The restaurant NOMA opened in 2003 in Copenhagen, Denmark, led by chef Rene Lessevi, who was named one of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World. The restaurant's challenging style of using only Scandinavian ingredients and its creative menu have earned it a reputation, and it is famous as the most difficult restaurant in the world to make a reservation.
The restaurant opened in 2015 for a limited time in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, as part of the "Norma at Mandarin Oriental Tokyo" project, which began when Renée Lesévy was struck by the richness of Japanese culinary culture.
This was greeted with great joy by those who are highly sensitive to food, and applications poured in from all over the world for the 2,000 seats available during the event, with 62,000 people on the waiting list. Sonia Park of ARTS & SCIENCE curated the tableware, and Teiichi Ono of Ginza sushi restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro gave a tour of Japan.
The film "Norma Tokyo: The World's Best Restaurant Comes to Japanis a documentary that follows the opening of Norma at Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo.
In this challenge, "noma" decided that it would be boring to serve the same dishes as in its home country of Denmark, so they scrambled to find ingredients from Hokkaido to Okinawa, keeping the original concept of using only ingredients that can be procured locally and in Japan.
The person who played an important role in coordinating their search for ingredients in Japan was Fuminobu Namie, the executive chef of the two-star Michelin restaurant Lefervaison, who has an unorthodox background as a graduate of Keio University's Faculty of Law.
At a talk event held prior to the opening of the restaurant, Chef Ikue spoke about his involvement with "noma" and its appeal.
What was Norma's request?
Chef Ikue: "NOMA" gave us three requests: First, they wanted to see the mountains of Japan. With the support of the prefectural government of Aomori Prefecture, we took them into the Shirakami Mountains to experience the rich natural wilderness and had a local matagi (mountain goat) guide them through the mountains. Second, he wanted to experience Temple Cuisine (vegetarian cuisine). I was told that they wanted to experience the roots of Japanese cuisine. I had always thought that Kyoto cuisine was the origin of Japanese cuisine, but I learned that it actually has its roots in temple cuisine, which "noma" had researched beforehand. I experienced vegetarian cooking at Tokeiji Temple in Kamakura, and was interested in not only the food but also the meaning behind everything, including the movements of the ozaiki and the dialogue between the master and his guests, etc. Third, I wanted to try modern kaiseki cuisine, so I went to the Japanese restaurant Den in Jimbocho. He was eagerly listening to the head chef, Mr. Hasegawa, about the current cooking methods.
What do you think makes the food at "noma" so great?
Chef Ikue: Each dish has a strong concept and meaning. As the original title "Ants on a Shrimp" suggests, "noma" frequently uses ants in their dishes. This is not only to create a sense of novelty, but also to cook under their own philosophies. The concept of "noma" seems to be to make entomophagy more enjoyable and artistic, in anticipation of a future world where humans will not be able to produce foodstuffs.
What was Rene's biggest surprise in Japan?
Chef Ikue: I was surprised at the quality of Japanese ingredients in the various places I visited on my food search trip. He was also surprised at the high averages in the Japanese restaurant industry. He said that the level of cuisine was high wherever he went.
What is the appeal of this work from Chef Ikue's point of view?
Chef Ikue: This film captures the characters of not only Rene but also the entire staff, and no matter how many times I see it, I get a different flavor each time. The greatness of "NOMA" is not so much in its culinary skills, but in its premise, and the way it is moving toward something bigger beyond that is amazing. Each and every one of them has a different talent, and the energy of each and every one of them drives the restaurant. The appeal of this film is that you get to see the energy of these chefs. It is a realistic and straightforward documentary with no make-believe, lies, or falsehoods. I hope many people will watch it.
Rather than simply importing their own specialty dishes, "noma" is a challenging and artistic restaurant that uses locally procured, unfamiliar ingredients and prepares them from a unique perspective. What kind of ingredients they use, what kind of kitchen and staff they work in, and what is their culinary philosophy? What kind of kitchens and staffs worked there, and what were their cooking philosophies? There are so many things we want to know because we were not able to eat their dishes. We hope you will relive them through this film.
Text_Shinri Kobayashi
Norma Tokyo: The World's Best Restaurant Comes to Japan.
Opening in theaters nationwide on December 10 (Sat) at Human Trust Cinema Yurakucho, YEBISU GARDEN CINEMA, etc.
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