A long way from Hamburgers!

14 Aug 2012: A friend's wedding in Denmark put Hamburg on the map for us - so we decided to visit this northern German city, en route to Kusaa, Denmark. Despite the large-scale devastation in the Second World War, the city has very handsomely rebuilt itself, while retaining a little of the old worldly charm - the promenades, the galleries, the harbour, lakes and canal.

View of the Binnenalster from our hotel

We stayed at the Fairmont (or better known by the locals as the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten or the Four Seasons Hotel). It was very well-situated, facing the Binnenalster (or Inner Alster) and right in the middle of the chic shopping area, with a good spread of charming Italian ice-cream parlours/cafes and Starbucks to offer well-deserved respite to weary tourists and shoppers. We arrived on a gorgeous day, with balmy weather, brilliant sun and a light breeze that kept refreshing the ripples off the shimmering surface of the Binnenalster. Find yourself a nice table at one of the cafes along the Binnenalster, order a beer or ice cream sundae, and you will be wanting for nothing more (at least for a couple of hours), against the backdrop of the cawing of seagulls and the chatting of merry holiday-makers. For a bit of culture, we highly recommend the Hamburger Kunsthalle which boasts a comprehensive collection of paintings and sculptures from Old Masters to impressionists and modern art, plus the occasional special exhibition (Alice in Wonderland at the moment).


The food scene was most gratifying. We had some great meals there and we highly recommend Landhaus Scherrer and Restaurant Seven Seas, the gourmet restaurant at the Süllberg Hotel (www.suellberg-hamburg.de). We thought we didn't do too badly on the wine front, given how little we both knew about German wines - Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book came to the rescue (yes, we carried it around!)

At Landhaus Scherrer, we were very well-looked after by the female maitre-d'. She very patiently explained to us the different dishes which interested us and very happily changed our bottle of wine when it didn't taste quite right. The amuse bouche was a composition of tomato dishes: from an intensely flavoured tomato consomme topped with some tomato-flavoured foam to tomato-flavoured sorbet and a tomato-flavoured cream. For starter, I had a delicately-flavoured bouillabaisse with a clear broth and very fresh fish and mussels, aromatically lifted with the addition of fresh basil leaves. Richard had a lobster salad which he said was the best he'd had for a long time! For main courses, we both had fish. Richard had a turbot dish with broad beans and I had a steamed trout-like fish, with a bean stew and mire-poix, the sauce lightly scented with rosemary. It was so delicious - the fish was very tender and moist and the beans added complexity to the texture. Truly excellent.



Gorgeously delicately flavoured bouillabaisse



Trout dish at the Landhaus Scherrer



Steamed trout with bean stew

As for the wine, we ordered a bottle of 2010 Westhofen Morstein Riesling Trocken GG, Weingut Wittmann. Wittmann is based in Rheinhessen, practising biodynamic viticulture since 2004 (www.weingutwittmann.de). Morstein is one of 4 top vineyard sites in Westhofen where the Wittmanns have land under vines. It is situated on the south-facing slope that stretches from Gundersheim to Westhofen. The subsoil consists of massive limestone rocks. Pale gold, quite an open nose, with good intensity of peach, grapefruit and lime blossom, with some honey notes. Very lively acidity and a certain austerity giving away its young age, revealing much complexity on the palate, with a chewy texture. A complete wine with a lovely long firm and minerally finish. Drink now and over next 10+ years. 17/20

We asked if they had a half bottle of Rudolf Fürst (www.weingut-rudolf-fuerst.de) to offer, as we learnt from our 'bible' that Fürst (based in Franken) was arguably the best producer of Spatburgunder, in an almost Burgundian style. (I thought this would keep Richard happy!) They didn't have but the maitre-d' very kindly opened a bottle of 2009 Parzival, Furst and offered a glass to Richard. A very generous gesture! Parzival is a red wine blend of Pinot Noir and Domina (a crossing between Portugieser and Pinot Noir). It was indeed a tasty drop, well-balanced with a medium body and notes of red fruit, underbrush, game and savoury minerality, and became our benchmark red! I can't wait to try other signature wines by Paul Fürst: the Weissburgunder, labelled as the most Burgundian white in Germany; the Frühburgunder (a mutation of Pinot called Pinot Madeleine) which has its own following and his top drop, the Spätburgunder Spätlese R (from Bürgstadter Centgrafenberg with its south-facing moderate to steep sites of cool sandstone and loam content). Paul had to leave his viticultural studies at Geisenheim at the age of 21 when his father Rudolf suddenly passed away. He has since established a name for himself as the winemaker who turned the world's attention to Spätburgunder from Germany - his 1990 served blind at a wine tasting was mistaken for a Burgundy wine from Beaune. Fermentation on skins and maturation in French oak count amongst his vinification techniques.

