Restaurant 5, 23/08-10
It was a rainy Monday evening in Stavanger. I was walking around randomly downtown, looking for a place to eat dinner. The rain forced me into zipping up my jacket. It was a bit windy too.. Not very pleasant at all. But a man must eat! So I ignored the rain, and stubbornly continued my lonely pursuit for a decent restaurant. Just when I was beginning to consider the possibility of just grabbing some fast food I saw an old familiar place! The Greek restaurant Akropolis! I had been there once before, 2-3 years ago, together with my friends Ellen and Preben, and remembered the wonderful lunch I had there then! I didn't hesitate for a second, but rushed towards the restaurant with great haste!
Inside the restaurant I saw many formally dressed people occupying most of the tables. They were probably in town for the annual ONS conference, the biggest oil conference in Norway. A couple of very busy looking waiters were running around while carrying an impressive number of plates in their hands. One of them noticed the new arrival, and lead me to a small table under the stairway.. I felt a bit like I was stuffed into a box. Very limited space to move arms and legs. Fortunately, the waiter returned shortly after, and asked if I wanted a table on the second floor. I replied: "Yes, I would very much like that"
The meals in the menu all sounded very exotic and unfamiliar to me, and I didn't understand much of it. It was like Greek to me! (Sorry, I had to..) Specialities like Minotauros, El Greka, Gyros and Calamari all sounded tempting, but I chose to go for a slightly less exotic meal, namely Moussaka! Moussaka has become quite common the last few years, and you can buy boxes of easy-to-make Moussaka in the store. However, I cannot recall ever eating a "real" Moussaka. Only the cheap, easy ones.
The Moussaka was very tasty! It consists of minced meat on top of a bed of potatoes and aubergines, topped with white sauce. It looks like Lasagne in many ways, but has got a different taste. A fresh salad with tzatziki accompanied the meal. The Moussaka itself has got a mild taste, so I was relieved to discover that the red onion in the salad added some punch and craziness to the overall experience. I was very satisfied in the end!
My major complaint about restaurant Akropolis is that the first floor is only 1,95 meters high.. So I have to move around very awkwardly in order not to bump my head into things. But It's a bit charming somehow as well. Most Greeks are probably not as tall as me anyway.
tirsdag 24. august 2010
mandag 2. februar 2009
"Hamburg Fine Dining Society" - no 4 - Schlachterbörse
Restaurant 4, 26/01-09, Schlachterboerse
3rd of October is "Tag der Deutschen Einheit", a day of celebration in Germany. This day commemorates the anniversary of German reunification in 1990. I was in Hamburg last time this took place, so naturally I decided to check out the celebrations. In the Speicherstadt area a lot of tents had been put up, each tent having a theme from one of the 16 States of Germany. A lot of traditional German food and drinks was served everywhere. In between all the tents I spotted a small coffee booth and I decided to have myself a cup of this wonderful drink. By coincidence, the girl selling me the coffee had actually lived in Norway, so we started talking a bit. Kathy, that's her name, told me that she was working part time as a waitress in a restaurant called "Schlachterboerse". I hadn't heard about the restaurant at the time, and didn't know anything about it, but oh my would that be about to change!
Not long after this I had to go to North Africa for a month, for work, but when I came back I decided to check out Schlachterboerse. I had read briefly about it on their web site, but I didn't know exactly what to expect. But as soon as I entered the place I knew this would be something out of the ordinary! The place radiated a kind of warmth, like the feeling of coming home after a long time, and the staff and customers all looked like they were part of one big family. I was seated on a long table with a bunch of strangers I had never seen before. As soon as I placed the first piece of steak between my teeth I couldn't help but smiling, realizing I was eating one of the best steaks I'd ever tasted!
This was my first visit to Schlachterboerse, in early November. I have often thought about going back again, but haven't really had the opportunity. But about a week ago I was at my friend Meggan's birthday party, and I started talking with two other friends, Jorma (from Finland) and Pierre (from France), about good restaurants in Hamburg. Pierre looked at me and said "listen Tor, there are many good restaurants in Hamburg, but if you want a really extraordinary steak then nothing compares to Schlachterboerse"! My eyes widened, and I immediately told Pierre that I had actually been there, and that I loved the place! One thing led to another and me, Jorma and Pierre agreed to meet up Monday evening and go there again!
Schlachterboerse is an intimate restaurant, not very large at all. The restaurant has three stories. There is one room in the basement behind the counter, one room right by the entrance, and one room in the very back, a bit elevated from the rest of the restaurant. Not sure if that's actually a good description, but whatever. We were sitting in the main room.. so not the elevated area, and not the basement. The walls are decorated with all sort of stuff! Lots of pictures of famous people who have visited the restaurant, the Bee Gees for example. Behind the counter, close to the ceiling, two big bull horns are hanging on the wall. On one section of the wall they have put up a bunch of money bills from different parts of the world. In order to be on the safe side one should always call ahead and reserve a table before going to Schlachterboerse. I had done that of course, so when we entered the restaurant we already had a table waiting for us. We had a look through the menu and quickly decided on ordering the Chateaubriand medium/rare to share between all three of us. The waitress responded by saying "I knew it! It's the best!". We then got the waitress' recommendations for wine, a 2006 South African red wine, very fruity and not too strong. We also agreed to have some tartar for starter.
The waitress seemed to recognize Pierre, and when Pierre mentioned that he had been to the restaurant a while ago with his parents, the waitress asked Pierre to bring her greetings! She also recognized my face, but when I told her it was only my second time at the restaurant she refused to believe me and said she was sure she had seen me at least 10 times. Perhaps I have a "doppelganger" in Hamburg...
