploration. It will be a different journey, but one that I am incredibly excited about – the opportunity to broaden our horizons, to expand our minds and our tastes, to make new friends, and catch-up with old ones, as we delve into this magnificent landscape."
According to Good Food, Noma Australia diners can expect a menu inspired by the sea, putting the spotlight on produce including shellfish, wild fish, sea succulents, seaweeds, native spices, herbs and grasses and even sea birds.
Redzepi is building a 2.5 metre long barbecue in the Noma Australia kitchen, and together with his team he's embarked on several Australia-wide visits to meet with producers, local communities, farmers and chefs.
The pop-up is a collaboration with Tourism Australia and Lendlease, and Tourism Australia managing director John O’Sullivan said Noma Australia will be a natural extension of the already successful Restaurant Australia campaign.
Earlier this month, Sydney coffee roaster, Toby’s Estate became the first foodservice operator to open at Barangaroo South, with various streets and walkways in the area opened by LendLease. Other noteworthy openings will include Bourke Street Bakery, Gelato Messina and Campos Coffee. Matt Moran will also be opening a three level restaurant in early 2016.
