Noma’s Under the Bridge Pop-Up

A few years late but finally got around to writing about my incredible experience at Noma's Under the Bridge pop-up in Copenhagen. In 2017, I decided to go on my first solo international trip to Iceland, Berlin and Copenhagen. I attended this pop-up dinner on the last night of my trip and it was the perfect end note to my experience in traveling alone.

I heard previously that Noma was closed to develop a new space for Noma 2.0 and the staff was traveling to explore & learn other countries and cuisines. While immersing myself with articles on its development, I came across Noma’s Under the Bridge pop-up and immediately looked up tickets. It was a prix fixe, five-course, wine paired, family-style dinner held under the Knippelsbro Bridge in Copenhagen with a hidden menu revealed at the start of the meal. Even with a $200 price point, I decided to splurge on a ticket with the mentality that it is a once in a lifetime meal with the dinner's temporary residence. The dining experience did not disappoint.

I spoke no Danish nor did I know anyone at the dinner as I hesitantly approached the tent for dinner. As the start of dinner was announced, we were ushered into the "dining room" under the bridge with one large communal table (for 60 guests) enclosed by a plastic tent shell and heat lamps to help with the cold. Guests including myself sat down at the table slightly unsure as to the interaction of the dinner but once wine and food were served, all precautions slipped right out of the tent. I luckily sat with English speaking diners – locals who relished in their worldly dining experiences and Marco, a chef from Venice who actually interned at Noma for a few months prior to it's closing. The ambiance of dinner was as intended, a large casual dinner of long lost friends sharing stories of their travels and food adventures.

Richard Hart, former head baker of Tartine Bakery, lended a hand and baked the bread for dinner as he prepped for the opening of his own bakery Hart Bageri in 2018.

Fish bone broth topped with fresh herbs & sliced cucumbers. A slight pallet cleanser to the well enjoyed salty focaccia bread.

DIY fjord shrimp taco with a cabbage shell topped with microgreens, edible flowers, smoked cod, chili oil, & green gooseberry salsa.

Charred whole cauliflower topped in squid ink sauce and whole cod served with a fresh organic local salad.

We were first served grilled focaccia bread (baked by Tartine's former head baker) with shaved Danish butter followed by a small fish bone broth topped with sliced cucumber & herbs. The following dish was from Noma's Mexico pop-up in Tulum – a diy cabbage taco topped with microgreens, edible flowers & smoked cod roe mayo alongside a large serving of fried crunchy small fjord shrimps to be plated on your own with chile de árbol chili oil and green gooseberry salsa. Every dish accompanied by ample wine pours. Whole cod served with a fresh local salad, roasted baby potatoes, and a charred whole cauliflower topped with squid ink sauce rounded up the savory portion of the meal. Dessert was a slightly forgettable pairing of a refined choco taco (chocolate taco filled with ice cream and whipped cream topped) and mini Danish cakes.

Was the food delicious? Yes. Were there some misses? Yes. Was it perfect? No but that wasn't the idea of the dinner. It was an experimental casual take on Noma's philosophy by its young cooks. It brought together people of all different backgrounds to experience an appetizing meal in a temporary space where it's replication won't exist. Although some of the food did not live up to a $200 price point, I loved the experience as a whole and will definitely remember this night for the rest of my life. I knew no one at the start of dinner but ended up with drinking buddies for the night, a pretty perfect reflection of my first solo travel experience.