The Chateaubriand at Schlachterboerse is a story for itself! Truly special! You're not just getting a piece of steak on a plate like a usual restaurant, but the waitress brings the whole piece of meet over to your table and cuts it up for you right there and then! The Bearnaise sauce is probably the best Bearnaise I've ever tasted, and the side dishes of friend potatoes and spinnage stew supplements the steak brilliantly. The Chateaubriand is the center of attention though, because the quality of this meat is top notch! It's so tasty and juicy, and almost melts in your mouth! Perfection is a word that comes to mind! Jorma, Pierre and me were really enjoying the meal. I had to close my eyes a few times and just enjoy the moment. Jorma had not been to Schlachterboerse before, but he liked the place immediately, and said he would like to take his parents here one time if possible.
Afterwards, me and Jorma had a dessert consisting of red berries in rum sause with ice cream. Pierre decided to go for the chocolate fondue. A suitable finale!
All in all this was a memorable visit to Schlachterboerse, and we thoroughly enjoyed the evening! Pierre suggested we should do this again. Not necessarily at Schlachterboerse, but another fine restaurant. We're already talking about one particulate seafood restaurant we want to check out. But one thing is for sure, Schlachterboerse hasn't seen the last of me yet...
3rd of October is "Tag der Deutschen Einheit", a day of celebration in Germany. This day commemorates the anniversary of German reunification in 1990. I was in Hamburg last time this took place, so naturally I decided to check out the celebrations. In the Speicherstadt area a lot of tents had been put up, each tent having a theme from one of the 16 States of Germany. A lot of traditional German food and drinks was served everywhere. In between all the tents I spotted a small coffee booth and I decided to have myself a cup of this wonderful drink. By coincidence, the girl selling me the coffee had actually lived in Norway, so we started talking a bit. Kathy, that's her name, told me that she was working part time as a waitress in a restaurant called "Schlachterboerse". I hadn't heard about the restaurant at the time, and didn't know anything about it, but oh my would that be about to change!
Not long after this I had to go to North Africa for a month, for work, but when I came back I decided to check out Schlachterboerse. I had read briefly about it on their web site, but I didn't know exactly what to expect. But as soon as I entered the place I knew this would be something out of the ordinary! The place radiated a kind of warmth, like the feeling of coming home after a long time, and the staff and customers all looked like they were part of one big family. I was seated on a long table with a bunch of strangers I had never seen before. As soon as I placed the first piece of steak between my teeth I couldn't help but smiling, realizing I was eating one of the best steaks I'd ever tasted!
This was my first visit to Schlachterboerse, in early November. I have often thought about going back again, but haven't really had the opportunity. But about a week ago I was at my friend Meggan's birthday party, and I started talking with two other friends, Jorma (from Finland) and Pierre (from France), about good restaurants in Hamburg. Pierre looked at me and said "listen Tor, there are many good restaurants in Hamburg, but if you want a really extraordinary steak then nothing compares to Schlachterboerse"! My eyes widened, and I immediately told Pierre that I had actually been there, and that I loved the place! One thing led to another and me, Jorma and Pierre agreed to meet up Monday evening and go there again!
Schlachterboerse is an intimate restaurant, not very large at all. The restaurant has three stories. There is one room in the basement behind the counter, one room right by the entrance, and one room in the very back, a bit elevated from the rest of the restaurant. Not sure if that's actually a good description, but whatever. We were sitting in the main room.. so not the elevated area, and not the basement. The walls are decorated with all sort of stuff! Lots of pictures of famous people who have visited the restaurant, the Bee Gees for example. Behind the counter, close to the ceiling, two big bull horns are hanging on the wall. On one section of the wall they have put up a bunch of money bills from different parts of the world. In order to be on the safe side one should always call ahead and reserve a table before going to Schlachterboerse. I had done that of course, so when we entered the restaurant we already had a table waiting for us. We had a look through the menu and quickly decided on ordering the Chateaubriand medium/rare to share between all three of us. The waitress responded by saying "I knew it! It's the best!". We then got the waitress' recommendations for wine, a 2006 South African red wine, very fruity and not too strong. We also agreed to have some tartar for starter.
The waitress seemed to recognize Pierre, and when Pierre mentioned that he had been to the restaurant a while ago with his parents, the waitress asked Pierre to bring her greetings! She also recognized my face, but when I told her it was only my second time at the restaurant she refused to believe me and said she was sure she had seen me at least 10 times. Perhaps I have a "doppelganger" in Hamburg...
The Chateaubriand at Schlachterboerse is a story for itself! Truly special! You're not just getting a piece of steak on a plate like a usual restaurant, but the waitress brings the whole piece of meet over to your table and cuts it up for you right there and then! The Bearnaise sauce is probably the best Bearnaise I've ever tasted, and the side dishes of friend potatoes and spinnage stew supplements the steak brilliantly. The Chateaubriand is the center of attention though, because the quality of this meat is top notch! It's so tasty and juicy, and almost melts in your mouth! Perfection is a word that comes to mind! Jorma, Pierre and me were really enjoying the meal. I had to close my eyes a few times and just enjoy the moment. Jorma had not been to Schlachterboerse before, but he liked the place immediately, and said he would like to take his parents here one time if possible.
Afterwards, me and Jorma had a dessert consisting of red berries in rum sause with ice cream. Pierre decided to go for the chocolate fondue. A suitable finale!
All in all this was a memorable visit to Schlachterboerse, and we thoroughly enjoyed the evening! Pierre suggested we should do this again. Not necessarily at Schlachterboerse, but another fine restaurant. We're already talking about one particulate seafood restaurant we want to check out. But one thing is for sure, Schlachterboerse hasn't seen the last of me yet...
