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- Chef Rasmus of Alchemist in Copenhagen was introduced as the newly crowned best chef in the world. Chef Josh traveled to Denmark to experience his restaurant and ultimately have Rasmus judge a dish of his own creation.
- Alchemist offers a seven-hour dining experience featuring approximately 50 courses across multiple rooms. Its approach combines experimental food, theatrical presentation, immersive technology, and unconventional ingredients.
- Josh had previously worked in some of the best fine-dining restaurants in the United States. Despite that experience, he considered cooking for Rasmus an unusually demanding challenge because of the technical precision and creativity demonstrated at Alchemist.
- Josh entered the challenge without a rehearsed dish or advance preparation in the restaurant's kitchen. He first attended the full dining experience to understand Rasmus's preferences before deciding what to cook for him.
- Josh treated the dinner as research rather than simply a meal. He paid particular attention to flavor combinations, textures, plating, fermentation, and the qualities that made individual dishes memorable.
- Alchemist begins with a dark room featuring an obelisk and imagery concerning the state of the world. The opening establishes that the restaurant intends to provoke thought and emotional responses rather than provide a conventional luxury dining experience.
- The next room is a lounge with a direct view into the kitchen. Guests can watch staff preparing dishes, giving the dining experience an unusual degree of visibility into the restaurant's production process.
- An elaborate flower-like cocktail was among the opening servings. Josh praised its citrus notes, and champagne followed shortly afterward, establishing drinks as a significant part of the experience.
- The extensive alcohol service became a recurring concern for Josh. Multiple cocktails, champagne, and wine servings accompanied the meal, and he repeatedly remarked that he was drinking considerably more than usual.
- An early course resembled a smoke-filled pani puri containing an unusually generous serving of caviar. Josh estimated that it might contain an ounce of caviar and praised the way its aroma filled his mouth.
- Alchemist served an actual edible butterfly. Josh compared its texture to a toasted rice cracker and described a sunflower-seed-like aftertaste, finding it unexpectedly enjoyable.
- The restaurant's miniature omelette became one of Josh's favorite dishes of the entire experience. Its extraordinarily delicate egg exterior surrounded a rich, soft, velvety filling resembling perfectly scrambled eggs with cheese.
- Josh considered the omelette especially impressive because of its texture. He found no lumps or irregularities in the filling and immediately wanted to discover how the kitchen produced it.
- Another course resembled a mochi dumpling or pierogi covered in Kashmiri chili oil. Josh praised its unusually light, springy texture and precisely balanced chewiness.
- Fermentation emerged as one of the restaurant's recurring techniques. Josh identified it as a major element of Rasmus's cooking and began considering how preservation and fermented ingredients might inform his own dish.
- Asian culinary influences were prominent throughout the menu. Josh repeatedly identified Thai basil, Korean flavors, Japanese techniques, soy sauce, and other Asian-inspired combinations.
- Josh concluded that Asian flavors would likely be important to impressing Rasmus. This observation became a central influence on the dish he eventually prepared.
- A particularly memorable lounge course reminded Josh of an extraordinary mozzarella stick. He rated it 10 out of 10, describing it as one of his favorite bites of his life because of its combination of familiarity and exceptional execution.
- The entire lounge sequence was effectively an opening act rather than the complete dinner. Guests were subsequently moved into a space called the dome for the main immersive portion of the experience.
- The dome uses 360-degree projected environments coordinated with individual dishes. Each serving is accompanied by imagery surrounding diners, turning the meal into a theatrical production.
- Alchemist employs an in-house visual-effects team to operate its immersive presentations during service. The visuals are an active part of the dining experience rather than merely decorative installations.
- The restaurant uses a large Trello board to coordinate its unusually complicated service. Staff track which dishes have reached each table, what guests have eaten, and their dietary preferences instead of relying solely on a conventional kitchen ticket system.
- An algae-based drink changes color depending on the light that reaches it. The serving demonstrates how the restaurant incorporates environmental effects and scientific properties into the food itself.
- One striking course was an edible eyeball containing king crab and topped with caviar. Josh considered it the best bite of the evening up to that point and said he would happily eat an entire bowl of it.
