Update: Chef Rasmus and Lykke Metzger ran into my review and reached out within a week. I genuinely did not expect it whatsoever, but Lykke went far, far above and beyond to speak with me directly. She was super apologetic and gracious, and from the short conversation we had, I got a deep sense of the ethos and responsibility that she and Chef Rasmus feel for Alchemist, and it felt like a microcosm of how much they genuinely do care about every diner.

I was honestly a bit emotional about Lykke's level of conscientiousness to reach out for a direct chat, and I'm honored she took time not only to apologize, but also try to understand what had led to my reaction. I was able to share my concerns and recollections around the impressions that could have triggered the allergy, and I felt confident by the end that they would take care to ensure this would never happen again. While it was uncomfortable that night, it was humbling to see how they felt the buck stopped at the top, and unbelievable how they reached out to make things right. Thank you for a great experience there, but even more so for your warmth and understanding months later.

Original review (slightly amended, I feel I was unnecessarily harsh initially as I was a bit overemotional): It was a unique experience, and my first exposure to ultra fine dining both in general and in Copenhagen. It's best to go in with no preconceived notions and really lean into the theater and spectacle of it all. It's a dinner like none other and a singular dining memory.

The presentation and scope of the impressions was very maximalist, which some of my party felt was somewhat unfocused and not quite cohesive, but I think it was appropriate for the overall feeling and encounter. The pairing generally was quite good with the dishes, and every one was very enjoyable.

Our hosts were deeply knowledgeable: if you want to know more about the ingredients, concept, and execution of the dishes, they seemed to know absolutely everything. Wonderful service and I have no doubt each and every person could give a TED talk if we wanted to ask them, yet they were also absolutely approachable and attentive.

That being said, there were several dishes that triggered my allergies, most likely dairy protein, and by the end of the night my lips had swelled almost comically, and my throat was really uncomfortable. The staff assured me that every precaution had been undertaken, and they were very apologetic about it, but said there was absolutely no chance of contamination. I took another allergen blood test afterward which confirmed that all of my allergies were still identical to what I knew (and which I had informed the kitchen beforehand).

As a result, I unfortunately just cannot give it a full rating. I also had the wonderful opportunity to dine at Jatak, Alouette, Kadeau, and miscellaneous other restaurants while in Copenhagen, and this was the only place at which I experienced multiple serious allergic reactions. The other restaurants also did substitutions, e.g. non-dairy chocolate, but I didn't have any allergic reactions whatsoever at the other establishments. My only conclusion is that there must be some level of contamination, there is mislabeling by a supplier, or there is a misunderstanding (it was unclear but it seemed like there might have been misinterpretation of milk protein allergy vs lactose-free).

The staff was really gracious, but I felt a bit taken aback since they were adamant there were no issues; I understand the trust in the kitchen, but as a diner, the experience left me seriously uncomfortable for several days and a bit traumatized on fine dining (thankfully by the end of my trip my faith had been restored). I'm not a confrontational person, so it pained me even to bring anything up. It was really surprisingly to me as I'd been saving up all year for this trip, and the swollen mouth/throat marred my memory. Just thought I'd share for anybody else with significant allergies, I debated writing anything for a while but thought I'd be remiss not to say something.