"Hamburg Fine Dining Society" - no 3 - Corco Vado
Restaurant 3, 15/01-09, Corco Vado
BACKGROUND: I was sitting around in my hotel room reading some tourist guides, mostly looking at the "dining out" sections, looking for interesting restaurants. Some of the restaurants in the tourist guide sounded pretty cool, like "Restaurant Raven", "Alster Pavilion" and "Corco Vado". However, I wasn't able to decide where I wanted to go so I threw away the tourist guides and went down-town to buy some football training wear. Afterwards I was getting hungry and I was a bit annoyed with myself that I hadn't noted down where some of those restaurants were located. I decided to walk in the direction of "Vapiano", a good Italian place I had been to before, and just keep my eye open for other potentially interesting places. And I was about halfway to "Vapiano" when I discovered a restaurant with a familiar sounding name, "Corco Vado"! I immediately remembered reading about the place in one of the tourist guides and decided to check it out!
FIRST IMPRESSION: I stepped inside the restaurant and was greeted by a bartender. He guided me to the coat stand where I put away my hat and coat. The restaurant was almost empty, only one other table was taken. So I was free to pick whatever table I wanted. In the middle of the restaurant there was a small area that was elevated a bit from the rest of the restaurant, so I took one of the tables there. I realized that the restaurant also had some closed-off rooms you could rent for private parties and such. I later also learned that the restaurant actually has a private two lane bowling alley you can rent! I didn't get to try that out though... I sat down at my table with my back against the wall so I had a perfect overview of the whole restaurant. I noticed a couple of Brazilian flags hanging from the ceiling. The menu also had some Brazilian sounding dishes, so the restaurant definitely had a Brazilian theme going. The sitting areas were devided into booths along the wall, just like an American style diner. A little detail was that each booth had a painted window above the table, so you almost got the feeling you were sitting by a window even though it was only a brick wall. All the chairs and couches were padded with a stunning, intricate flower pattern. The tables were solid wood, and were not decorated with a table cloth. I liked the style of the restaurant. It was quite simple, and not too fancy. 8/10
WAITING TIME: On my previous two restaurant review I have had no complaints about the waiting time, but this time I actually did. Well, it wasn't a bit deal really, I got my food and everything right on time, but after I had finished eating and the waitress had taken away my empty plate I had to wait 20 minutes for the check! Of course, I could probably have asked the bartender to get it for me, but I wanted to see how long it would take for the waitress to walk by me. I have to take away a few points here because of the long wait for the check, but I got the food and everything on time, so I can't give a too negative score. 6/10
STAFF: Staff was friendly, but nothing more. I have to admit that when I'm writing this review now it's been three days since I was at the restaurant. And honestly I can hardly remember the staff. So they didn't exactly leave a big impression on me. I noticed, however, that the waitress messed up the orders from some of the other customers. She forgot some of the stuff they ordered. But I got everything I ordered, so I won't complain. I'll just give 7/10 points for this one. Nothing special, but I don't have any major complaints either.
APPETIZER: I decided to go for the Chorizo appetizer which sounded good. It was two thick South American style sausages with mustard and a small salad on the side. The sausages were really tasty, and they had a lot of meat in them, so it was almost a bit too much as an appetizer. Especially if you, like me, have a big steak or something as the main course. But I was hungry, so I didn't mind having
a big heavy appetizer! 8/10
MAIN COURSE: I decided to try out the "Steak Rio de Janeiro" from the menu. When the waitress took my order I was unsure whether to go for "Steak Rio de Janeiro" and "Steak Cognac - Pepper Sause". So I asked for the waitress recommendation, and she said I should definitely try out "Steak Rio de Janeiro" if I hadn't tried it before. It was more unique than the other one. So I took her advice. The steak was served with home made potato wedges, a salad and a crisp breat on the side. In addition, the steak was served in a pepper sause with mussels in it which was something completely new to me!
I never thought of steak and mussels as a good combination, but it proved to work quite well actually! I was a little bit unlucky with the piece of meat I got, because on one side they hadn't cut away all the excess fat from it. So I had to cut it away myself. But other than that it was a lovely meal! Great potato wedges, crisp buttery bread, and with the excess fat out of the way, the steak was lovely.
8/10
TOTAL VERDICT: Cosco Vado was definitely a place worth checking out, and also a place I'd like to go back to. But probably not alone. I would like to go with a small group of people, and also try out that private bowling area they're supposed to have. The restaurant specializes in both "Fleisch" (meat) and "Fisch" (fish), so it's likely anyone will find something they like here! 7.5/10
BACKGROUND: I was sitting around in my hotel room reading some tourist guides, mostly looking at the "dining out" sections, looking for interesting restaurants. Some of the restaurants in the tourist guide sounded pretty cool, like "Restaurant Raven", "Alster Pavilion" and "Corco Vado". However, I wasn't able to decide where I wanted to go so I threw away the tourist guides and went down-town to buy some football training wear. Afterwards I was getting hungry and I was a bit annoyed with myself that I hadn't noted down where some of those restaurants were located. I decided to walk in the direction of "Vapiano", a good Italian place I had been to before, and just keep my eye open for other potentially interesting places. And I was about halfway to "Vapiano" when I discovered a restaurant with a familiar sounding name, "Corco Vado"! I immediately remembered reading about the place in one of the tourist guides and decided to check it out!