- Alchemist also served a preparation made entirely from cooked caviar. The caviar had been processed in a South Korean pressure cooker and formed into a puck from which portions were sliced.
- The cooked caviar had a texture Josh compared to salami before melting on the tongue like butter. It demonstrated how processing a familiar luxury ingredient could produce an entirely different eating experience.
- A sea urchin course reinforced the restaurant's Japanese and broader Asian culinary influences. Josh continued refining his understanding of Rasmus's preferences as the dinner progressed.
- An unconventional lobster roll featured a claw-shaped preparation made from lobster farce. The lobster mixture was breaded and fried, creating a crisp exterior around an exceptionally tender, juicy interior.
- Another dish presented edible fish in a form resembling plastic. Josh praised its appeal and crisp textures, illustrating the restaurant's preference for deliberately misleading appearances.
- A crab toast stood out for its seasoning and texture. Josh considered it so enjoyable that he said he could eat a much larger version repeatedly.
- Alchemist served spinach with its green color removed, accompanied by spinach flavor that diners added back. Josh viewed the elaborate manipulation of such an ordinary vegetable as an example of the restaurant's unusually inventive methods.
- A course resembling insects smeared across a windshield challenged diners' willingness to eat visually unpleasant food. Josh's companion Vicram refused to eat it, while Josh decided to try it out of respect for the creative intention.
- The insect preparation tasted unexpectedly similar to a deeply flavored teriyaki sauce. Josh judged it delicious despite its disturbing presentation, showing how the restaurant separates visual expectations from actual flavor.
- Josh distinguished the insect dish's shock value from its eating quality. He considered the appearance deliberately provocative but acknowledged that the food itself was genuinely enjoyable.
- Cordyceps mushrooms appeared in a dish resembling an especially refined mushroom soup. Josh explained that he had previously struggled to introduce cordyceps at restaurants because of their unusual appearance and associations with The Last of Us.
- The cordyceps preparation showed that an unfamiliar ingredient could still produce familiar, comforting flavors. Josh valued the dish for being appealing to eat rather than merely unusual.
- A dish called “Tongue Kiss” consisted of beef tartare arranged on a tongue-shaped mold. Flowers and other garnishes completed its deliberately provocative presentation, while Josh praised the taste.
- Josh identified concentrated flavors as a defining feature of Rasmus's food. Across multiple dishes, ingredients were pushed toward intense flavor while retaining the quality that made diners want another bite.
- A chicken-foot presentation became another of Josh's favorite courses. The dish combined crisp fried chicken with Asian-inspired seasonings rather than relying entirely on its unusual appearance.
- The chicken featured green curry, Thai basil, and a sour glaze reminiscent of tamarind. Josh compared the result to exceptionally well-executed Thai fried chicken, praising its salt balance, crunch, and seasoning.
- The chicken dish helped Josh identify the final direction for his own cooking. It demonstrated that Rasmus's elaborate presentations could still be grounded in familiar, intensely satisfying food.
- One dessert resembled an ice cream sandwich surrounded by reflective berry sheets. The restaurant described the sheets as an edible mirror because of their rainbow-like reflective appearance.
- Another dessert was shaped like a human heart and contained a garum made from deer blood. Its exterior resembled marshmallow or meringue, combining an unconventional ingredient with a familiar dessert texture.
- Josh praised the heart dessert because its unusual concept did not prevent it from tasting good. He increasingly recognized that the restaurant's strongest dishes combined creativity with genuine eating pleasure.
- The final dessert involved painting walls with edible paint. Guests created images while music played and lights flashed; Josh painted his dog.
- Josh concluded that Alchemist's experience extended beyond food into performance, visual art, and audience participation. The themed rooms, unconventional ingredients, coordinated projections, and interactive finale made the meal closer to a staged production than conventional dining.
- After the dinner, Josh decided to prove himself by preparing three existing Alchemist dishes before presenting his own creation. He considered this a way to demonstrate respect for Rasmus and the kitchen team rather than simply arriving and cooking something familiar.
- The three selected dishes were Tongue Kiss, Burnout Chicken, and the Perfect Omelette. They tested different abilities: knife work and seasoning, delicate preparation and frying, and extreme precision in handling fragile egg structures.
