Gourmet dining may not be the first thing to come to mind when you think of Copenhagen, you may know the fairytale castle, the Little Mermaid and Tivoli Gardens, however Copenhagen is also renowned as the gastronomic capital of Scandinavia. The city is home to Noma, San Pellegrino's 2010 ”Best Restaurant in the World”, and a number of Michelin starred restaurants exist alongside more affordable eating experiences.

Noma is the mix of two Danish words Nordisk (Nordic) and mad (food). Located in an old warehouse on the waterfront of the Christianshavn area, Noma is run by chef René Redzepi with a focus on traditional Nordic cooking methods and foraging fine local produce to create innovative gourmet cuisine of distinctive flavours and regional character. “We comb the countryside for berries and herbs that others would not bother with and work with foods that aren’t part of any system of formalised cultivation and cannot be obtained through ordinary channels of distribution.” The chefs at Noma do their own salting, smoking, pickling, drying and grilling, and delight in exploring the Nordic regions to discover outstanding foods: Icelandic skyr curd, halibut, Greenland musk ox, berries to create new tastes in unexpected contexts. “Noma is a homage to soil and sea, a reminder of the source of our food.”

Michelin starred restaurants include sensory dining experience a|o|c, original interpretations of Danish classics "Burning Love" and "Shooting Star" at Restaurant Herman, the intimate Kokkeriet, Tivoli's The Paul for an intense gastronomic experience, and acclaimed Modern Scandinavian restaurant Formel B in Frederiksberg.

The Copenhagen Food Festival takes place in August every year, when you can sample gourmet meals at a fraction of their price, taste varied edible specialities at outdoor stalls and meet the chefs. Nyhavns Faergekro at Nyhavn offers a herring buffet prepared in ten different ways with as much herring as you can eat, while for essentially Danish street food try the sausage wagon - (pølsevogn) for tasty hot dogs and various toppings, washed down with a bottle of Cocio (cocoa) drink, as you socialize with the other guests.

Photo by Restaurant Noma via Facebook