FIRST IMPRESSION: I stepped inside the restaurant and was greeted by a bartender. He guided me to the coat stand where I put away my hat and coat. The restaurant was almost empty, only one other table was taken. So I was free to pick whatever table I wanted. In the middle of the restaurant there was a small area that was elevated a bit from the rest of the restaurant, so I took one of the tables there. I realized that the restaurant also had some closed-off rooms you could rent for private parties and such. I later also learned that the restaurant actually has a private two lane bowling alley you can rent! I didn't get to try that out though... I sat down at my table with my back against the wall so I had a perfect overview of the whole restaurant. I noticed a couple of Brazilian flags hanging from the ceiling. The menu also had some Brazilian sounding dishes, so the restaurant definitely had a Brazilian theme going. The sitting areas were devided into booths along the wall, just like an American style diner. A little detail was that each booth had a painted window above the table, so you almost got the feeling you were sitting by a window even though it was only a brick wall. All the chairs and couches were padded with a stunning, intricate flower pattern. The tables were solid wood, and were not decorated with a table cloth. I liked the style of the restaurant. It was quite simple, and not too fancy. 8/10
WAITING TIME: On my previous two restaurant review I have had no complaints about the waiting time, but this time I actually did. Well, it wasn't a bit deal really, I got my food and everything right on time, but after I had finished eating and the waitress had taken away my empty plate I had to wait 20 minutes for the check! Of course, I could probably have asked the bartender to get it for me, but I wanted to see how long it would take for the waitress to walk by me. I have to take away a few points here because of the long wait for the check, but I got the food and everything on time, so I can't give a too negative score. 6/10
STAFF: Staff was friendly, but nothing more. I have to admit that when I'm writing this review now it's been three days since I was at the restaurant. And honestly I can hardly remember the staff. So they didn't exactly leave a big impression on me. I noticed, however, that the waitress messed up the orders from some of the other customers. She forgot some of the stuff they ordered. But I got everything I ordered, so I won't complain. I'll just give 7/10 points for this one. Nothing special, but I don't have any major complaints either.
APPETIZER: I decided to go for the Chorizo appetizer which sounded good. It was two thick South American style sausages with mustard and a small salad on the side. The sausages were really tasty, and they had a lot of meat in them, so it was almost a bit too much as an appetizer. Especially if you, like me, have a big steak or something as the main course. But I was hungry, so I didn't mind having
a big heavy appetizer! 8/10
MAIN COURSE: I decided to try out the "Steak Rio de Janeiro" from the menu. When the waitress took my order I was unsure whether to go for "Steak Rio de Janeiro" and "Steak Cognac - Pepper Sause". So I asked for the waitress recommendation, and she said I should definitely try out "Steak Rio de Janeiro" if I hadn't tried it before. It was more unique than the other one. So I took her advice. The steak was served with home made potato wedges, a salad and a crisp breat on the side. In addition, the steak was served in a pepper sause with mussels in it which was something completely new to me!
I never thought of steak and mussels as a good combination, but it proved to work quite well actually! I was a little bit unlucky with the piece of meat I got, because on one side they hadn't cut away all the excess fat from it. So I had to cut it away myself. But other than that it was a lovely meal! Great potato wedges, crisp buttery bread, and with the excess fat out of the way, the steak was lovely.
8/10
TOTAL VERDICT: Cosco Vado was definitely a place worth checking out, and also a place I'd like to go back to. But probably not alone. I would like to go with a small group of people, and also try out that private bowling area they're supposed to have. The restaurant specializes in both "Fleisch" (meat) and "Fisch" (fish), so it's likely anyone will find something they like here! 7.5/10
søndag 11. januar 2009
"Hamburg Fine Dining Society" - no 2 - OLD COMMERCIAL ROOM
Restaurant 2, 10/1-09, Old Commercial House - By Michaeli's Kirche
BACKGROUND: 5 days have passed since my last restaurant review. So what happened, have I not been to any restaurants since then? Well, I must admit I have been to a couple of places, but haven't bothered to write a review. So my new year's resolution is already starting to fall apart. But if I tell you that the places I've been to lately have been McDonalds and Starbucks then perhaps you agree that it would be a waste of time writing a review? Anyway, today I decided to go to a place I've been wanting to go to for a while, namely "Old Commercial House". First time I found out about the place was in September 2008 when I did a "Stadtrundfart", which is a guided bus tour around Hamburg. When the tour bus drove past the St. Michael's church I saw a sign across the street from the church saying something like "the best labskaus in Hamburg" or something. Ever since then I've been wanting to try out this lapskaus. Today I finally got the chance to do so!
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: One of the first things to struck me upon entering the restaurant was the social atmosphere. Customers were talking loudly with each other around the tables and laughter was hanging in the air. The waiters and waitresses were also spending time chatting and joking with the customers. One of the waitresses noted the new arrival and guided me to a nice table by the wall, close to a window with a view to the famous Michael's church. The walls were decorated with old black-and-white photos from Hamburg, many of them taken near the restaurant. Several photos were from the early 1900s. Some were photos of guests that had visited the restaurant before. The majority of the photos and interiour had a maritime theme. I liked the atmosphere of the place right away! 9/10 points for first impression.
WAITING TIME: I didn't have to wait long for anything. I was guided to a table just a few seconds after entering the restaurant. I spent a couple of minutes going through the menu, although I already knew what I wanted (labskaus). When the waitress came by I ordered the labskaus, and something to drink. Just a few minutes later everything was served and I was happily eating. Later, the dessert and coffee was also served promtly. 10/10 points, no issues with waiting time.
STAFF: The staff was very friendly. The waitress and waiters were taking time to talk to the customers, and repeatedly walked by to check if everything
was ok. The waitress who served me appologized for not speaking very good English, but this didn't cause any problems or misunderstandings with the orders. The first waiter who guided me to a table said "I have a beautiful table and a beautiful waitress for a handsome gentleman like yourself". I think the waitress was a bit embarassed by that. And I didn't quite know what to say. In my first restaurant review from Block House I mentioned that the staff there didn't really make me feel special, but here in Old Commercial Room I felt the waitress did a better job at it, and I did feel like I was being treated a bit special! I give 9/10 points to the staff here!