- Each preparation was demonstrated by an Alchemist chef before Josh attempted it. The stated challenge allowed him a single attempt at each dish before presenting the result for evaluation, although he subsequently received another chance after damaging the chicken during preparation.
- Chef Sebastian supervised Josh's attempt at Tongue Kiss. He demonstrated the precise knife work required to prepare the beef tartare.
- Josh had to cut beef into consistently sized cubes. Although confident in his knife skills, he admitted feeling nervous because the restaurant's standards left little tolerance for mistakes.
- The tartare was seasoned with deer stock, mustard, salt, and freshly cracked pepper. Josh emphasized that seasoning was especially important because small differences could determine whether the finished tartare tasted balanced.
- Tongue Kiss required careful plating beyond cutting and seasoning the beef. Josh arranged sauces, flowers, and a fragrant mist to reproduce the original dish.
- Josh passed the Tongue Kiss challenge. The evaluation praised the flavor, accurate application of sauces, and pepper seasoning, particularly the slight sharpness the pepper contributed.
- The second challenge was Burnout Chicken, a fried-chicken dish presented inside a cage. Its theatrical presentation was intended to raise questions about animal welfare.
- The edible chicken in Burnout Chicken is boneless. The attached foot functions primarily as a holder for the meat rather than as the part diners are expected to eat.
- A second chef also named Rasmus, identified as the creator of Burnout Chicken, demonstrated its preparation. This was a different person from the Rasmus judging Josh's cooking.
- Preparing Burnout Chicken requires separating the foot's structure without damaging its skin. The chef explained that the knuckle must be broken while the surrounding skin remains completely intact.
- Even a small tear in the chicken skin can ruin the preparation. The restaurant also had a limited supply of chicken pieces available, increasing the importance of precision.
- The chicken skin is filled with a meat farce resembling sausage filling. It is then tightly wrapped, steamed until cooked, dredged, and fried.
- Josh tore the skin during his initial attempt at Burnout Chicken. This was a genuine preparation failure under the standards explained by the demonstrating chef.
- Josh was allowed another attempt before the judging began. He used the remaining opportunity to prepare and fill another chicken skin successfully.
- The finishing process required tightly controlled amounts of glaze and crunchy coating. Too much sauce could soften the coating or overwhelm the flavor, while too little would leave the chicken inadequately seasoned.
- Josh's finished Burnout Chicken was judged slightly over-glazed. The excess moisture reduced its crispness, and the evaluator suggested cooking it somewhat longer to improve the exterior.
- Despite those problems, Burnout Chicken passed. Its underlying flavor was considered very good, allowing Josh to proceed to the final technical challenge.
- The Perfect Omelette was presented as the hardest of the three challenges. Josh considered it substantially more difficult than a traditional French omelette, itself a familiar test of professional cooking ability.
- Head chef Magnus supervised the Perfect Omelette preparation. The dish involved specialized equipment, fragile egg structures, and a technique Josh had not previously seen demonstrated.
- The omelette begins with egg yolks frozen in molds and placed on skewers. They are subsequently thawed and drained of liquid, producing exceptionally delicate, hollow egg-yolk skins.
- The hollow skins are transferred to another kitchen area for filling and finishing. Their fragility makes the process particularly demanding.
- The filling is an espuma made with aged Comté cheese and egg yolk. It is gently cooked to produce the soft, rich interior that impressed Josh during the earlier dinner.
- Filling the egg skins requires locating a small existing opening and carefully injecting the espuma. Excess pressure can rupture the structure, while improper filling can leave unwanted air inside.
- Two delicate egg structures ruptured during the demonstration. Even experienced kitchen staff were shown encountering difficulties with the technique.
- The filled omelette must be sealed after the espuma is injected. A chef then uses a heating gun to keep it gently warm during service, before finishing it with fresh sea salt.
- Magnus explained that different chefs take very different amounts of time to learn the omelette technique. Some manage it on their first day, while others never fully master it.
- Josh successfully completed his omelette on his first attempt. His handling received a score of 9 out of 10 during preparation.
- Josh did not personally prepare the omelette's espuma filling. His accomplishment was primarily executing the difficult assembly and finishing process, rather than reproducing every stage independently.
