Misc. Hamburg Eats & Drinks

Currywurst at Edelcurry in Neustadt.

Accompanied by cabbage salad + local Fritz cola at Edel Curry in Neustadt.

More Fritz, this time a lemonade + ginger and lemon tea at De Zmarten Panther in St. Pauli.

Mushroom omelette at De Zmarten Panther in St. Pauli.

Panini, side salad and Orangina at Cafe Knuth in Altona

Fried eggs at Cafe Knuth in Altona.

Small breakfast plate of cheese, cold cuts, butter, and jam at Café Knuth in Altona.

Complementary starter of cacık, acılı ezme, and bread at Öz Urfa in St. Georg.

İskender kebap at Öz Urfa in St. Georg. 

Döner teller at Öz Urfa in St. Georg.

Complementary Turkish, post-dinner tea at Öz Urfa in St. Georg.

German snacks aka at Nagel in St. Georg (we are so classy!)

Addresses

Edelcurry
Große Bleichen, Neustadt

Cheap and decent quality wurst. Large selection of bubbles as accompaniment. Recommended.

de zmarten panther
Marktstraße 3, St. Pauli
Standard but decent café fare. Dirt cheap.

Cafe Knuth
Große Rainstraße 2, Altona

Nice atmosphere and very standard café food.

Öz Urfa

Moorstraßenbrücke 2, St. Georg

Excellent Turkish fare (B, the former Ankara-inhabitant approved!) in simple surroundings. Open pretty much 24/7. Prices are above most other Turkish options but certainly worth it. Highly recommended.

Nagel
Kirchenallee 57, St. Georg

Very mixed clientele and good beer selection. Recommended.

Le Lion - Bar de Paris

Blood & Sand feat. Laphroig 10-year single malt, Carpano Antica Formula and Guignolet de Dijon black cherry liqueur.

Tanqueray Malacca martini with olives on the side.

Trident (aquavit, Cynar and dry sherry) and 20th Century.

Prof. Langnickel (PX Sherry, Guignolet de Dijon, and Morand Kirschbrand) and charcuteri étagère

Le Lion - Bar de Paris
Rathausstraße 3
Altstadt, Hamburg

Notes:
B is a bit of cocktail geek, and when I had announced that I was planning to go to Hamburg for thesis field studies, he was quick to tag along - and make a reservation for us at Le Lion. The bar, which is placed centrally in Hamburg, is regarded as among the most progressive in Europe, headed by Jörg Meyer. Once you enter the bar you however get the impression that this is a classic bar in every sense with lush interiors, old school tunes, and golden hues aplenty. I started off with a Le Lion classic, their twist on (my favorite cocktail) Blood & Sand, here made with 10-year Laphroig. A good drink for sure, and while I am a huge fan of smokey foods and beverages - generally, thing that scratches a bit in my mouth - I felt that the drink did not perfectly manage to tie together the initial smoky taste with the deep, sweet ending. B on the other hand was happy to get to try the limited edition Tanqueray Malacca. He was not overwhelmed (really, while we might be drinking a lot of cocktails, we are by no means experts) but did enjoy it very much and was happy to get to try it - and further I loved the presentation. Next up for me was another classic, 20th century, which turned out to be a pleasant experience. B was a bit more adventurous and asked for something featuring amaro, the result being a Trident including equal parts aquavit, Cynar and dry sherry, leaving me with a very pleased man.

By now the place was getting crowded (with a very mature clientele, inhaling large amounts of G&Ts), and as we had previously heard of a closed section upstairs we kindly asked whether there would be any room for us. Apparently we had not misbehaved so far and were quickly escorted into an elevator taking us a few floors up. By then I had gotten slightly hungry (or at least my tipsy brain was telling me so), so we ordered some snacks, and received a beautiful étagère of pork in different forms (cured and salami - the dried kind this time) and brie de Meaux, which perfectly hit the spot. I once again returned to the menu for inspiration and opted for Prof. Langnickel, featuring Pedro Ximenez sherry, Guignolet and cherry brandy - very indulgent and obviously very sweet, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. B went with a classic, a Manhattan made with Noah's Mill and Carpano, and was again very pleased.