MAIN COURSE: The labskaus was served with two eggs, pickels and some red beets. The labskaus had a pinkish colour, and was very smooth. When I think of labskaus I usually think of my dad's labskaus, and that labskaus is usually quite rough, with whole pieces of meet and potatoes and other stuff in it. The labskaus at the Old Commercial Room was not like that, it was completely smooth, almost like mashed potatoes. But I actually think I would've prefered to have some bigger pieces of meat and stuff in it. The taste was good though! It tasted pretty much like I expect a labskaus to taste. But some spices or something would have been good I think. I had to put some salt and pepper on it simply to give it a bit more taste. All in all I was quite happy with it though. I mean, a labskaus is a labskaus, so it would take something really spectacular to blow me away, but I wasn't disappointed either. It was pretty much like I expected. I have to say, though, that just the fact that they are serving labskaus is great! You can't get that in many other restaurants these days! 8/10
Total verdict: Old Commercial Room was a very intimate and friendly restaurant in a great location, just next to St. Michael's church. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay this evening, and will definitely try to go back again later. Before I had even arrived at the restaurant I already knew that I wanted the labskaus, but when looking at the menu I realized that they also have many other interesting fish and meat dishes, so next time I'll try some other stuff. Old Commercial Room has been visited by several famous guests over the years, some examples are John Denver ("country road", "leaving on a jet plane"), Sean Connery, Jethro Tull, Dennis Hopper, The Beatles, Willy Brand, Jack White (White Stripes), etc. So the restaurant must be doing many things right when they are able to attract these kinds of guests!
9/10 points for a great meal at the restaurant!
BACKGROUND: 5 days have passed since my last restaurant review. So what happened, have I not been to any restaurants since then? Well, I must admit I have been to a couple of places, but haven't bothered to write a review. So my new year's resolution is already starting to fall apart. But if I tell you that the places I've been to lately have been McDonalds and Starbucks then perhaps you agree that it would be a waste of time writing a review? Anyway, today I decided to go to a place I've been wanting to go to for a while, namely "Old Commercial House". First time I found out about the place was in September 2008 when I did a "Stadtrundfart", which is a guided bus tour around Hamburg. When the tour bus drove past the St. Michael's church I saw a sign across the street from the church saying something like "the best labskaus in Hamburg" or something. Ever since then I've been wanting to try out this lapskaus. Today I finally got the chance to do so!
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: One of the first things to struck me upon entering the restaurant was the social atmosphere. Customers were talking loudly with each other around the tables and laughter was hanging in the air. The waiters and waitresses were also spending time chatting and joking with the customers. One of the waitresses noted the new arrival and guided me to a nice table by the wall, close to a window with a view to the famous Michael's church. The walls were decorated with old black-and-white photos from Hamburg, many of them taken near the restaurant. Several photos were from the early 1900s. Some were photos of guests that had visited the restaurant before. The majority of the photos and interiour had a maritime theme. I liked the atmosphere of the place right away! 9/10 points for first impression.
WAITING TIME: I didn't have to wait long for anything. I was guided to a table just a few seconds after entering the restaurant. I spent a couple of minutes going through the menu, although I already knew what I wanted (labskaus). When the waitress came by I ordered the labskaus, and something to drink. Just a few minutes later everything was served and I was happily eating. Later, the dessert and coffee was also served promtly. 10/10 points, no issues with waiting time.
STAFF: The staff was very friendly. The waitress and waiters were taking time to talk to the customers, and repeatedly walked by to check if everything
was ok. The waitress who served me appologized for not speaking very good English, but this didn't cause any problems or misunderstandings with the orders. The first waiter who guided me to a table said "I have a beautiful table and a beautiful waitress for a handsome gentleman like yourself". I think the waitress was a bit embarassed by that. And I didn't quite know what to say. In my first restaurant review from Block House I mentioned that the staff there didn't really make me feel special, but here in Old Commercial Room I felt the waitress did a better job at it, and I did feel like I was being treated a bit special! I give 9/10 points to the staff here!
MAIN COURSE: The labskaus was served with two eggs, pickels and some red beets. The labskaus had a pinkish colour, and was very smooth. When I think of labskaus I usually think of my dad's labskaus, and that labskaus is usually quite rough, with whole pieces of meet and potatoes and other stuff in it. The labskaus at the Old Commercial Room was not like that, it was completely smooth, almost like mashed potatoes. But I actually think I would've prefered to have some bigger pieces of meat and stuff in it. The taste was good though! It tasted pretty much like I expect a labskaus to taste. But some spices or something would have been good I think. I had to put some salt and pepper on it simply to give it a bit more taste. All in all I was quite happy with it though. I mean, a labskaus is a labskaus, so it would take something really spectacular to blow me away, but I wasn't disappointed either. It was pretty much like I expected. I have to say, though, that just the fact that they are serving labskaus is great! You can't get that in many other restaurants these days! 8/10
Total verdict: Old Commercial Room was a very intimate and friendly restaurant in a great location, just next to St. Michael's church. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay this evening, and will definitely try to go back again later. Before I had even arrived at the restaurant I already knew that I wanted the labskaus, but when looking at the menu I realized that they also have many other interesting fish and meat dishes, so next time I'll try some other stuff. Old Commercial Room has been visited by several famous guests over the years, some examples are John Denver ("country road", "leaving on a jet plane"), Sean Connery, Jethro Tull, Dennis Hopper, The Beatles, Willy Brand, Jack White (White Stripes), etc. So the restaurant must be doing many things right when they are able to attract these kinds of guests!
9/10 points for a great meal at the restaurant!
"Hamburg Fine Dining Society" - no 1 - BLOCK HOUSE
Restaurant 1, 5/1-09, Block House - Kirchenallee
BACKGROUND: My new year's resolution is to write a restaurant review for every restaurant I visit. Today was the first, and the lucky restaurant to receive my visit was Block House on the Kirchenallee street, right next to Hauptbahnhof Sud in Hamburg. I had been down to the Hauptbahnhof to renew my U-bahn ticket, and afterwards I got hungry and wanted to find a restaurant nearby. When I saw Block House I decided to go there. This wasn't the first time I visited a Block House restarurant in Hamburg, but I hadn't been to this particular one. Still, from my previous visits I knew that Block House served quality food, so this wasn't much of a risk. Block House is a chain of restaurants in Germany. I think there are 34 restaurants in total, and many of them are located in Hamburg. But they also have restaurants in Switzerland, Spain and Portugal.
