ALCHEMIST: A Lifetime Journey Through Rasmus Munk’s Mysterious Universe
Unlike any other restaurant in the world, Copenhagen’s ALCHEMIST is not just a dinner, it is an “experience” that combines gastronomy and art with science, technology and design to create an all-encompassing and dramatic presentation where flavor, ingredients and skillful preparation transcend the plate, seeping into the immediate physical environment beyond time and space.
Along with numerous awards, ALCHEMIST was honored with 2 Michelin stars in 2020 and in 2024 was ranked 8th in the list of The World’s 50 best restaurants. Adding the recent accolade of the restaurant’s brand chef Rasmus Munk as Top-1 Chef by The Best Chef 2024 ranking.
A few years ago having visited ALCHEMIST for the first time, the experience left such amazing impressions that we were looking forward to meeting this mystical space again.
ALCHEMIST is located in a more remote part of Copenhagen, Refshaleøen, known for its industrial buildings and the famous former shipyard. Walking to the very end of the street, you come to the heavy bronze doors weighing two tons, at first glance even a little intimidating, behind which the mysterious and enigmatic Universe of the restaurant opens up.
The whole interior of the restaurant is modern, with a great emphasis on aesthetics, art and technology, the color palette is dark and mysterious, no natural light penetrates into the restaurant. The idea behind the design was to create the impression of a place outside of time and space.
Now, get ready for the most unexpected journey you’ve ever taken in a restaurant. Dinner at ALCHEMIST is a theatrical act that is the pinnacle of restaurant art. Impressions (as the dishes are called here) consist of 30-50 “acts” lasting up to 6 hours, taking place in multiple locations and introducing you to the extraordinary craftsmanship of Rasmus Munk and his vision of “Holistic Cuisine”, where art and performance complement the dining experience without losing sight of the taste that is always at the center of attention.
“Just as ancient alchemists sought to combine science, philosophy, and art to perfect physical objects, Holistic Cuisine expands and redefines our understanding of the concept of food, — says Rasmus. — Holistic Cuisine is multi-layered, combining elements of gastronomy, theater, and art with science, technology, and design to create the very sensory experience that guests make throughout the evening as they travel through the restaurant’s unique spaces and their senses.”
ALCHEMIST offers only one tasting menu (also available in vegan, vegetarian, and pescatarian options) and 3 wine pairings, a non-alcoholic pairing, and one combination pairing.
The Beginning: ACT 1 & 2
During dinner, guests pass through two sensory rooms that change regularly and are filled with amazing interactive presentation elements.
From the first room, our new journey into the mysterious ALCHEMIST universe of Artificial Intelligence began. It’s as if you are in a “small movie theater”, where frames of chronicles of different years run on the screen. And suddenly you see a familiar face in each frame and realize that it’s You — such an unusual start to the dinner.
Then you get to the main living room, where behind the glass wall you can see the kitchen and the three-storey wine cellar, 15 meters high, where more than 10 000 bottles of wine are stored.
Starters are served in the lounge along with champagne or cocktails as an aperitif, while you can choose both from a sensory drink list.
-Daisy
-Smokey Ball
The gluten puff sphere is filled with smoke and topped with cream, langoustine tartare, almond cream and sturgeon caviar. Rasmus, who himself, like all his colleagues brings out the dishes, suggested this moment should be eaten in two bites — first cracking the sphere so that the ephemeral smokiness, which nicely complements the filling, slightly alters its flavor and gives it a special spice.
-Butterfly
At ALCHEMIST they like to create dishes that are a bit of a challenge to the guests, as if to tell them that “we dare to eat this and we want you to do the same”. This starter is perhaps one of them — a beautiful butterfly is served on a cracker in the shape of a leaf, and the butterflies are specially grown and dried.
-Dumpling
An interesting combination of sweet and salty — a cotton candy dumpling casing made from the Japanese sugar wasanbon filled with traditional Asian flavors — Asian fresh herbs are wrapped in a gel made from a fish sauce.
-Space Bread
Rasmus Munk is currently developing the menu for a new space project, and this inspired him to create the following dish — soy sauce freeze-dried and topped with sturgeon caviar. The ball of airy soy sauce just melts in your mouth.
-Omlette
After working for several years in culinary school and eating hundreds of bad omelets on his travels, Rasmus decided to create his perfect omelet, where the egg yolk membrane is filled with egg yolk and Comté cheese and carefully heated to 48 degrees to preserve the flavor of the raw yolk. The omelet is topped with paper thin lardo, black truffles and brown butter.
