Restaurant Iris at the Salmon Eye | Sustainable seafood in a spectacular setting

7-8-2023

Restaurant Iris, with Danish chef Anika Madsen at the helm, is a venue like no other. Iris opened late spring 2023, and is located inside the glittering, floating orb Salmon Eye in the Hardanger fiord, just outside the town of Rosendal. It will take guests on an exclusive Expedition Dining-journey, impossible to replicate anywhere else. The experience centre Salmon Eye, themed on sustainable marine life, was inaugurated in 2022.

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Experience centre Salmon Eye

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 fjord, 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 was unveiled, when the fine dining restaurant Iris with Head Chef Anika Madsen at the helm did open its doors.

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Restaurant Iris & chef Anika Madsen

Chef 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 restaurant Iris

The menu at restaurant 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 1-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 initiated and owned by the Eide Fjordbruk

Salmon Eye is initiated and owned by the Eide Fjordbruk, the world’s first and only CarbonNeutral® certified 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. “Restaurant 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.

Restaurant Iris 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 fiord by electric boats, followed up by an 18-course dinner in a dining room with a panorama view over the fiord, glaciers, and mountains.  Check out their website for more details.

It made us think of the first under water restaurant ‘Under’ in Lindesnes, Norway about which we wrote back in 2019. Since then this restaurant gained a Michelin star.  

Website: Restaurant Iris

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