Photo: TikTok & HBO
Life imitates art.
By Victoria Soliz — Written on Jan 14, 2023
Life imitates art — or in this case, vice versa.
After the announcement of the closure of the popular high-end restaurant, Noma, many have begun to share their own experiences with the fine-dining restaurant.
A woman shared her experience dining at Noma, which many are saying seems similar to the movie ‘The Menu.’
The video was shared by TikTok user @mrsmedrios, who highlighted her own experience dining at Noma.
The world-renowned restaurant announced it was closing its doors come 2024, as reported by The New York Times and while it is known as the "world's best restaurant," customers may not agree!
“If you’re wondering how does one get into one of the most prestigious restaurants in the world, the answer is super easy: get on a waitlist,” Medrios explains.
She takes us through her dining experience, where it began with a tour of the greenhouse Noma uses in their dishes.
Then came the different assortment of delicious unconventional foods including a drink you have to bury your face into to get the ‘full experience.’
Many are calling the movie ‘The Menu’ a parody of Noma.
After watching the TikTok, users in the comments noticed striking similarities to ‘The Menu’ — a 2022 thriller set in an exclusive fine dining restaurant.
The film follows a group of people as they travel to a remote island to experience the most expensive fine-dining experience of their lives, with a little bit of a twist of course. It pokes fun at the restaurant industry and foodie culture.
Just like Noma, ‘The Menu’ showcases different parts of the restaurant like a greenhouse, farmhouse, and state-of-the-art equipment all used for the experience.
While many noticed the parallels between the fictional restaurant and the all too real one, screenwriters Will Tracy and Seth Reiss explained that there was more to it than that.
While sitting down with Bon Appetit, Tracy explained that inspiration actually came from a restaurant he visited on a remote Norwegian island.
“There’s something relentless about all of these tasting menus,” he said. “You can’t leave. You’re being held hostage by a story which they’re telling for hours.”
Now, many are speculating the movie’s success was the downfall of Noma.
While it’s mainly just speculation (and jokes), people are wondering if the film helped fuel Noma’s closing.
“Noma is closing because its labor practices are unsustainable and now I’m down a hole, furiously researching whether The Menu went into production before or after this happened,” one user tweeted.
People also are using this news to call out Noma’s unfair practices towards they’re employees (similar to the film), including underpaying their staff, unethical harvesting procedures, and inflicting massive trauma on their chefs.
So, if you have over $1,000 to spare and want to get a taste of Noma’s food before it closes, take a note from Anya Taylor-Joy’s character in the film: ask for a burger to go.
Victoria Soliz is a writer with YourTango who covers news and entertainment content. Her work explores pop culture trends, film and TV, and celebrity news