The rock 'n' roll chef

Rene Redzepi proves to be a chef without borders as he talks about his food, anger management and a future without Noma

- VIR SANGHVI

When the Rolling Stones announce a tour, the tickets for every concert are snapped up in a few hours. Something like that happened with chef Rene Redzepi and Noma. When the Copenhagen restaurant announced that it would shift to Kyoto in Japan for a two-month residency, reservations sold out in minutes.

Like the Rolling Stones? Well, yes and no. Most people who buy tickets to Stones concerts feel some personal connection to the music.

Not so with Noma and Redzepi. Many of the people making the trek to Kyoto have never eaten Noma's food before. And Redzepi never plays his greatest hits. There is no Noma counterpart to the final encore of Satisfaction and no foodie version of Sympathy For the Devil.

So why do Redzepi's out-of-town residencies sell out in minutes even though guests have no idea what to expect?

I asked him this question last fortnight in Kyoto when we spent an afternoon chatting about food. Redzepi said he did morna not know the answer. He did not get particularly attached to dishes and was unwilling to repeat himself.

Why did people come from so far (and pay so much) to eat his food? He said he was mystified.