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By N. A. Ross
It is my first visit to Hamburg and I find the culinary horizons of the city interesting. Of course, Hamburg is a port, and one would expect the food preferences of the locals to be rather broad, compared to other cities in Germany. But the menus of the best restaurants in this town are really as varied and cosmopolitan as any found in major European cities.
As my business associates profess, the best food in town is Mediterranean, Syrian, Moroccan, New French, Austrian, Japanese etc. etc. and very few German kitchens here take high honors. I happen to like German food, but in this case I tend to agree.
My favorite restaurant is Haerlin in the Raffles Hotel Vier Jareszeiten (+49-40-3494-3310). French/Mediterranean cuisine at its best is practiced by Chef Christoph Rüffer in this Michelin-starred restaurant. A dish that impressed me was the truffled strudel of quail and dove breast with white corn foam and sauce perigueux. The staff is well trained and provides gracious service, attentive but not intrusive. The ingredients are of the highest quality. A world-class restaurant in a world-class hotel.
Saliba (+49-40-858-071), The Palace of a Thousand Lights, a Middle Eastern establishment in the Altona district, serves deliciously exceptional Syrian fare. The friendly and very patient staff is happy to assist patrons with limited experience in the cookery of the Near East and the imaginative decor brings to mind the stories of 1001 Nights. If a djin jumps out of your arak bottle, don’t be surprised; it is part of the lore.
Another top toque is reigning at Jacobs, the restaurant at the Hotel Louis C. Jacob (+49-40-8225-5405). Chef Thomas Martin presides over a charming, classically decorated dining room. His cuisine is French inspired Mediterranean, light and contemporary, and he presents imaginative dishes in elegant surroundings. In the summer dinning is also recommended out on the magnificent lime-tree shaded terrace overlooking the Elbe River and the ships that ply its waters.
Excellent quality and outstanding selection are hallmarks of Fischereihafen (+49-40-381-816), a traditional fish house that offers skillfully prepared seafood and fish fare in a daily changing menu made with ingredients so fresh, one knows they were alive the same morning at the nearby auction hall. The Oyster Bar on the second floor serves some of the tastiest bivalves in Germany. My host thought that the interior decor was a bit dowdy; I just think it as classic.
© February 2007 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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