FIRST IMPRESSION: The entrance to the Block House restaurant is easy to find. Just go to Kirchenallee and look for the big Block House sign (doh!). Upon entering I noticed that the place was quite busy already, even though it was only 17:30 in the afternoon. Several waiters were running around taking orders and serving food. One waiter rushed by me and told me in Germany to just take any table I liked. At least I think that's what he said... So I moved further into the restaurant and found a table pretty much in the middle of everything. The restaurant itself is quite large. One of the first things I noticed when moving a bit into the restaurant was the theatre kitchen where I could watch the chefs prepare the steaks and everything. That's one of the things I really like about Block House! It's quite entertaining to watch the chefs do their work, especially if you're just by yourself like I sometimes am. The style of the interior is plain and simple. White brick walls, and dark wooden paneling some places. Several wine racks were spread around the building. Nothing too fancy about the interiour really. I got the impression that this is a place where the food is in focus, and they haven't put too much effort into making the interior look spectacular. Nothing wrong with putting the focus on the food though! I give 7/10 points for the first impression.
WAITING TIME: Top score on this! I entered the restaurant at 17:20 and sat down at the cozy little table in the middle of the restaurant, quite close to the coat stand actually. Around a minute later I got the menu. I decided on what to order quite fast, and another waitress came by and took my order at 17:30. At 17:33 I got my salad appetizer. I finished it by 17:40. The first waiter then came with the main course at 17:42. Yeah..., I actually had my watch out and took a note of all of these times. Later, after I was finished eating, I got a coffee just a minute after I ordered it, and I also received the check just a couple of minutes after I asked for it. 10/10 points here!
STAFF: I've got no real complaints about the staff. Everytime I needed something I got the staff's attention pretty quickly. It could be because my table was right in the middle of the restaurant, and the waiters/waitresses walked past me all the time, so I didn't have to do more than look at them to get their attention. While I was eating I was left alone, except one time when one of the waiters gave me the mandatory question if everything was alright. I said "sehr gut!",
smiled, and continued eating. I did get the feeling though, that the waiters/waitresses only did precisely what they were supposed to do, and nothing more. To deserve a higher score they would've had to make me feel more special. 7.5/10
APPETIZER: The typical appetizer at Block House is their crispy salad with your choice of dressing. So that's what I took. I've previously had the American dressing with it, but this time I decided to go for the French dressing. Other alternatives are Italian and Greek dressing, and maybe even other types. The salad itself is very basic. Lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, red onions etc. It's a salad that works fine as an appetizer, but doesn't blow you away. I felt like I could easily have made this myself at home in a few minutes. Except the dressing maybe, which is quite good! Anyway, the salad appetizer didn't impress me too much, so no top score for this one. I give it 5.5/10 points.
MAIN COURSE: The first thing that caught my eye when I opened the menu was the "New Year's Cut: Rib-Eye Steak 230g, mit Garlic Mashed Potatoes und
Knoblauchbrot". A red wine from 2006 (didn't get to read where it was from, the waiter took my menu before I got the chance) was also recommended, so I ordered
that as well. And let there be no doubt about Block House abilities to serve steaks, cause this was top notch! The medium cooked steak itself was just as it should be, tender, juicy and very tasty. And the mashed potatoes and garlic butter was a great supplement to the steak, and the tastes complemented each other in a great way. Not to mention the "Knoblauchbrot" which lifted the total experience even higher. The only thing was the "knoblauchbrot" could have been a bit crispier. The red wine was also good. I'm not a wine expert, but this was a very fruity wine with a gentle, but quite short aftertaste. All in all I have almost only positiv things to say about the main course! The only reason I won't give it 10 points is because of the "Knoblauchbrot" wasn't quite crisp enough for me. So 9/10 points on this one.
TOTAL VERDICT: I had a great meal at the Block House. My expectations were quite high, because I've been there before and have liked the food there, and I wasn't disappointed this time either. I would definitely recommend a meal at one of the Block House restaurants to anyone visiting Hamburg. The restaurant itself is quite large and on the night it was very crowded, so the waiters/waitresses were quite busy running around attending all the customers. I got their attention every time I needed it though. The only thing was I got the feeling they were in a rush all the time, and didn't feel like was being treated special in any way. Some places I've been to I do get this feeling, but that's mostly smaller places. Maybe it's the price you pay for being a big restaurant that you can't spend too much time with each customer? Anyway, it wasn't a big deal, and as I wrote in the beginning, I really did have a great meal. 8/10 points.
BACKGROUND: My new year's resolution is to write a restaurant review for every restaurant I visit. Today was the first, and the lucky restaurant to receive my visit was Block House on the Kirchenallee street, right next to Hauptbahnhof Sud in Hamburg. I had been down to the Hauptbahnhof to renew my U-bahn ticket, and afterwards I got hungry and wanted to find a restaurant nearby. When I saw Block House I decided to go there. This wasn't the first time I visited a Block House restarurant in Hamburg, but I hadn't been to this particular one. Still, from my previous visits I knew that Block House served quality food, so this wasn't much of a risk. Block House is a chain of restaurants in Germany. I think there are 34 restaurants in total, and many of them are located in Hamburg. But they also have restaurants in Switzerland, Spain and Portugal.
FIRST IMPRESSION: The entrance to the Block House restaurant is easy to find. Just go to Kirchenallee and look for the big Block House sign (doh!). Upon entering I noticed that the place was quite busy already, even though it was only 17:30 in the afternoon. Several waiters were running around taking orders and serving food. One waiter rushed by me and told me in Germany to just take any table I liked. At least I think that's what he said... So I moved further into the restaurant and found a table pretty much in the middle of everything. The restaurant itself is quite large. One of the first things I noticed when moving a bit into the restaurant was the theatre kitchen where I could watch the chefs prepare the steaks and everything. That's one of the things I really like about Block House! It's quite entertaining to watch the chefs do their work, especially if you're just by yourself like I sometimes am. The style of the interior is plain and simple. White brick walls, and dark wooden paneling some places. Several wine racks were spread around the building. Nothing too fancy about the interiour really. I got the impression that this is a place where the food is in focus, and they haven't put too much effort into making the interior look spectacular. Nothing wrong with putting the focus on the food though! I give 7/10 points for the first impression.
