Piano notes tinkle in the background and the aroma of brown butter wafts through the air as Habi Khaliqdad delicately garnishes a slice of soy-glazed narwhal with puffed bacon.<\/p>\n
For seven years, the 33-year-old chef has been living north of the Arctic Circle with one obsession, tattooed on his right arm: to earn Greenland’s first Michelin star.<\/p>\n
The prestigious restaurant guide will hand out its accolades to restaurants in the Nordic region on Monday.<\/p>\n
Through the bay window of the Ulo restaurant in Ilulissat, the view fades into the snow and the ice fjord beyond, its giant icebergs drifting out to sea.<\/p>\n
Khaliqdad stands out with his angular, smiling face, arms covered in tattoos, and a steady stream of swear words always being used. He often questions why anyone would take on his challenge.<\/p>\n
Just getting supplies is one mountain to climb.<\/p>\n
In late March, when the winds have shifted, the pack ice closes up, forcing fishermen to leave. Khaliqdad cannot get his hands on redfish, a large fish with tender flesh.<\/p>\n
The menu includes “Qaqortoq lamb sweetbreads with Italian white truffle and onion jus”. None of these ingredients can be found in Ilulissat however.<\/p>\n
On this harsh land almost devoid of agriculture, the lamb travels nearly 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) from southern Greenland to reach Ilulissat by boat or plane.<\/p>\n
“If there’s a storm … you have to wait,” Khaliqdad said.<\/p>\n
Airplanes are at the mercy of blizzards, cargo ships of the pack ice which cuts Ilulissat off for most of the winter.<\/p>\n
Khaliqdad, who has to import nearly everything, embodies the juxtaposition of modern-day Greenland: a land of opportunities, but with many constraints.<\/p>\n
– Finding himself –<\/p>\n
But Khaliqdad stands out behind the high-gloss walls of the restaurant in the Hotel Arctic.<\/p>\n
After a life marked by loss, hardship and addiction, the Dane of Afghan origin found salvation in the kitchen.<\/p>\n
As a teenager, he started out as a dishwasher.<\/p>\n
“It was French food that gave me this energy in the beginning,” he recalled.<\/p>\n
He devoured the books of famed French chef Paul Bocuse, and started working as a kitchen hand before moving up through Copenhagen’s most prestigious establishments, where he was a finalist for the 2017 Chef of the Year award.<\/p>\n
Of the 263 restaurants in the Nordic Michelin Guide, 37 in Denmark have stars.<\/p>\n
The small country, long known for its heavy fare, has become a temple of European gastronomy. But that wave has yet to cross the Labrador Sea.<\/p>\n
“My boss told me, ‘Go to Greenland, man. It’s cold and you’ll find yourself’,” Khaliqdad said.<\/p>\n
In debt, he exiled himself in the Danish autonomous territory to rebuild his life.<\/p>\n
– ‘Think local’ –<\/p>\n
On the Italian-made kitchen island, his Japanese knife finely slices narwhal, reindeer and ptarmigan.<\/p>\n
When he first arrived, he dived into botany books, searching for new flavours to lighten up the rustic Greenlandic, meat-heavy cuisine.<\/p>\n
In the end, it was Stella, a hotel cleaning lady, who told him where to gather mushrooms and angelica plants.<\/p>\n
In summer, during the few snowless weeks, he and his team roam the rocky hills.<\/p>\n
“I learned to not think about Nordic, European, Michelin cuisine. I have to think about this country’s cuisine,” he said.<\/p>\n
– Gastronomy capital –<\/p>\n
In the restaurant, tourists, in stylish apres-ski gear, finished off their desserts, their glassware and cutlery clinking.<\/p>\n
Nearly 50,000 tourists visit this town of 5,000 inhabitants every year to gaze at the icebergs.<\/p>\n
Ilulissat, Greenland’s tourism capital, now aims to become a good food haven as well, with a culinary school project recently launched.<\/p>\n
In October, the opening of a new international airport is expected to lead to a doubling of the number of visitors.<\/p>\n
“Maybe they can help me with this small dream I have in my body, you know?” he said, touching the star tattooed on his arm.<\/p>\n
For now, travel to Greenland is costly and tricky, even for Michelin inspectors.<\/p>\n
Khaliqdad also struggles to hire local staff, as few Greenlanders have the proper training.<\/p>\n
The winters are difficult, too. A few years ago, one young kitchen hand committed suicide, a stark reminder of the social woes on the Arctic island.<\/p>\n
“It’s hard. It’s fun. It’s sadness too, man… It’s odd.”<\/p>\n
He carries on, thinking of his guiding star.<\/p>\n
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