Unrelenting Challenge and Enduring Passion

“World's 50 Best Restaurants”'s René Redzepi, the owner-chef of Denmark's restaurant Noma, which has been ranked number one four times and consistently placed for seven consecutive years, is one such professional. Anyone will be convinced of this after watching the documentary 'Noma Tokyo: The World's Best Restaurant Comes to Japan,' which follows him and his team for a year.



In January 2015, 'Noma Tokyo' opened for a limited five-week run at the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, attracting 62,000 people on the waiting list for just 2,000 seats. The film documents the days the team, led by René Redzepi, spent in preparation, and the behind-the-scenes efforts were truly remarkable.

First, Redzepi and his team embarked on a culinary hunt across Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa, alongside Japanese gourmands. They sought out clams, sweet potatoes, taro, lily bulbs, turnips, rice, squid, and even ants. Encountering new flavors, they expressed surprise, confusion, and joy, their imaginations taking flight. After carefully selecting potential ingredients, they moved on to menu development. The staff sent to Tokyo a month before the opening, tasked with creating surprising dishes using uniquely Japanese ingredients, spent their days continuously in the kitchen. A stark contrast to their innocent and cheerful demeanor during ingredient hunting, the agony of creation began here. Redzepi, unable to leave Denmark until the last moment, entrusted the menu to his elite team, who, day after day, grappled with novel Japanese ingredients to bring out their ultimate flavors. Finally, just 15 days before the opening, their boss arrived in Tokyo and delivered a barrage of criticism: 'It's meaningless if it's the same menu as the main restaurant,' and 'Is this flavor truly the best?' Redzepi and his team agonized together, and the final 14-16 dishes were decided only just before the opening. Ultimately, some dishes had to be abandoned due to unsatisfactory flavors.




The legendary 'Noma' venturing into Tokyo for a limited time. Its high profile is evident from the sheer number of people on the waiting list. Asian gourmands unable to travel to Denmark, those disappointed by the inability to book a table at the main restaurant, and regular patrons curious about how Japanese ingredients would be transformed in the 'Noma' style – all were willing to pay nearly 70,000 yen for a single meal. This was all because it was 'Noma,' because it was Redzepi creating it.

How could they meet such high expectations? How could they silence the critics eager to find fault? The pressure on Redzepi was immense. We even see him questioning himself, 'How did I think opening a restaurant in Tokyo was possible!' Yet, from these moments, we see not a global superstar chef or a magician capable of anything with a flash of inspiration, but a struggling human being.

Fighting in an unfamiliar environment might indeed be reckless. A rational person might think it would be sufficient to cherish their existing global reputation, their impossible-to-book restaurant, and the patrons who travel worldwide to visit Copenhagen. But it is his insatiable spirit of challenge, his boundless curiosity, his enduring passion, and the strong impulse to create dishes no one has ever tasted that drive him. Even at the risk of losing his current standing, he cannot help but continue to attack and challenge. This is precisely why he is a rare professional capable of continuous innovation.

It is this very drive that makes him exhibit such meticulous attention to detail and passion, from ingredient selection to menu development, to an extent that makes one wonder, 'How far will he go?' Sustaining such dedication and passion is, in itself, an extraordinary talent. Constantly harboring these qualities might mean sacrificing a tranquil happiness. However, without people like them, the world would not expand, nor would it evolve. To be expected is to bear the responsibility of evolution.

Among the courses served at 'Noma Tokyo,' one particularly memorable dish was the first plate, 'ANTS ON A SHRIMP,' designed to instantly transport guests away from reality and into the dreamlike world of 'Noma.' Live shrimp were adorned with ants and decorated with clams (an astonishing use of clams!). Whether one would want to taste such a dish, or find it delicious, might be beside the point. True creativity transcends personal preference, guiding us to an unprecedented world. It is no exaggeration to say that this film allows us to witness the very moment a miracle, born from relentless challenge, comes into being. While it would be an incredibly thrilling film for gourmands and those in the food industry, being a foodie is entirely irrelevant to enjoying it. It is a profoundly nourishing documentary in that it allows us to understand what it truly means to be a professional.



★★★☆☆
This is what a professional is. A documentary that makes you painfully aware of it.


'Noma Tokyo: The World's Best Restaurant Comes to Japan'
Opening December 10th at Human Trust Cinema Yurakucho, YEBISU GARDEN CINEMA, and other theaters nationwide.
©2015 BlazHoffski / Dahl TV. All Rights Reserved.




Jun Makiguchi
After working for Kyodo News, a festival secretariat, and magazine editing, she became independent. She currently writes film columns and interviews focusing on lifestyle topics such as fashion, food, and music in films for women's and men's magazines.

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