What It’s Wish to Have a 7-hour, 50-course Tasting at One of many World’s Most Unique Eating places

5 acts. Seven hours. 50 impressions. Dinner at The Alchemist is far more than only a meal; it’s a transcendent, multisensory expertise that challenges your thoughts, sight, feelings, and style buds abruptly.

Situated within the coronary heart of Copenhagen, the 2 Michelin-starred restaurant is helmed by Rasmus Munk, who was just lately named world’s high chef on the Finest Chef Awards in 2024. Munk masterminded a unprecedented eating journey that fuses artwork, storytelling, and gastronomy, aiming to impress thought and dialog round vital social points.

Having ranked within the high 10 of the World’s 50 Finest Eating places listing for the previous two years, The Alchemist is among the most sought-after eating reservations (bookings promote out inside minutes of being launched and there is constantly a five-digit ready listing), so I’m extremely lucky to have had the chance to expertise it.

The idea was born from the success of the unique Alchemist, a small restaurant with solely 15 seats that Munk operated between 2015 and 2017. Munk remembers the playful experimentation that happened in these early days, the place they served an astonishing 45-course menu every night time, pushing the boundaries of presentation and taste.

Throughout that point, he crafted a dish targeted on organ donation — a lamb’s coronary heart tartare, served with a sauce in a blood transfusion bag, together with a card encouraging diners to register as organ donors. This grew to become a pivotal second in his profession.

“We created it as a approach to increase consciousness on what number of had misplaced their lives ready for a brand new organ. It resulted in 1,500 new organ donors, and the story concerning the dish unfold very far outdoors the little restaurant in Copenhagen,” stated Munk in an interview with Journey + Leisure. “This was one thing I wished to discover additional; it was my approach to mix my robust dedication to social points with my ardour for cooking. It fashioned the fundament for holistic eating and later the brand new Alchemist.”

I might barely include my pleasure as I approached the commercial Refshaleøen neighborhood of Denmark’s capital. After standing in suspense in entrance of the restaurant’s monumental, embossed bronze doorways for a couple of moments, they slowly opened, marking the start of the wildest eating journey of my life.

The Alchemist expertise consists of roughly 50 distinct programs, referred to right here as “impressions.” Whereas the bulk are edible, others are designed to be solely experiential.

I used to be greeted by a few of the friendliest and most participating workers I’ve ever encountered. They welcomed me in, provided a moist, scented towel, and supplied a quick overview of what to anticipate, setting the tone for my go to. Afterward, I used to be led right into a dimly lit room to look at a brief digital presentation that tapped into the facility of AI and fashionable know-how, ending with an Einstein quote projected on the display: “Creativeness is extra vital than information. For information is restricted to all we now know and perceive, whereas creativeness embraces all the world.”

Vital to notice: Eating right here has been on my want listing for years, so I did loads of analysis earlier than touring to Copenhagen. Nevertheless, a few of my favourite moments had been completely surprising surprises I hadn’t seen or examine beforehand. As I share my private account, I’ll withhold sure particulars out of respect for the enjoyment of future diners.

Following the preliminary welcome impression, I entered a glossy lounge with a number of tables organized round a central bar, all going through a big glass wall that provided a view of a futuristic-looking kitchen lab. There, a workforce of cooks may very well be seen meticulously plating dishes. I used to be thrilled to have a front-row seat to the motion.

Let’s do that.

After settling in, I used to be provided a welcome “cocktail” — a pisco bitter that resembled an egg yolk resting in a dainty metallic sculpture of a daisy, Denmark’s nationwide flower — and given a selection of wine, cocktail, or mocktail pairings, every choice detailed on a digital pill. (I went with the wine.)

The expertise proceeded with a collection of ingenious bites, together with a cotton sweet dumpling stuffed with fermented fish sauce, the “excellent omelette” that took two years to develop, and caviar-topped area bread, a surprisingly gentle, charcoal-colored sphere comprised of aerated aged soy sauce that dissolves immediately in your mouth. Then there was a butterfly.

Sure, an precise butterfly. My jaw dropped as chef Munk personally offered me with a freeze-dried tortoiseshell butterfly perched on a shiny silver log. He believes this may very well be a sustainable protein supply for the long run, sharing, “Ounce for ounce, there may be practically double the quantity of protein than in beef or hen.” Though I’ve eaten bugs in different elements of the world, this was my first time making an attempt a butterfly. The fragile insect was effectively seasoned and rested on a crispy leaf comprised of juiced kale, parsley, and spinach, accompanied by recent nettle cheese. I took all of it down as one crunchy chunk.

