With their two Michelin stars, which the restaurant received just a couple of months after opening its doors in 2023, Stefan Doubek and Nora Pein have quickly established Restaurant Doubek as one of Austria’s most compelling gastronomic destinations.
Author: Caroline Sølver
This summer, they bring their cuisine to Copenhagen for a residency at Tivoli’s Pagoda from June 13 to July 11 to serve an experience that translates their philosophy beyond Vienna.
Falstaff: You describe your stay at Tivoli as a residency rather than a pop-up. Why is that distinction important to you?
Stefan Doubek: A pop-up can happen anywhere, even in a container on the street. A residency feels different. It’s more elegant. You move into a place, and you become part of it for a while.
Nora Pein: It also reflects the level of what we are doing here. It’s not something temporary in a casual way, it’s a real restaurant experience taking place for almost a month.
Falstaff: How did the residency at Tivoli come about?
Nora Pein: We were simply asked, and we felt very honored. We are the first Austrian restaurant to be invited, which made it even more special for us.
Stefan Doubek: From the beginning, we had a very good feeling. The team here showed us how much they support us, and that made the decision easy.
Falstaff: This is your first project of this kind. What excites you most, and what makes you nervous?
Nora Pein: Both, actually. We are super curious, but also super nervous. We are very organized people, so we like to plan everything. But here, there are things you cannot fully control.
Stefan Doubek: And that’s also a good thing. It pushes us out of our comfort zone. We can learn a lot from this experience. We are fully committed and will close Restaurant Doubek in Vienna while we’re in Copenhagen, as we need to be able to fully focus on the residency and also bring our team with us.
Falstaff: How do you translate a two-Michelin-star experience into a new and temporary setting?
Stefan Doubek: Two Michelin stars are not about the chairs or the room. They are about the food. The flavors, the emotions, the precision, the passion. And that we can bring everywhere. In that sense, this residency will be an experience that can equip us to do more residencies or other events all over the world.
Nora Pein: Of course, it will not be exactly our restaurant. But it will still be our philosophy.
Falstaff: Will the menu be the same as in Vienna?
Stefan Doubek: No, we will bring our DNA but offer something slightly different. Some dishes we can bring, others we adapt, and some will be completely new.
Nora Pein: In the end, it will be a combination that shows our flavors and our emotions, but not a copy of Vienna.
Falstaff: You also offer both lunch and dinner at the Pagoda. What is the idea behind that?
Nora Pein: We want to give as many guests as possible the chance to experience our cuisine.
Stefan Doubek: The lunch is a shorter version of the dinner experience, so guests can get to know our style without spending the whole evening. But the DNA is the same.
Falstaff: Fire is central to your cuisine. What happens when you cannot fully recreate that element?
Stefan Doubek: That is the biggest challenge. We have to rethink how we cook.
Nora Pein: But it’s important to say: we are not about smoke. Fire is an element we work with. It gives depth, not just flavor.
Stefan Doubek: Fire is feeling, fire is emotion, but I am excited for the challenge to recreate Doubek in Copenhagen. It will not be a copy or an imitation, but DNA and inspiration.
Falstaff: Your dishes are often reduced to just a few elements. Why is simplicity so important to you?
Stefan Doubek: Because when you reduce a dish to the minimum, you have nothing to hide. Every second, every degree matters.
Nora Pein: It’s also about confidence. You have to trust that what you do is enough.
Stefan Doubek: Many dishes look very simple, but when you taste them, they are full of complexity. That’s what we are aiming for. And a key part of that is trusting yourself and being self-confident in what you do. Believing in your precision in the craft - that’s the foundation of nailing the simplicity in a dish.
Falstaff: How do you know when a dish is complete?
Stefan Doubek: When nothing can be taken away anymore. When you reach the purest taste.
Nora Pein: And when every step, from preparation to serving, is perfectly aligned. The service plays an equally crucial role in this precision. The kitchen and service operate as one system, where timing is everything. I can hear what is happening in the kitchen, and when I hear certain sounds, I know exactly where we are in the process and the second the dish has to be served to reach perfection.
Falstaff: Your collaboration is very close. Kitchen and service as one. How does that shape the experience?
Nora Pein: Kitchen is hospitality, and hospitality is kitchen. It doesn’t work without the other.
Stefan Doubek: It’s one heart, one soul. We don’t separate it. We run an open kitchen in Vienna, so the whole process from kitchen to service is visible and part of the experience.
Nora Pein: Behind it all lies an unusually seamless partnership. We have worked together for over a decade, building both the restaurant and our lives side by side.
Stefan Doubek: We never made rules about the collaboration and working together. We just share the same ideas.
Falstaff: You have a strong connection to Copenhagen. What does it mean to return?
Stefan Doubek: It’s one of our favorite cities. We’ve been here many times.
Nora Pein: It doesn’t feel like coming back to work. It feels natural to be here.
Stefan Doubek: And the products are incredible. The seafood, the vegetables, they’re some of the best in the world, and we are beyond excited about using the ingredients in the menu at the Doubek Pagoda residency.
Falstaff: Are there specific Danish ingredients you are excited to work with?
Nora Pein: Strawberries, asparagus, and the new Danish potatoes.
Stefan Doubek: The timing for the residency is perfect. Everything is in season. And we will definitely use that in the menu.
Falstaff: Your restaurant received two Michelin stars very quickly. Has that changed your approach?
Stefan Doubek: We are very honored. But for us, we are still in the beginning.
Nora Pein: We have many ideas and plans. It’s not just about the stars, but it’s about developing our own work further.
Falstaff: If you had to describe the experience guests can expect in Tivoli in a few words, what would it be?
Stefan Doubek: We bring our heart and our soul from Vienna to Copenhagen.
Nora Pein: And no matter where we are, it is always our DNA.
