Relae in Copenhagen -- Noma-like

Copenhagen night 2 -- Laurie and I ate a Relae, another one of those highly reviewed restaurants.  It was a place that didn't have any tablecloths, simple Danish design.  The flatware and paper napkin are in a drawer along with the menu at each table. The menu was simple.  Only 2 four-course menu choices.  One with meat and the other without.  Laurie ordered no meat and I ordered the meat.  There was an option of wine pairings, but we decided to order a bottle.  The choice tonight was a grolleau (GROW low) unique to the Loire Valley in France.  It is a light, fruity red that is best drunk young. La Boit San Soif was a young red with blue hues and had flavors of violets, sour cherries and bright acidity.  Seemed like all the vine pairing choices were very young and acidic as well.  It's a wine best drunk with food.

We started with a snack of baked shallot with goat cheese.  It was fried right before serving so that the outer layers were crisp and once bitten the shallot was hot and soft.  The goat cheese tasted like light cream -- no gamey flavor at all.  Laurie and I agreed it was probably the most amazing food item we've ever tasted.

Hake, old leeks and salted bergamot

cucumber, caraway and lemon balm

Our first course was hake, old leeks and salted bergamot.  The hake was raw and wrapped in the leek like a present.  It was very mild and did not taste fishy.  The cucumber, caraway and lemon balm starter that Laurie was served cold in a broth.  It would've been the perfect dish to have had it been 80 degrees outside.  Unfortunately, the weather hasn't been all that good here in Copenhagen, so we chalked it up to an interesting dish.

The next dish we both had was asparagus, sunflower seeds and mint.  The sunflower seeds and barley gave the dish heft and crunch.  The mint down below was the surprise element of the dish.  We both commented as to the Danish combination of grains and they are integrated into every foods.

green asparagus, sunflower seeds and mint

second course up close

My main course was chicken wings, white asparagus and anchovies.  OMG.  The chicken was cooked for 2-2.5 hours at 65 degrees Celsius.  It was amazing.  The asparagus was shredded vertically so as to look like noodles.  The anchovies melted to give the dish that 'what else is in there' element.  There was no indication of a 'fish' in this dish.  I would make this at home -- and I probably will since I'm due to cook for my family on Father's Day.

chicken wings, white asparagus and anchovies

romaine, egg yolk and nettles

Laurie's main was romaine with egg yolk and nettles.  The green goop was pureed nettles.  The romaine was steamed with the egg yolk giving the dish body and flavor.  The only way we could describe this dish was that it was 'green' tasting.  

Finally, for dessert, we had a dish of shaved ice with elderflower and rhubarb. There was a crunchy element in there -- like the crumble in an apple crumble.   Tasted a little like a Singapore shaved ice dessert, though less sweet.

elderflower and rhubarb dessert

From what we read in The New York Times, Relae was the most Noma-like of the restaurants we've visited so far.  We left dinner feeling just right -- not overstuffed.  Relae made us think about our food and the food combination possibilities.  It is definitely worth the visit.

Link:

www.restaurant-relae.dk