What’s on the Menu at Noma Kyoto? A Preview of the Sold-Out Pop-Up
Ingredients foraged from the mountains above Kyoto and seafood sourced from across Japan will make star appearances in the project.
Ingredients during the menu testing phase included “mind-boggling” citrus fruits, herbs and seafood.
Photographer: Ben Beech
When they are seated at Noma Kyoto, which opened on March 15, guests can expect to see dishes such as hot pot with a broth of smoked mekabu (the stems of wakame seaweed) and mountain vegetables with a vinaigrette of Japanese spiny lobster brain and boar fat. They’ll also be served dishes with freshly made yuba, or tofu skin, rose petals and, controversially for René Redzepi, the revered Japanese staple, rice.
“Last time we didn’t dare cook rice,” says the chef and co-owner of the world-famous Copenhagen restaurant Noma, referring to his first pop-up in Japan. “What could we add to the table that would surprise people?” This time, he says, “I know that we have to.”