My first bite at one of the most preeminent vegan restaurants in the world is a mouthful of jellied seaweed. A familiar, oniony bite melds with the refreshing flavors of the sea, along with cucumber and salted Japanese plums. The first course—made with ingredients picked up, literally, along the shores of Copenhagen that morning—opens the palate, my waiter tells me, before I’m set to dive into the rest of the evening’s celebration of regional and seasonal cuisine.
This is the common thread throughout Ark’s impressive nine-course menu. Most of the ingredients come from Copenhagen and its surrounding regions. Imported wine from around Europe is the only exception, but even then, the bottles arrive by way of a fleet of 18th-century distribution ships sailing across the Baltic. The restaurant’s staff picks them up at the harbor by bike—all in the name of lowering their carbon footprint.
Ark is at the upper