WAITING TIME: Top score on this! I entered the restaurant at 17:20 and sat down at the cozy little table in the middle of the restaurant, quite close to the coat stand actually. Around a minute later I got the menu. I decided on what to order quite fast, and another waitress came by and took my order at 17:30. At 17:33 I got my salad appetizer. I finished it by 17:40. The first waiter then came with the main course at 17:42. Yeah..., I actually had my watch out and took a note of all of these times. Later, after I was finished eating, I got a coffee just a minute after I ordered it, and I also received the check just a couple of minutes after I asked for it. 10/10 points here!
STAFF: I've got no real complaints about the staff. Everytime I needed something I got the staff's attention pretty quickly. It could be because my table was right in the middle of the restaurant, and the waiters/waitresses walked past me all the time, so I didn't have to do more than look at them to get their attention. While I was eating I was left alone, except one time when one of the waiters gave me the mandatory question if everything was alright. I said "sehr gut!",
smiled, and continued eating. I did get the feeling though, that the waiters/waitresses only did precisely what they were supposed to do, and nothing more. To deserve a higher score they would've had to make me feel more special. 7.5/10
APPETIZER: The typical appetizer at Block House is their crispy salad with your choice of dressing. So that's what I took. I've previously had the American dressing with it, but this time I decided to go for the French dressing. Other alternatives are Italian and Greek dressing, and maybe even other types. The salad itself is very basic. Lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, red onions etc. It's a salad that works fine as an appetizer, but doesn't blow you away. I felt like I could easily have made this myself at home in a few minutes. Except the dressing maybe, which is quite good! Anyway, the salad appetizer didn't impress me too much, so no top score for this one. I give it 5.5/10 points.
MAIN COURSE: The first thing that caught my eye when I opened the menu was the "New Year's Cut: Rib-Eye Steak 230g, mit Garlic Mashed Potatoes und
Knoblauchbrot". A red wine from 2006 (didn't get to read where it was from, the waiter took my menu before I got the chance) was also recommended, so I ordered
that as well. And let there be no doubt about Block House abilities to serve steaks, cause this was top notch! The medium cooked steak itself was just as it should be, tender, juicy and very tasty. And the mashed potatoes and garlic butter was a great supplement to the steak, and the tastes complemented each other in a great way. Not to mention the "Knoblauchbrot" which lifted the total experience even higher. The only thing was the "knoblauchbrot" could have been a bit crispier. The red wine was also good. I'm not a wine expert, but this was a very fruity wine with a gentle, but quite short aftertaste. All in all I have almost only positiv things to say about the main course! The only reason I won't give it 10 points is because of the "Knoblauchbrot" wasn't quite crisp enough for me. So 9/10 points on this one.
TOTAL VERDICT: I had a great meal at the Block House. My expectations were quite high, because I've been there before and have liked the food there, and I wasn't disappointed this time either. I would definitely recommend a meal at one of the Block House restaurants to anyone visiting Hamburg. The restaurant itself is quite large and on the night it was very crowded, so the waiters/waitresses were quite busy running around attending all the customers. I got their attention every time I needed it though. The only thing was I got the feeling they were in a rush all the time, and didn't feel like was being treated special in any way. Some places I've been to I do get this feeling, but that's mostly smaller places. Maybe it's the price you pay for being a big restaurant that you can't spend too much time with each customer? Anyway, it wasn't a big deal, and as I wrote in the beginning, I really did have a great meal. 8/10 points.
mandag 5. januar 2009
New year, new possibilities!
It's that time of the year again, when people say good bye to the old, and look forward to what the new year will bring. Some people say it's like closing a chapter in a book and starting on a new one, some say it's like putting the signature on a painting and start painting on a new white canvas.
Some people have new year's resolutions. Especially people who smoke. I think I've had some new year's resolutions myself up through the years, but I can't remember what they were. I've got one this year as well. It's simply to write a restaurant review every time I've been to a restaurant. Which is quite often considering how much I've been traveling lately! So since I'm working in Hamburg at the moment I'm going to start here. I'm pretty sure I'll get bored with it after a while, but I'll give it a go at least!
I'll probably put the reviews out on this blog as well.
Some people have new year's resolutions. Especially people who smoke. I think I've had some new year's resolutions myself up through the years, but I can't remember what they were. I've got one this year as well. It's simply to write a restaurant review every time I've been to a restaurant. Which is quite often considering how much I've been traveling lately! So since I'm working in Hamburg at the moment I'm going to start here. I'm pretty sure I'll get bored with it after a while, but I'll give it a go at least!
I'll probably put the reviews out on this blog as well.
tirsdag 2. desember 2008
Libya, Hamburg, and so on...
My last blogg entry was when I returned to Hamburg from Egypt, around one month ago.
I only spend one weekend in Hamburg before I flew down to Tripoli in Libya to work there for two weeks. Again I travelled with the three Germans from RWE Dea. Marcus, the project manager, was the only one who had been there before. We basically had no idea where we were going to stay in Tripoli. Our worst fear was that we didn't have any hotel reservation at all, but we also had a faint hope that perhaps we would be staying at the Corinthia hotel, maybe the best hotel in North Africa. We got something in between, a decent hotel called Thobacts. Quite small, very disorganized staff, but brand new and very clean.
