When two three-star chefs come together, expectations are high. We were hoping for an extraordinary lunch, something truly memorable.
Jordnær served nine dishes alongside seven from Odette, including their signature Kampot Pepper Crusted Pigeon.
It was nice to see Chef Julien in good spirits, serving the first dish, an excellent croustade with tuna, with a smile in his On Cloud athletic shoes.
Croustade – Tuna – Koshi Hikari – Ponzu
The atmosphere was more like a Swedish crayfish party without the snaps songs, dressed up as fine dining.
Most guests were from the industry, all chatter and handshakes, back-patting, with a photographer circling the room for hours taking endless shots of guests and staff.
It may have been a fun party if we were in the business and knew half the room.
But as regular guests, we were clearly not the target group for this lunch, and it never felt like the experience we had come for.
Miso Blue Lobster – Sake Beurre Blanc – Kyoto Miso Caramel – Yuzu
The cooking was immaculate, the flavours distinct and confident. Every dish was precise, but the spark of collaboration was missing. It felt like they played it safe.
With only two days for this collaboration, we had hoped for dishes created by the chefs together—something unique for the occasion. Why not make it epic?
Some flavours, however, did not sit right for us. The pigeon from Bretagne was perfectly cooked, peppery in flavour, though the leg filling was too sweet. We did not find harmony in the flavours. But again, that comes down to personal taste.
The miso blue lobster dish was overall too sweet for us, though the lobster itself was spot on — in sharp contrast to what we experienced at Waterside Inn in England.
The leatherwood honey with Polynesian vanilla dessert was even better this time. The first time it was simply amazing and one of the best I have ever tried.
Now it reached that next level of wow, with the honey’s naturally deep, complex flavours shining through even more.
North Sea Crab – Trombetta Zucchini – Horseradish – Verbena
The wine pairing, usually one of Jordnær’s strongest suits, fell out of touch. A Barbaresco served with the pigeon was a clear mismatch, stripping the wine of character instead of enhancing it.
The final white was excellent but served too cold, only opening up in the end. And the Madeira with dessert clashed completely with Odette’s dessert, Grain de Café.
And another thing, not wine but water. A small but important detail, often overlooked in restaurants: water glasses should be replaced for dessert service. Ours still had a whiff of the North Sea at low tide. We had to ask for new ones.
Kampot Pepper Crusted Pigeon – Hazelnut – Black Garlic – Bao
Then there was the pacing. A lunch that began at two o’clock drifted past seven. Four hours might have worked, but five hours felt endless. By the end, even the service looked tired and distracted.
One guest from the private room received her bill, yet nothing happened. I could see her impatience from my table. Eventually she got up, standing in the dining room trying to settle or sort out something from the bill, and no one was in sight to help.
Grain de Café – Mascarpone – Pecan Praline – Soba Cha
The balance between service, wine pairing, and the tempo of the dishes was simply not there. There were also too many courses, which only stretched the meal further.
The food was absolutely three-star in every way, but the experience itself felt more like an industry happening than a collaboration of two world-class chefs.
When we left, Tina, the restaurant manager, assured us that next time it would be the usual three and a half hours. She has that remarkable charm—a hug and a smile as we walked out. Thanks to her, we might still give it another chance.
Odette Odyssey is Chef Julien Royer’s European tour during the renovation of Odette, his three-star restaurant in Singapore. In Copenhagen, he paired with Eric Vildgaard at three-star Jordnær (16–17 August).
Next stops: Tohru Nakamura in Munich (20–21 August). Hans Neuner at Ocean in the Algarve (5–6 September), and a finale at three-star Lasarte in Barcelona with Paolo Casagrande (12–13 September).
M.22 ‘Pie’ Chardonnay – Tome V, Gaspard Brochet, Écueil, Champagne
2023 Riesling GG “Hipping”, Kühling-Gillot-Guillot, Rheinhessen
NV PNTX20, Pinot Noir, Bollinger, Aÿ, Champagne
2022 Tradition Blanc, Domaine Courbet, Jura, France
2020 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Les Champ-Gains’, Sylvain Morey, Bourgogne, France
2017 Barbaresco Rabajà-Bas, Castello di Verduno, Piemonte, Italy
2015 Gewürztraminer Vendange Tardives ‘Furstentum’, Domaine Weinbach, Alsace, France
NV 10-year Boal Reserve, Barbeito, Madeira, Portugal
