A fairy tale with three Michelin stars

EBRU ERKE

Tina and Eric Vildgaard describe their experiences as “We are in a fairy tale right now.” That’s what I think. This is a true Cinderella story. A story that is stitched together from the lowest point to the highest point. In one of their recent videos, after receiving their third star, they visited Noma and sat at the table set up for them, accompanied by applause and the entire team, including René Redzepi.

My first visit to their restaurant was about three years ago. At that time, they had two stars; now they have three. And when I heard this, I wasn’t surprised in the slightest, I thought it was a well-deserved success. In fact, I ended my article about them with the following sentences: I think we will hear their name more often among the best in the world in the near future. But I will always remember them with the words they said while telling their story: “If it’s dark enough, you can see the stars.” Let me take you on a little tour of this modern fairy tale now.

Eric's early youth was spent in various organized crimes, gang memberships, and juvenile detention centers. He discovered the passion that would help him change his life when he was assigned to cook at the age of 16 during a training given to reintegrate young criminals into society. And for the first time in his life, he discovered that his mind was completely free in the kitchen where he spent so much time. And this sense of freedom took him on a completely different journey. However, when he returned to his old neighborhood, his mind was distracted, and unfortunately, he returned to his old life. The following years were spent under the shadow of drugs, alcohol, and gangs.

Meanwhile, his brother Torsten, who was the chef at Noma, was working as René Redzepi’s right-hand man. These were the years when Noma received its first Michelin star. He spent three years at Noma, where he entered to help his brother. And at a time when he was at rock bottom, he met his future wife, Tina, who was just as much the hero of the story as Eric. Tina soon became pregnant. And for the most important crossroads of their lives, she offered Eric two options: Either his other life, his habits and his environment, or himself and the new life they would build… When we look at the current result, I think it goes without saying how wise a decision Eric made.

But of course, the process they went through up until now had not been easy. In 2017, when Tina was pregnant with their second child — they have six children in total, two of whom are together — the couple opened Jordnær in an old hotel in the northern suburbs of the city, the only place they could afford. They are still in this three-star hotel and when they received their third star, they made a joke among themselves saying, “It’s not easy to see two and three-star hotels together like this.”

As I said, this process was not easy at all. They were able to open the shop with a little cash and a few valuable jewels that Tina sold. But they bought the best ones, both the plates and the glasses. In fact, they were able to buy so few of those expensive plates that they washed them and put them out for customers again during the service of some dishes. According to Tina, their biggest ambition is to give their guests the best experience they can. Tina manages the restaurant with the logic that if better is possible, good is not good enough. They attracted attention in gastronomy circles when they received their first Michelin star nine months after opening.

Eric’s cuisine is not only technically masterful but also emotionally deep. Each plate is shaped by traces of his past, the pain he has experienced, and the love he has found. The years he spent working at Noma gave him the opportunity to get to know the best suppliers in the country. Eric knows the ingredients well, and without exception, he procures the best products daily. Since it is a pescatarian restaurant, he only serves fish and seafood. He also reflects the Japanese cuisine he admires in his plates with a dose of touches, of course in Scandinavian simplicity.

My last visit last week was for my television program called “The World’s Best Chefs,” which will start in the new broadcast season. We spent two full days with Tina and Eric, and I had the opportunity to get to know them much better. We talked a lot and asked a lot of questions. One of the things that impressed me was which plate represented him. “Do you remember the crawfish bouillon dish that I presented in a cracked bowl? The cracked part of that bowl is my past, the crawfish bouillon, which is a very long and difficult process to prepare, is the hard struggle I have gone through so far, and the simplicity and impressive flavor of the dish is our shining future,” he answers me with an incredibly emotional narration.

Let's get to some of Jordnær's plates in this culinary journey that awaits you during the night. The first bite is a “Snow Crab”; Norwegian king crab, which they receive alive in the morning. Their king crab is coming from Kirkenes, while langoustine and scallops come from Trondheim, Norway. “So we use the whole crab, you get the leg meat on top of the chow mushi. Here you get all the meat from the neck, because we have like shoulder fibers, more collagen. So we braise it and then fold it with tabasco hot sauce, top it with homemade shishimi togarashi. Serve it in an almond tart shell, made with mackerel almonds, roasted and then filled with a sudachi emulsion and a gel from the juice. Sour, sweet, crunchy, spicy, everything. Just so your taste buds are ready,” explains the chef.

Another signature is “Rosette Waffle.” The rosette waffle that I tried when I first came was removed from the menu for a while, but after the reactions they received, it was put back in its previous place on the menu. This crusty flower shape bite’s back side is filled with a pate which has shrimp in it and then on the front side a top quality pure caviar is put. The last little bite was one of my favorite Japanese Osaka dishes “Takoyaki,” but their version of a different takoyaki. It’s classically made with octopus but here they use lobster. They use the meat from the claws and season it with a little bit of lime, coriander and shiso. And then on top Japanese uni.

Let’s continue with another dish that comes to you in the form of a visual feast: Scallops. This hand-dived scallop comes from the island of Foyer, which they receive every morning. Actually this is a palate cleaner served at the beginning of the second part of the menu. White liquid in a glass bowl, edible purple flowers and scallop slices put on a thin metal skewer above the bowl. The essence of the gooseberry and rose oil coats your palate with its full aroma the moment you take a piece of the skewer and a sip from the bowl.

The first main course is a piece of Danish turbot from the west coast of Denmark, served with a fresh spring salad featuring the very first endemic herbs and flowers, small radishes, and two sauces. The second main course is the tail part of the langoustine. They serve Norwegian langoustine, which they receive early in the morning, in two different dishes. When they remove and prepare the tails, they are left with the heads, shells, and claws. They use these for the 'Essence of Langoustine' plate, where they roast the heads and shells to make bullion, which they reduce and season with Polynesian vanilla and French cognac. They then clarify and jellify the bullion.

I leave the restaurant with the flavors of what I just ate still dancing on my palate, and I think once again about how Jordnær made me feel. Dedication, passion and perfection, but most importantly Tina Eric's friendship that warmed my heart.