View of the Elbe from the terrace at Deck 7, Sullberg Hotel

Our next dinner was at the gourmet restaurant at the Süllberg Hotel called Seven Seas. Richard found this place from the Michelin Guide but it wasn't very clear that it was part of a hotel in the suburbs, miles out of Hamburg City Centre. In fact, if you wanted the perfect view of the River Elbe, you should dine at Deck 7 instead because the tables are on the exposed terrace and offer an excellent view of the river. At the gourmet restaurant, the tables were a bit more tucked inside but we did nevertheless get a glimpse of the River Elbe (without straining too much the neck muscles).



Sole with field mushrooms, pea puree and smokey potato



Turbot dish at Restaurant Seven Seas

We were very well looked again by a knowledgeable sommelier and friendly waiting staff. Our only complaint was that we were given far too many amuse-bouches! There were 3 platters/dishes that came before our proper starter! The first was a platter of a few bits and bobs, including a tube of crustacean broth which was really tasty, and a tiny baked potato with braised pork. Then came a monkfish carpaccio which neither of us ate. Then we were given another dish which we felt that we'd better eat before we would be served the food we actually ordered. For starter, Richard had a langoustine dish which again was pretty near perfect, and I had a lovely green salad. For main course, I had the sole with field mushrooms, spinach and a rich truffle sauce. Richard had the turbot. Both dishes were excellent and prepared with the freshest ingredients. We really were very impressed by the quality of the food.

For wine, we chose a 2010 Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle, Riesling Trocken GG, Weingut Hermann Dönnhoff (Nahe). It was more austere and vibrant than the previous night's Wittmann. Citrus, honey and ripe peach notes on the nose. A lovely savoury minerality on the well-textured palate, with plenty of acidity, leading to a nice long refreshing finish. Nicely weighty, with great balance. A harmonious wine with class and elegance. Drink now and over next 10+ years. 17.5/20

We did return to Hamburg on our back from the wedding in Denmark, and we stayed another night at the Fairmont. We arrived in time for a late lunch at Le Plat du Jour, in the Old Town. Of course, we took ages to find it....as it's tucked inside a little street within what looked like the Financial District. Richard had the seabass of the day and I ordered the traditional chicken liver salad - it was yummy if a little too smothered in rich sauce (I needed the restorative effect and the umame flavours of chicken liver after indulging on too much of the lipsmacking 2008 Tignanello at the wedding banquet the previous night!). Good hearty French bistro fare in the middle of Hamburg! For dinner, we ate at the Grill at the hotel, but food was nowhere near as good as at the other restaurants we tried. My pike perch was overcooked and Richard's steak was rather tough. The side dishes were tasty though - the bean cassoulet and the pan-fried chanterelles were both delicious. We would have tried the gourmet restaurant (Restaurant Haerlin) if it weren't closed for holiday. Our white wine choice was a half bottle of 2011 Kiedrich Grafenberg Riesling Trocken, Weingut Robert Weil. Green apple and citrus. It could do with a bit more age. This was followed by a half bottle of 2009 Parzival.

Hamburg gave us a really pleasant surprise and if you could call it disappointment, it was that we didn't have a single hamburger!

As a side note, do check out this hotel in Denmark, just across the border from Germany, Fakkelgaarden (www.fakkelgaarden.dk) in Kollund, Kusaa. It was a really charming hotel, with only 26 suites all facing the Flensburg Fjord, a gourmet restaurant and a very well-stocked cellar. It also offers cooking classes. I took this picture just before 6 in the morning - the warm glow of dawn in Nordic serenity.