Relæ was an institution in Copenhagen, in Danmark, and as a restaurant it was part of the whole New Nordic kitchen. Christian Puglisi started Relæ (and Manfreds across the street) in 2010 – and in 2012 it got a Michelin star. But not only that the restaurant was one of the first organic restaurant in the world, truly ahead of its time. In 2020 Michelin introduced the Sustainability Emblem
This was my third and final dinner at Relæ, since the restaurant closed at the end of 2020. And this loss to the restaurant community was speculated immensely at the time. Puglisi had a golden calf, why would he close it? Well this final dinner might explain why. I had some amazing experiences at Relæ, but Puglisi had won much more than he bargained for. The tastes he created with Relæ (and from his experience with quite a few high profile restaurants, like Noma) have become something to experience at quite a few restaurants in Copenhagen. And the concept became tired, with the place and the staff. It was amazing a few years ago, this last dinner was great.
The from farm to dinner was exceptional a few years back (like Blue Hill in New York), now it’s the standard. And the world is a better place.
Relæ was cheap, nice and will be missed. But maybe it is best in memory.
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