-Sunburnt Bikini
The ham and cheese “Bikini toast” is a Barcelona classic, named after the Bikini Concert hall where it was first served. The ALCHEMIST version is made with sweet and chewy mochi dough, filled with Gruyére cheese and Joselito ham.
-Sea Buckthorn Tonic
A dish that can be called both an appetizer and a cocktail was the end of our tasting in the living room. Inside the frozen vodka shell is sea buckthorn marmalade, the sweet and sour flavor with a burst of freshness to cleanse your palette.
ACT 3 — The Dome
The heart of the restaurant consists of a gigantic planetarium Dome where guests dine surrounded by artful projections and stunning views, conjuring up and enhancing moods and statements. You find yourself underwater surrounded by jellyfish, in space, in a kaleidoscope of northern lights, among cherry blossoms and coral reefs. All this is accompanied by beautifully selected musical moments.
But the bulk of the drama in ALCHEMIST happens on the plates: layers of subtext, both humorous, provocative, political and just plain delicious.
We were seated at one of two long, bar-height tables that are designed to provide ample privacy for everyone, though technically everyone sits at the same table. From the visible open kitchen, waiters approach from the other side of the table, bringing food and drinks.
All the food served in the main hall consisted of four stages. As a beverage accompaniment, we went for a specially selected wine pairing as well as a few drinks from combined pairing.
SCENE 1
-1984
This course has long been a specialty, thanks to its unique serving — a giant eyeball based on George Orwell’s dystopian novel “1984”. The book’s protagonist works in the Ministry of Truth, where historical facts are constantly being falsified. The phrase “Big Brother is watching you” screams from posters in 1984 London. The only edible part of this dish is the pupil, while its contents varying with the seasons.
-Lobster Claw
Airy bread in the shape of a lobster claw filled with lobster mince. Served with smoked butter, horseradish and fermented tomato sauce.
Pairing: Pandan Margarita, Pandan & ISH Agave, Orange & Lime, Mocktail
-Plastic Fantastic
Rasmus told us an interesting fact that most of the fish caught in Northern Europe contain plastic, even in the tiny clams that live in deep water, microplastics are also found. This dish was born as a protest against the pollution of water bodies, especially with plastic garbage. Grilled fish fillets are wrapped in a shell made of algae and fish skin collagen, which is very similar to a sheet of plastic.
-Crab Toast
Pairing: Rosé 28éme Edition, Brut, Assemblage, Krug, Champagne, France, 2010-2016
SCENE 2
-Litophane Pablo-matic
A serving that caused delight — in the dish brought, you see your picture. The serving consists of crackers and sunchoke sauce with your image printed on it. This kind of printing takes up to 8-9 hours. The idea is wonderful and quite unexpected, although very labor intensive.
-Tongue Kiss
One of the most intriguing courses served on a silicone tongue molded from a real human tongue. The tongue spoon was explained that a person’s senses are heightened when the dish is served in an unusual way. The toppings change depending on the season.
-Food For Thought
Another one of the more interesting and unusual moments from the “Dare to Eat THIS!” series, where the main ingredient was lamb brains. A cherry cloud sphere filled with a cream of lamb brains and truffles, with a chip of steamed and dried lamb brain chunks on top.
Accompanying wine to this scene: Gevrey-Chambertin, Pinot Noir, Domaine Lou Dumont
Bourgogne, France, 2021
SCENE 3
-What Came First?
This serving must have come as a bit of a shock to many — the flattened chicken head (all the insides removed, of course) was served as a crispy chip. On its underside was a cream of smoked Danish cheese, fish roe and chives. Unusual, but very tasty.
Pairing: Blueberry & Fermented Puer Water Kefir
-Japanese Dialect
-Airy Bread
Made from sheets of potato starch and stacked in several layers, with browned butter, toasted yeast and onion juice between the layers, resulting in a croissant-like texture. Aged Joselito Jamon Ibérico is layered on top of it. According to the chef’s recommendation, you should try to eat it in one bite.
-Hunger
The wire-framed rib cage is draped with two very thin slices of dried rabbit meat seasoned with harissa paste and a blend of seven spices. According to Rasmus, rabbit meat is one of the least resource-intensive meats. Very interesting and balanced in flavor and attractive in presentation.
Pairing to 3 courses: Bricco Asili, Barbaresco
Ceretto, Piemonte, Italy, 1985
-Cachapa
A dish inspired by Rasmus’ travels in South America. The corn-shaped pastry is made with fermented Danish corn, Peruvian white corn, cheese, habanero and jalapenos. It’s savory and not too spicy, though the last two ingredients may alert with their duo.
