Copenhagen, Denmark

Europe

13 Mar

Written By Simon Campbell

The world’s best food and golf in wild Denmark. Discover why René Redzepi’s Noma is the best restaurant on the planet before playing some of Scandinavia’s finest 18s.

For many restaurants, shutting the doors and moving it to an industrial island, is a risky move, especially when on your previous site you’ve been named best in the world no few than four times. But that’s what Copenhagen’s iconic Noma did, and with aplomb too, regaining their crown in 2021, a year after returning to the 50 Best Restaurants list at No.2.

René Redzepi is a once-in-generation chef, famed for his foraging and fermenting, and his multi-course menu that changes with his take on the Nordic seasons: a seafood season; vegetable season; and game and forest season.

His dishes meddle with the mind, but uniquely offer both style and substance: toffees shaped like duck’s feet, cake plant pots, beetles of berries and black garlic; and shawarmas of celeriac. But, key to it, is the immense flavours, all in-keeping with his back-to-nature ethos that runs true to the furnishings. Redzepi’s talent rubs off on those around him, so even the sous chef when you visit may well one day be a multi-Michelin-starred chef in his or her own right.

Surrounding Noma, you have one of Europe’s coolest cities from design museums dressed in the finest Rococo architecture; meatpacking districts-turned-artsy neighbourhoods; royal history abundant; and, of course, one of the best food and drink scenes on the continent, including the 50-course extravaganza of The Alchemist.

Just a 40-minute drive from Noma, you’ve then got The Scandinavian Golf Club, home to two world-class courses, both designed by Robert Trent Jones II. And, then head west to play the country’s No.1, Great Northern, designed by Jack Nicklaus and surrounded by stunning Danish countryside.