Work in Libya was less stressful than in Egypt, but we still had to work almost every day. Over the two weeks we stayed there we managed to take two days off, both of them Fridays. One of the days we spent exploring the old part of Tripoli. It was certainly an experience walking through the narrow streets and looking at all the stuff people were selling in the markets. Some streets were filled with small shops selling various spices. The smell was wonderfully exotic! There were also plenty of shops selling fake stuff. Fake iPhones, fake D&G clothes, fake CAT choes, and so on...
The next Friday we went to Leptis Magna, an incredible place! It's one hour's drive outside Tripoli, and is an old Roman city that was destroyed by earthquakes and villains hundreds of years ago. As the years went by the whole city was covered in a thick layer of sand. But recently the old ruins have been excavated, and the old Roman city has been partly restored. So I was walking through the old streets of a once great city, admiring the great triumph arches, tall columns, and of course - the impressive theater! Sitting in the theater looking down upon the stage I let my thoughts drift and imagined being at an old Roman play, surrounded by soldiers, workers, traveling merchants... It was all very impressive!
We were working in Tripoli most of the time, but of course we had a trip out to a drilling rig to set up the system there. This time the rig was out in the desert. It was not the kind of desert with sand dunes, but a very rocky kind of desert. Me and a local Libyan IT guy flew down there, while the Germans drove by car. An 8 hour drive... The plane departed from Tripoli airport and landed in the middle of the desert, at "Mabrouk oilfield", run by the French company Total. We then drove from the airstrip to the oilrig. We stayed out there for 4 days, working quite hard. There wasn't really much else to do out there than work. I found it quite enjoyable though! The temperature was not too hot during the day, and not too cold during the night. And just being out in the desert for the first time was all quite exciting!
All in all I enjoyed Tripoli quite a lot! I felt very safe when walking around in the streets, and the people I met were very friendly. "Welcome to my country!", "Yes basketball!", "Hello long man!" were examples of what people were saying when they saw me. I did get the impression though, that it takes a long time to do stuff in Tripoli. For example, a year ago the government decided to demolish lots of buildings to build a new highway there. But still they haven't started the construction of the highway, so all the remains of the demolished houses are just laying there in piles... Not very nice to look at. On the other hand, the Libyan government seems to open up a bit more to foreign investors and so on, and I saw many new skyscapers being planned in the next few years.
After Libya I returned to Hamburg again, but I also got to get back to Norway in the weekend, for the first time in two months. My brother was also home from the US that same weekend so it was good timing. Now I'm going to stay in Hamburg until the 19th of December, hopefully not longer, cause I would like to celebrate Christmas at home as usual. I've never spent a Christmas away from my family actually! It will probably happen sooner rather than later, but this year it would be good to be at home, considering I've spent so much time away lately.
I only spend one weekend in Hamburg before I flew down to Tripoli in Libya to work there for two weeks. Again I travelled with the three Germans from RWE Dea. Marcus, the project manager, was the only one who had been there before. We basically had no idea where we were going to stay in Tripoli. Our worst fear was that we didn't have any hotel reservation at all, but we also had a faint hope that perhaps we would be staying at the Corinthia hotel, maybe the best hotel in North Africa. We got something in between, a decent hotel called Thobacts. Quite small, very disorganized staff, but brand new and very clean.
Work in Libya was less stressful than in Egypt, but we still had to work almost every day. Over the two weeks we stayed there we managed to take two days off, both of them Fridays. One of the days we spent exploring the old part of Tripoli. It was certainly an experience walking through the narrow streets and looking at all the stuff people were selling in the markets. Some streets were filled with small shops selling various spices. The smell was wonderfully exotic! There were also plenty of shops selling fake stuff. Fake iPhones, fake D&G clothes, fake CAT choes, and so on...
The next Friday we went to Leptis Magna, an incredible place! It's one hour's drive outside Tripoli, and is an old Roman city that was destroyed by earthquakes and villains hundreds of years ago. As the years went by the whole city was covered in a thick layer of sand. But recently the old ruins have been excavated, and the old Roman city has been partly restored. So I was walking through the old streets of a once great city, admiring the great triumph arches, tall columns, and of course - the impressive theater! Sitting in the theater looking down upon the stage I let my thoughts drift and imagined being at an old Roman play, surrounded by soldiers, workers, traveling merchants... It was all very impressive!
We were working in Tripoli most of the time, but of course we had a trip out to a drilling rig to set up the system there. This time the rig was out in the desert. It was not the kind of desert with sand dunes, but a very rocky kind of desert. Me and a local Libyan IT guy flew down there, while the Germans drove by car. An 8 hour drive... The plane departed from Tripoli airport and landed in the middle of the desert, at "Mabrouk oilfield", run by the French company Total. We then drove from the airstrip to the oilrig. We stayed out there for 4 days, working quite hard. There wasn't really much else to do out there than work. I found it quite enjoyable though! The temperature was not too hot during the day, and not too cold during the night. And just being out in the desert for the first time was all quite exciting!
All in all I enjoyed Tripoli quite a lot! I felt very safe when walking around in the streets, and the people I met were very friendly. "Welcome to my country!", "Yes basketball!", "Hello long man!" were examples of what people were saying when they saw me. I did get the impression though, that it takes a long time to do stuff in Tripoli. For example, a year ago the government decided to demolish lots of buildings to build a new highway there. But still they haven't started the construction of the highway, so all the remains of the demolished houses are just laying there in piles... Not very nice to look at. On the other hand, the Libyan government seems to open up a bit more to foreign investors and so on, and I saw many new skyscapers being planned in the next few years.
After Libya I returned to Hamburg again, but I also got to get back to Norway in the weekend, for the first time in two months. My brother was also home from the US that same weekend so it was good timing. Now I'm going to stay in Hamburg until the 19th of December, hopefully not longer, cause I would like to celebrate Christmas at home as usual. I've never spent a Christmas away from my family actually! It will probably happen sooner rather than later, but this year it would be good to be at home, considering I've spent so much time away lately.
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