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Alchemist

Copenhagen

Genre-bending, world-building gastronomy of the highest order

On the Pass

Rasmus Munk

Pastry Chef

Mike Adelsten

Getting there: Alchemist is located in Refshaleøen, a relatively remote part of Copenhagen known for its industrial buildings and a famous former shipyard. You have to go to the very end of the stretch before you get to the two-tonne-heavy bronze doors with decorations reminiscent of Narnia or Middle-Earth, which lead you into the mystical world of Alchemist. Wait for a few moments and they automatically swing open. Let the show begin!

What should I expect? Be prepared for a journey unlike any meal you’ve had before. There are no courses, only ‘impressions’ – 50 of them, actually – divided into several ‘acts’ that takes guests through different locations, types of art and extraordinary craftsmanship over a seven-hour, multi-sensory odyssey. It’s the realisation of head chef and mastermind Rasmus Munk’s dream of a holistic and meaningful dining experience.

Tell me more: You will be dining under a dome-shaped roof with various graphic sceneries that change throughout the dinner, but the prime reason it all works is because Alchemist’s cuisine is rooted in a strong foundation of classic techniques, modern research and Chef Munk’s obsessive search for the best ingredients. Expect ‘Space Bread’ canapés topped with caviar, the best seafood and pigeon aged in beeswax, just to mention a few delicacies – always presented in creative ways that will impress, as well as bring out your inner child.

Designed to challenge: No guests are forced to attend lectures from staff during a dinner at Alchemist, but if you’re curious to dig deeper, there’s plenty to be enthralled and educated by. How about a freeze-dried butterfly to bring as a sustainable source of protein? Or some ‘Food for Thought’ where guests must scoop the ‘brains’ (cherry meringue filled with a lamb’s brain mousse) from a realistic mould of a human head.

Other projects: Despite reservations selling out within minutes and five-digit waiting lists, Munk is not resting on his laurels. Instead, he is using the attention to raise funds to feed homeless people in Copenhagen and create clean water solutions for people in Africa. He is a man on a mission.

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