What It’s Prefer 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 way more than only a meal; it’s a transcendent, multisensory expertise that challenges your thoughts, sight, feelings, and style buds all of sudden.

Positioned within the coronary heart of Copenhagen, the 2 Michelin-starred restaurant is helmed by Rasmus Munk, who was just lately named world’s prime 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 prime 10 of the World’s 50 Finest Eating places record for the previous two years, The Alchemist is likely one of the most sought-after eating reservations (bookings promote out inside minutes of being launched and there is persistently a five-digit ready record), 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 recollects the playful experimentation that happened in these early days, the place they served an astonishing 45-course menu every evening, pushing the boundaries of presentation and taste.

Throughout that point, he crafted a dish centered 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 method to elevate 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 in regards to the dish unfold very far exterior the little restaurant in Copenhagen,” mentioned Munk in an interview with Journey + Leisure. “This was one thing I needed to discover additional; it was my method to mix my sturdy dedication to social points with my ardour for cooking. It shaped the fundament for holistic eating and later the brand new Alchemist.”

I may barely comprise my pleasure as I approached the economic Refshaleøen neighborhood of Denmark’s capital. After standing in suspense in entrance of the restaurant’s monumental, embossed bronze doorways for just a few 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 number of the friendliest and most partaking workers I’ve ever encountered. They welcomed me in, provided a humid, scented towel, and supplied a short 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 screen: “Creativeness is extra vital than information. For information is proscribed to all we now know and perceive, whereas creativeness embraces the whole world.”

Necessary to notice: Eating right here has been on my want record for years, so I did loads of analysis earlier than touring to Copenhagen. Nevertheless, a few of my favourite moments have 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 dealing with a big glass wall that provided a view of a futuristic-looking kitchen lab. There, a crew of cooks might 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 alternative of wine, cocktail, or mocktail pairings, every possibility detailed on a digital pill. (I went with the wine.)

The expertise proceeded with a sequence of ingenious bites, together with a cotton sweet dumpling full of fermented fish sauce, the “good omelette” that took two years to develop, and caviar-topped house bread, a surprisingly mild, charcoal-colored sphere made out 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 introduced me with a freeze-dried tortoiseshell butterfly perched on a shiny silver log. He believes this might be a sustainable protein supply for the long run, sharing, “Ounce for ounce, there’s almost double the quantity of protein than in beef or rooster.” Though I’ve eaten bugs in different components of the world, this was my first time making an attempt a butterfly. The fragile insect was properly seasoned and rested on a crispy leaf made out of juiced kale, parsley, and spinach, accompanied by contemporary nettle cheese. I took all of it down as one crunchy chunk.

After a number of extra snacks, visitors have been led to the second ground and guided throughout a glass-bottom walkway, the place wine cellar racks holding some 10,000 bottles have been seen beneath our ft. We entered a dimly lit hall. Nearly magically, the wall slides opened to disclose probably the most magnificent planetarium-style domed eating room full of a maze of seating and pictures projected throughout. I used to be awestruck by the spectacular house 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, almost shifting me to tears. (Ocean air pollution is likely one of the themes addressed through the expertise.) All through the meal, this spectacular 360-degree display screen shows shifting photos supposed to spark dialog, from a starry galaxy to a beating human coronary heart and a military of synchronized eyeballs.

Now onto the primary occasion. On this central space of the 22,000-square foot restaurant, a mind-blowing succession of edible impressions sort out lots of the urgent points dealing with the world at this time — from meals waste and sustainability to animal welfare and well being care programs. The Alchemist prioritizes vital conversations, utilizing meals as a medium to impress thought and educate visitors.

“The final word purpose has at all times been to vary the world via gastronomy,” mentioned Munk. “The restaurant is a platform to boost consciousness and to achieve out with our messaging.” Diners obtain detailed explanations from their servers to know every dish’s significance, in addition to the substances and strategies used.

Spotlighting the unlucky downside of air pollution in our oceans, the “Plastic Implausible” impression is an ethereal edible vortex made out 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 rooster lollipop connected to an actual rooster foot that’s confined inside a small cage. To eat it, you have to first set the rooster free.

Maybe probably the most hanging part of impressions is themed across the human physique. For instance, “Meals for Thought” consists of a cherry meringue full of lamb’s mind mousse and cherry gel, resembling foie gras, introduced in a life-sized silicone mould 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 supposed to push visitors out of their consolation zones and play with emotions of delight and disgust. My server inspired me to eat it by giving it a French kiss, and once I requested if the tongue was solid from chef Munk’s, she responded with a sly smile. I adopted her directions; it was undeniably a wierd 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 widespread flavors, together with cherry, black olive, and black pepper, and is formed like a human coronary heart. After I reduce into it, the wealthy coloration and viscosity of the “blood” seeping out appeared so lifelike that I discovered it troublesome to abdomen. At the same time as 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 have 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 made out of 70 p.c traceable Congo cocoa meant to boost consciousness about little one 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 “Specific Your self” performed loudly via 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 once I thought my evening was coming to an finish, just a few different surprises — together with a handful of petite bites and digestifs — awaited me in a wholly totally different room, an opulent balcony lounge. I didn’t depart The Alchemist till properly after midnight, however I may 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 an alternative, 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 value it? Whereas I can’t communicate for everybody, as an individual who’s deeply keen about meals and travels for once-in-a-lifetime culinary experiences, unquestionably, it was value each penny (and each minute). Eating at The Alchemist goes past merely having fun with a meal; it affords a possibility to have interaction with deeper narratives via meals whereas being immersed in Copenhagen’s modern culinary tradition. The whole expertise left such an enduring impression on me — one which I’ll recognize for the remainder of my life.