NORWAY: Restaurant Iris, with Danish Chef Anika Madsen at the helm will open its doors later this spring inside the glittering floating orb Salmon Eye in the Hardanger fjord. It will take guests on an exclusive expedition dining-journey which is impossible to replicate anywhere else. The experience center Salmon Eye, themed on sustainable marine life, was inaugurated in 2022. The stunning double-curved ellipsoid design is inspired by the shape of a fisheye, and the silvery orb-structure seems to be floating in the Hardanger fiord, exposed to the wild elements of nature, surrounded by the spectacular Norwegian nature with fjords, mountains and glaciers.
In late spring, the full potential of the beautiful structure will be unveiled, when the fine dining restaurant Iris with Head Chef Anika Madsen at the helm opens its doors.
Anika Madsen is well known for her passion for discovering new ingredients from the ocean, and her commitment to sustainability. Until recently she held the position of Head Chef at the lauded restaurant Fasangården in Copenhagen.
“It has always been close to my heart to lift the less known sustainable ingredients into the spotlight. If I discover an ingredient that will lead to a greener future, I am not afraid to push boundaries. But to convince people to love it, it needs to be truly delicious,” says Anika Madsen.
The menu at Iris reads like a story. A story about the challenges and threats to the global food system, but also with ideas and suggestions for future innovations, that can help bring us closer to solving them. Madsen has worked in several top Copenhagen kitchens, such as the star restaurant Formel B and in several Kadeau group restaurants. Before her stint as Head Chef at Fasangården, she headed the acclaimed restaurant Roxie, where her cooking earned her the nickname “the umami queen”.
For Anika, leaving Copenhagen and settling on the tiny island of Sniltsveitøy, this venture is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get as close as humanly possible to the bounty of the sea.
“Here on the Norwegian coast, I can explore a whole universe below the surface that I could only dream of in Copenhagen. This region offers some of the cleanest and most exciting seafood produce in the world. I am especially looking forward to working with ingredients like the invasive red sea urchin and all kinds of local seaweed and presenting them as a part of a fine dining experience. There is also a plethora of regional products like game meat, sheep’s milk, and ciders that will have natural spots on the menu,” Anika Madsen continues.
Salmon Eye was launched by Eide Fjordbruk, the world’s first and only Carbon Neutralcertified salmon producer.
“To feed the future we need to tap into the vast potential of the oceans, not only when it comes to develop technologies for more sustainable food production, but also when it comes to creating the best food memories that inspires people to explore the possibilities below the surface,” says Sondre Eide.
“Iris is all about our vision “setting the standard for the future of aquaculture”. To make this happen, we need the best people within their respective fields, whether it be on the farms or in the kitchen. It is inspiring to meet people like Anika that shares the same passion for always improving,” Sondre continues.
The name Iris alludes to the restaurant’s placement in the middle of the “fisheye” structure but also carries the symbolic weight of the Greek goddess Iris, a messenger goddess transcending the realms of the seas and the heavens.
The restaurant will be located inside the stunning structure Salmon Eye in the heart of the Hardanger fiord, just outside the town of Rosendal. It is only accessible by boat, and an evening at Iris will be an expedition in the true meaning of the word. 24 guests per night will sign up for an unforgettable journey encompassing experiencing the fjord by electric boats, followed up by an 18-course dinner in a dining room with a panorama view over the fjord, glaciers, and mountains.
The experience blends gastronomy and activism on a global scale – by presenting the most local ingredients possible. In every dish, there is a connection to the unique farmers, fishermen, and producers that provide the ingredients for the dishes.
Joining Head Chef Anika Madsen and leading the front of house at the restaurant is restaurant manager Nico Danielsen, with experience from a plethora of Copenhagen restaurants such as Formel B, Sletten and Uformel, Meyers Madhus, and Sletten Kro.
Salmon Eye is an experience center dedicated to inspiring and informing the world on how to better feed the planet with sustainable seafood. Visually stunning, with its double curved ellipsoid design, Salmon Eye is one of the world’s largest enterable floating art installations, with a weight of 1 256 tonnes, a diameter of 25 meters, and an area of 1 000.6 m2 divided over four levels, one of which is underwater.
71% of the earth’s surface is covered with water, but only 2 % of the world’s per capita food consumption originates from the sea. UN estimates that we are going to need 56 % more food to feed 10 billion people by 2050. At the same time, land usage cannot increase, and carbon emissions have to be lowered by 67 %.
Sondre and Erlend are third generation fish farmers in the family business Eide Fjordbruk. They build on the legacy of their father, Knut Frode, and is together with their team spearheading new ventures like Salmon Eye, carbon neutral salmon and developing new technologies.
Eide has strong emphasis on sustainability and innovation where they amongst other things are working on their own platform for aquaculture called, Watermoon. The goal is to produce more food with higher quality and less impact.
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