We had a gorgeous experience at Le Lion. Perfectly crafted cocktails, attentive and very knowledgable service and an inclusive and cosy atmosphere. Highly recommended.

Note - Søren Krogh Sørensen has previously worked at Le Lion (and PDT in NYC for that matter) and exercises his cocktail magic in Ourselves Alone in Copenhagen - do make sure to pay him a visit (and if you're feeling adventurous, ask for a Dillinger - you will not regret it!)

Ufer

Pretty flowers, 2 x riesling feinherb and a shaky camera (sorry!)

Plums marinated in red wine, bay leaf and cloves, wrapped in bacon and grilled + hard, shaved cheese and marinated olives.

Classic flammkuchen with sour cream, bacon and onions.

A very German charcuteri assortment including two kinds of soft salami, roastbeef, rilette, wholegrain mustard and lard.

Ufer

Bismarckstraße 151

Eimsbüttel, Hamburg

Notes:

Prior to a night out dedicated to cocktails at Le Lion, B and I decided to go out for a cheap, quick, and casual bite. Ufer provided a lovely setting, being a bit of mix between a café, restaurant and wine bar. We decided to order a bit of everything to share and were quickly started off with two glasses of riesling (0,2l seems to be German standard - dangerous...), some incredibly juicy, bacon-wrapped and grilled plums, a bit of hard cheese (shaved too thinly - a lot of it fell apart between our fingers) and some very average black olives that at least had had the chance to soak some olive oil and spices. Thereafter came the showstopper of the evening, a flammkuchen. Perfectly thin and crisp but with just the right amount of tangy sour cream, smoky bacon and tangy onions to provide a great deal of pleasure in our mouths. The charcuteri board paled a bit in comparison but we both found the German theme rather interesting, almost exotic, with components such as soft salamis (much like a Danish salami really) and lard (really, lard?). All in all, a lovely meal without too much fuss. Service was attentive, the venue rather cosy, and our bill added up to 45 euro-ish for the food and four supersized glasses of wine. Recommended - but don't leave without trying the flammkuchen!

Brook

Off to a good start; crémant de Bourgogne rosé, warm and fluffy rolls and tomato tapenade.

Amuse bouche; a take on traditional Hamburg labskaus, which is corned beef accompanied by gherkin, anchovy, and a fried quail egg.

2nd course (somehow I forgot to snap the 1st!); creamy lemongrass and pea soup with grilled prawns and cress.

3rd course: Fried filet of zander with a Cajun-inspired risotto with chorizo, mushrooms and paprika and a few sugar snap peas.

4th course: Duck breast with sides of spicy cauliflower, sautéed mushrooms, Italian crespelle filled with root vegetable mash and a hearty duck glace.

5th course: Chocolate and mocha variation - including white chocolate parfait, chocolate cake, nougat mousse and espresso jelly.

Brook

Bei den Mühren 91

Altstadt, Hamburg

Notes:
On a brisk Saturday night B and I headed for Brook, which seems to have become an institution among the Hamburg locals. And for good reason - a five-course dinner including accompanying wines, San Pellegrino, and coffee will set you back just 52,5 euro per head. Michelin has also found this to be quite a decent value proposition and has awarded the restaurant with a bib. We decided to go for the whole package, but also to start out with a beautiful glass of crémant de Bourgogne. It was onn the sweeter side for sure, but a pleasant start to our dinner that went well with the amuse, which was a take on a typical Hamburg labskaus. I am not sure exactly how fond I was of the concept of corned beef, gherkin and anchovy but it surely was interesting. The first course, which I somehow forgot to snap a picture of, was grilled salmon, wrapped around sage and served with a Nicoise gremolata featuring potatoes, olives, and tomatos. In our glass, a crisp, mineral riesling from Rings, which accompanied the first three courses. And from here I think I will let the pictures speak their own language. As you can tell, Brook serves tasty and pleasing food with little twists that sometimes seem very 00's. No big surprises, just plain comforting fare, which provided a perfect setting for an evening in good company. Service was extremely competent, the atmosphere was lively and cosy, and clientele mainly local - and for a comforting dinner at a reasonable price tag in Hamburg I feel fairly sure that Brook cannot be beat! Highly recommended.