After a number of extra snacks, visitors had been led to the second ground and guided throughout a glass-bottom walkway, the place wine cellar racks holding some 10,000 bottles had been seen beneath our toes. We entered a dimly lit hall. Nearly magically, the wall slides opened to disclose essentially the most magnificent planetarium-style domed eating room stuffed with a maze of seating and pictures projected throughout. I used to be awestruck by the spectacular area as I took within the first scene: a vibrant coral reef so lifelike it felt as if I used to be below the ocean.

Although the large digital aquarium initially appeared cheerful, I quickly observed litter floating within the water and a turtle swimming with a plastic six-pack ring round its neck, practically transferring me to tears. (Ocean air pollution is among the themes addressed through the expertise.) All through the meal, this spectacular 360-degree display shows transferring pictures meant to spark dialog, from a starry galaxy to a beating human coronary heart and a military of synchronized eyeballs.

Now onto the principle occasion. On this central space of the 22,000-square foot restaurant, a mind-blowing succession of edible impressions deal with lots of the urgent points going through the world right now — from meals waste and sustainability to animal welfare and well being care techniques. The Alchemist prioritizes vital conversations, utilizing meals as a medium to impress thought and educate visitors.

“The last word aim has all the time been to vary the world by gastronomy,” stated Munk. “The restaurant is a platform to boost consciousness and to succeed in out with our messaging.” Diners obtain detailed explanations from their servers to grasp every dish’s significance, in addition to the components and methods used.

Spotlighting the unlucky downside of air pollution in our oceans, the “Plastic Improbable” impression is an ethereal edible vortex comprised of algae and collagen from fish pores and skin, mimicking a crumpled ball of plastic that conceals a chunk of tempura-battered plaice beneath it. “Burnout Rooster,” which addresses irresponsible farming, contains a savory hen lollipop connected to an actual hen foot that’s confined inside a small cage. To eat it, you need to first set the hen free.

Maybe essentially the most hanging part of impressions is themed across the human physique. For instance, “Meals for Thought” consists of a cherry meringue stuffed with lamb’s mind mousse and cherry gel, resembling foie gras, offered in a life-sized silicone mildew of the highest of a human head (full with pores and eyebrow hairs). One other course, dubbed “1984” after George Orwell’s dystopian novel of the identical identify, invitations diners to scoop caviar from the pupil of an outsized eyeball modeled after Munk’s eye.

Then there’s the provocative “Tongue Kiss” — a silicone human tongue coated with beef tartare and a deep burgundy glaze meant to push visitors out of their consolation zones and play with emotions of enjoyment and disgust. My server inspired me to eat it by giving it a French kiss, and after I requested if the tongue was solid from chef Munk’s, she responded with a sly smile. I adopted her directions; it was undeniably an odd sensation. Glancing at different diners’ impromptu make-out periods was additionally fairly amusing.

Highlighting the truth that a single organ donor can save as much as eight lives, “Eight Layers of Life” showcases eight frequent flavors, together with cherry, black olive, and black pepper, and is formed like a human coronary heart. After I lower into it, the wealthy colour and viscosity of the “blood” seeping out appeared so lifelike that I discovered it tough to abdomen. Whilst an adventurous eater, the realism of this dish challenged my notion of thoughts over matter. Nevertheless, not all dishes toyed with my feelings as intensely; some had been extra straightforwardly scrumptious.

After savoring a number of dessert programs, together with a flavorful confection that depicted Edvard Munch’s well-known portray “The Scream” on an edible canvas and a crispy chocolate bar comprised of 70 % traceable Congo cocoa meant to boost consciousness about youngster labor, I used to be given a smock and disposable shoe protectors. What subsequent?

I joined a small group of diners and was introduced into an all-white room accented with colourful graffiti. As Madonna’s “Categorical Your self” performed loudly by the audio system, an eccentric artist greeted us, handed out jars of brightly hued “paint,” and inspired us to bounce, get artistic, and pattern the edible lacquer. I joyfully bopped and sang to the music, licked yellow paint off my brush, and added my very own contact to the wall.

Simply after I thought my night time was coming to an finish, a couple of different surprises — together with a handful of petite bites and digestifs — awaited me in a wholly completely different room, an opulent balcony lounge. I didn’t depart The Alchemist till effectively after midnight, however I might have simply stayed longer. The hours flew by, and surprisingly, I didn’t really feel drained or expertise the standard meals coma after such a prolonged eating journey. As a substitute, I felt happy and impressed on many ranges.

The outrageous expedition comes with a considerable price ticket (bookings begin at roughly $718, not together with beverage pairings), however was it price it? Whereas I can’t converse for everybody, as an individual who’s deeply obsessed with meals and travels for once-in-a-lifetime culinary experiences, for sure, it was price each penny (and each minute). Eating at The Alchemist goes past merely having fun with a meal; it provides a chance to interact with deeper narratives by meals whereas being immersed in Copenhagen’s modern culinary tradition. The whole expertise left such an enduring impression on me — one which I’ll admire for the remainder of my life.