Pairing: Moonlight Bottle-Aged Kombucha
-Burnout Chicken
This pitch is reminiscent of the horrible life of chickens raised in cages. A real chicken leg is placed in a too small cage. The leg itself is not edible, it serves as a stand for a meatball of chicken and shrimp, spiced and covered with chicken skin and tamarind glaze.
-Footprint
Once again, it’s chicken leg, but it’s already edible. Skimmed and fried so that only the crispy shell remained. It was served with a tom yum broth, teeming with flavors.
Pairing to 2 courses: Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett, Saar Egon Müller, Mosel, Germany, 2022
After tasting all the main courses, we moved on to the dessert part where we were treated to an equally interesting experience.
SCENE 4
-Essence Of Iberico
The sweet part was opened by cantaloupe melon sorbet with Iberian ham extract on it — a kind of replica of the famous “prosciutto and melon” serving.
-Reflection
Crunchy chocolate sandwich squares with vanilla ice cream and black currant crumble.
Pairing to 2 desserts: Duchesse de Bourgogne, Flanders Red Ale, Brouwerij Verhaeghe, Vichte, Belgium
-Scream
A food coloring print — a copy of Edvard Munch’s painting “Scream” — reappeared in this dessert. Underneath the “painting” was a mousse of saffron, citrus and Cointreau liqueur. With a slight acidity and a pleasant aftertaste.
Pairing: Peach, Vanilla & Fig Water Kefir
-Eight Layers Of Life
Another serving from the “Dare to Eat THIS!” series was the deer blood heart.
-Guilty Pleasure
A coffin-shaped chocolate bar made from 70% Congolese chocolate, filled with peanut janduja, mango puree and salted caramel. This dessert is a reminder of sorts that most of the world’s chocolate is produced using exploitative child labor without any oversight, with all profits going into the pockets of greedy and evil conglomerates.
Pairing to 2 desserts: Sauternes 1er Cru Supérieur, Château d’Yquem, Bordeaux, France, 2006
After a not quite “joyful dessert” we were invited to another sensory room, adjacent to the main dining hall, where we were waiting for paint-painted walls. And the colors are edible, and you can taste them before leaving your mark on the wall. It revitalized us and for a moment brought us back to our carefree childhood.
After the “painting lesson” and a small tour of the main kitchen, when all the things served in The Dome are prepared, we were escorted to the final part of the dinner.
ACT 4 — Curtain
The crew was waiting for us in the small Balcony lounge, where you can relax after your experiences, talk about your emotions, have a cocktail and enjoy a few more sweet delicacies from Rasmus Munk.
-Amber
Red wood ants are trapped in a honey and ginger candy (pate de fruit with a beeswax and sugar shell). On the coast of Jutland, where Rasmus was born and raised, it is common to hunt for amber on the beaches. To check if this is real amber and not glass, you need to bite it.
-Cubic Margarita
A white cube of frozen Margarita cocktail — tequila, mescal, lime juice, flavored with mint-lime sugar and sea salt flakes.
-In A Nutshell
Caramelized milk and hazelnut ice cream with hazelnut praline in an edible wrapper that was cleverly laid upside down so the ice cream wouldn’t leak out.
-Favor Saver
The final treat was a Danish cake made of chocolate, blackberry jam and caramelized white chocolate called Grandpa’s Beard, which was served on a stick in the form of a mustache that you could even take funny selfies with.
Rasmus Munk: “Yes, our cuisine, and the restaurant in general, is very unconventional, and may seem incomprehensible to some. But we pride ourselves on presenting not just food, but writing for thought and spaces that provide the perfect environment for it. The reasons that make us think are everywhere — pollution, animal and human abuse, unsustainable food production practices, blood donation, and many others. And our interactions with people from different fields, be they psychologists, art people, magicians and representatives from many other professional fields, give us a basis for creating new experiments and unique opportunities to realize them in our kitchen”.
Menu Alchemist Experience: DKK 5400
Wine pairing Essential: DKK 2000
Wine pairing Amplified: DKK 3000
Wine pairing Exclusive: DKK 9500
Non-alcoholic pairing: DKK 2000
Combined pairing: DKK 2000
Restaurant ALCHEMIST
Address: Refshalevej 173C, DK-1432 Copenhagen
Denmark
Opening hours: Thursday- Friday: 17.00 – 00.00
Instagram: @restaurantalchemist
Text: Marina Timo
Photo courtesy: EATWEEKGUIDE
