"Iris" is scheduled to open in late spring 2023 and is a unique restaurant in a floating sphere in Norway's Hardangerfjord.
The restaurant is run by Anika Madsen, a Danish chef known for her passion for discovering new marine ingredients and her commitment to sustainability. Until recently she was head chef at the renowned restaurant "Fasangården" in Copenhagen.
The restaurant is located in the middle of the water in a special structure, the "Salmon Eye", which opened in 2022 and focuses on sustainable marine life. The structure has a double-curved ellipsoidal shape, with the silver, spherical dome appearing to float in the middle of the Hardangerfjord. The fjord, just outside the town of Rosendal, is surrounded by stunning mountains and glaciers.
The menu will focus on ingredients from the sea, with an emphasis on sustainability and the challenges of the global food system. The "Salmon Eye" can only be reached by boat, and an evening at the "Iris" becomes an expedition in the truest sense of the word. Twenty-four guests per night sign up for an unforgettable journey that includes an electric boat ride through the fjord followed by an 18-course dinner in a dining room with panoramic views of the fjord, glaciers and mountains. The experience combines gastronomy and, in a way, activism, using only local ingredients. Each dish is related to the farmers, fishermen and producers who provide the ingredients for the dishes. In addition to executive chef Anika Madsen, Nico Danielsen manages service at the restaurant. He has experience from a variety of Copenhagen restaurants such as "Formula B", "Sletten" and "Uformel", "Meyers Madhus" and "Sletten Kro".
The idea, presentation and exclusivity factor of "Iris" are strongly reminiscent of the restaurant "Hawthorne" from the movie "The Menu" (2022), in which Ralph Fiennes as a celebrity chef on an island for thousands of dollars serves an exquisite menu to a few selected guests that truly has it all.
