Take a Look Around René Redzepi’s New Noma

UPDATE 2/19: Surprise! Days after opening, Redzepi revealed he ~actually~ opened on the 16th, having to postpone to buy himself a little bit more time to put on the finishing touches.

Noma 2.0, chef René Redzepi’s long-awaited relaunch of his influential Copenhagen restaurant, opened yesterday. The culinary world waited a year for Noma’s return to a permanent space, and the lucky few with reservations on its first full day are offering a few glimpses into the #nomaocean experience on social media.

Today, WSJ Magazine also published a first look inside the restaurant, designed by architect Bjarke Ingels. According to the report, the new Noma will comprise 11 buildings and, eventually, a 2,100-square-foot garden designed by Piet Oudolf, who worked on the High Line park in New York City and Lurie Garden in Chicago’s Millennium Park.

The campus includes three greenhouses and a 7,500-square-foot former mine depository used for wine storage, meat storage and butchering, ingredient fermentation, and recycling. This building also includes the staff changing room, and Redzepi’s noted fondness for exercising at work will be realized in the new space with exercise equipment and a sauna for staff.

Seven buildings, connected by glass-enclosed walkways, make up the front of house. Redzepi described the design to the Wall Street Journal as “all about fine craft, not bling,” and photos, from frequent Noma photographer Ditte Isegar, show plenty of light wood in an airy space.

Yesterday, chef Redzepi gave his Instagram followers a glimpse into opening preparations, including a look at a the staff canteen and head of culinary research Mette Brink Søberg getting ready.

Before welcoming guests for lunch today, Redzepi and team mopped the floors.

Staff — the back of house dressed in navy tees and black aprons, front of the house in light blue button-downs — gathered for a pre-service meeting.

Predictably, shellfish starred on the menu during New Noma’s first-ever lunch service (seafood is the theme of the restaurant’s first “season”).

WSJ gives another look at what diners during seafood season can expect.

During service, Redzepi appeared in the dining room to finish dishes at his wife’s table.

One early diner calls it “one of the best dining experiences in my life.”

The pressure to impress is surely on, but Redzepi is seemingly staying zen. Last night, he even took a moment to acknowledge “this cat” on Twitter.

• An Exclusive Look Inside the New Noma [WSJ Magazine]
• 20 Questions That Explain René Redzepi’s Relaunch of Noma [E]