- The possibility of even a one-millimeter air bubble made accurate filling important. Josh explained that such an imperfection could materially damage the intended eating experience.
- The completed omelette received a strongly positive final evaluation. Josh had now passed all three challenges and earned the opportunity to present his own cooking.
- Josh decided against preparing an elaborate fine-dining plate for Rasmus. He reasoned that he had only one day, while many comparable technical dishes would require weeks of preparation and refinement.
- Josh believed highly experienced fine-dining chefs might appreciate something simpler after spending their working lives producing elaborate cuisine. This was his interpretation, not a preference Rasmus had explicitly confirmed beforehand.
- His central decision was to prioritize exceptional flavor over conspicuous technical complexity. The elaborate Alchemist dinner had convinced him that the most important shared quality among the successful dishes was how enjoyable they were to eat.
- Josh chose to prepare a fried chicken sandwich. He understood the choice as a substantial gamble because he had traveled to Copenhagen to impress a chef associated with some of the world's most technically ambitious cuisine.
- The sandwich was designed around flavors and techniques Josh had observed during his Alchemist experience. It incorporated French-influenced bread, Japanese-style frying, Korean chili paste, fermented seasoning, pickling, and deeply caramelized aromatics.
- A brioche-style bun provided the sandwich's French-influenced element. Josh chose it as a familiar foundation that could support the more intense components.
- Japanese-style katsu breading provided the chicken's crunch. The objective was an exceptionally crisp exterior surrounding juicy fried chicken.
- Josh prepared a concentrated glaze by reducing aromatics deglazed with fish sauce and combined with substantial sugar. The resulting reduction provided a sweet, savory, fermented flavor component.
- A separately prepared gochujang sauce was combined with the fish-sauce-based glaze. Josh described the result as bringing two sauces together, adding Korean-inspired chili flavor and another layer of complexity.
- Pickles provided acidity and represented seasonal preservation. Josh valued pickling because it makes seasonal ingredients available beyond their original growing period.
- The sandwich also contained a smoky green-onion mayonnaise. Josh slowly caramelized green onions in oil, then blended both the caramelized onions and their flavored oil into mayonnaise.
- The green-onion mayonnaise was intended to add depth without making its ingredients immediately obvious. It combined a familiar sandwich condiment with a less conventional preparation technique.
- The finished sandwich deliberately balanced several qualities Josh had repeatedly admired at Alchemist. These included intense flavor, acidity, sweetness, fermented ingredients, layered spices, crisp texture, and an immediately recognizable food format.
- Josh accepted the risk that a chicken sandwich might appear insufficiently ambitious. His reasoning was that a familiar dish executed with exceptional care might communicate more about his cooking than an elaborate plate assembled under time pressure.
- Rasmus responded very positively to the sandwich. He described it as probably the best chicken sandwich he had eaten and repeatedly praised its overall flavor.
- Rasmus specifically complimented the different spices and layers of seasoning. He also singled out the chili paste as particularly successful.
- Rasmus suggested Josh should open a chicken sandwich shop. He believed the sandwich could sell commercially, turning the evaluation into an unexpected endorsement of a potential business.
- Rasmus said he wanted to finish the entire sandwich after filming. This reaction reinforced that he enjoyed it as food rather than simply appreciating its technical or creative intentions.
- Rasmus awarded Josh's chicken sandwich 9 out of 10. The final score confirmed that a relatively simple dish could earn a high evaluation from the chef whose elaborate restaurant had inspired it.
- Josh completed the visit having passed all three Alchemist preparation challenges and earned a 9 out of 10 for his own dish. The outcome supported his decision to focus on flavor, texture, and thoughtful combinations rather than attempting to imitate the restaurant's complex visual presentations.
- The experience revealed a consistent distinction between Alchemist's theatrical presentation and the food beneath it. The most successful dishes, in Josh's assessment, were not merely surprising or technically difficult; they delivered strong flavors and textures that made him want to eat them again.
- The final chicken sandwich brought together the practical lessons Josh took from the 50-course experience. Asian-inspired seasoning, preservation, controlled texture, and concentrated flavor were applied to an ordinary food format, demonstrating that the restaurant's culinary principles could work outside an extravagant fine-dining setting.