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Strawberry ‘Clery’, iced elderflower, liquorice & hazelnut followed by petit fours
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My next stop in Hamburg post-lockdown was to ⭐️⭐️ Haerlin @christoph_rueffer_haerlin at the @fairmont_hotelvierjahreszeiten . The standard of course was high as you would expect from a two star restaurant although I found the service... More
Strawberry ‘Clery’, iced elderflower, liquorice & hazelnut followed by petit fours
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My next stop in Hamburg post-lockdown was to ⭐️⭐️ Haerlin @christoph_rueffer_haerlin at the @fairmont_hotelvierjahreszeiten . The standard of course was high as you would expect from a two star restaurant although I found the service and atmosphere to be a little cold. Forgivable and understandable when all the waiting staff must wear face masks and keep their distance as much as possible. Recommended if you are in Hamburg .
Michelin Guide - ⭐️⭐️
OAD -
W50Best - .
#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #oad #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #iphonexsmax #michelinguide #foodlepro #influencer #oadtop100
#hamburgeats #hamburgfoodie #haerlin #wheretoeatingermany Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Le Canard nouveau at Le Canard Nouveau
Kalamansi / carrot / ivoire .
Petit fours
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My next stop in Germany after lockdown was eased a couple of weeks ago was to ⭐️ @lecanardnouveau in Hamburg which has impressive views across to Hamburg’s shipping yards. I enjoyed an excellently prepared tasting menu by chef @normanetzold and team with a friendly and hospitable... More
Kalamansi / carrot / ivoire .
Petit fours
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My next stop in Germany after lockdown was eased a couple of weeks ago was to ⭐️ @lecanardnouveau in Hamburg which has impressive views across to Hamburg’s shipping yards. I enjoyed an excellently prepared tasting menu by chef @normanetzold and team with a friendly and hospitable service. .
Michelin Guide - ⭐️
OAD -
W50Best - .
#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #oad #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #iphonexsmax #michelinguide #foodlepro #influencer #oadtop100
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Jan Tabac Vegesack at Jan Tabac
Let’s skip forward a few months from when I was in Spain to where I am now in Germany. Not long ago, restaurants here started to cautiously open their doors to the ‘new-normal’ world of dining and I immediately started going to eat in them. I could say that this was some heroic gesture to help out struggling local businesses (in small part true... More
Let’s skip forward a few months from when I was in Spain to where I am now in Germany. Not long ago, restaurants here started to cautiously open their doors to the ‘new-normal’ world of dining and I immediately started going to eat in them. I could say that this was some heroic gesture to help out struggling local businesses (in small part true 🦸♂️), but if I’m honest, I just wanted to feed my restaurant addiction after this 2 month enforced hiatus 🤷🏼♂️
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The first meal out I hit the jackpot and found this incredible little local place @jantabac where the cooking is superb focusing on what’s in season and what’s local. The hospitality is the reason I’ve been back 3 times now. It really feels like you are being hosted by friends rather than at a restaurant. It’s hard to achieve this and I highly recommend you visit next time you are in the Bremen area 👍🏻
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Michelin Guide -
OAD -
W50Best - .
#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #oad #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #iphonexsmax #michelinguide #foodlepro #influencer #oadtop100
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Azurmendi at Azurmendi
Black olives, sheep milk & cocoa
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Yoghurt, honey & five spice
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Petit fours
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Another visit in January to ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Azurmendi @azurmendi_atxa near Bilbao in Spain .I hadn’t planned this particular visit but while walking the Camino Del Norte I looked over to my left across the valley and realised I was walking straight past it.... More
Black olives, sheep milk & cocoa
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Yoghurt, honey & five spice
.
Petit fours
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Another visit in January to ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Azurmendi @azurmendi_atxa near Bilbao in Spain .I hadn’t planned this particular visit but while walking the Camino Del Norte I looked over to my left across the valley and realised I was walking straight past it. Well it would have been rude not to pop in for dinner, and then lunch two days later 🙄🤷🏼♂️
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Michelin Guide - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
OAD - 17 (2019)
W50Best - 14
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#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #oad #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #iphonexsmax #michelinguide #foodlepro #influencer #oadtop100 #azurmendi #threemichelinstars #basquecountry Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at bianc at bianc
Dinner, or actually dinners, as I came back again last night, at ⭐️⭐️ Bianc in Hamburg where chef/proprietor Matteo Ferrantino has recently reopened after lockdown restrictions have been significantly eased here in Germany.
After two ‘nice’ but fairly pedestrian meals in Hamburg at ⭐️⭐️Haerlin and ⭐️Le Canard Nouveau this made... More
Dinner, or actually dinners, as I came back again last night, at ⭐️⭐️ Bianc in Hamburg where chef/proprietor Matteo Ferrantino has recently reopened after lockdown restrictions have been significantly eased here in Germany.
After two ‘nice’ but fairly pedestrian meals in Hamburg at ⭐️⭐️Haerlin and ⭐️Le Canard Nouveau this made a very welcome change with some exceptionally tasty dishes based around Matteo’s Mediterranean background. He’s Italian and had previously worked in Spain and Portugal for a number of years as well as UK and Austria so you can really see this kaleidoscope of influences front and centre on each plate. Indeed you can sometimes even name check a specific restaurant. For example, the corn and foiegras dish screams Disfrutar at you, as does a thin crisp crustaceans ‘tortilla’ though to a lesser extent, and a spherified liquid centre olive makes an appearance as it does now at restaurants across the world in some form or other thanks to El Bulli and the Adria brothers.
People who know me and my eating habits will know that I am very much led by the ‘experience’ as well as the food. So a sombre though note perfect ⭐️⭐️⭐️ meal at L’Ambroisie or Les Prés d’Eugénie isn’t really what floats my boat (*somewhere Andy Hayler’s head explodes), although I do recognise those kind of restaurants as good and worthwhile reference points for someone who likes to explore food and restaurants as much as I do.
That said, I had a great ‘experience’ at Bianc. One thing that I have noted during the last couple of weeks eating in the new-normal is how hard it is to convey a sense of generous and friendly hospitality when your voice and face are muffled and hidden behind a face mask, as is the case now for all restaurant staff (and diners away from their tables). But they really managed this very well at Bianc where they provided a warm and friendly service with Matteo, who seems a little eccentric to say the least, regularly visiting the table throughout the evening.
The style of dresses and matching black masks of the service staff together with their purposeful stride in unison from kitchen to table with plates and back again with hands clasped in front lent a very Handmaid’s Tale vibe (in a good way) to the evening and at one point I almost responded with “Praise be” when the incredible focaccia (grandmother’s recipe) went down on the table together with the lightest of buffalo butters, oregano flower and a grisini wrapped in lardo (why haven’t I thought of doing that before?!)
People are understandably cautious about visiting restaurants at the moment or even venturing out of the house. I totally get this, but my view is that at some point we have to get out and start supporting these struggling businesses again and I will follow the recommended guidelines of the government of the country that I am in (although possibly not the UK) while making every effort to keep myself and those around me as safe as possible. I have my own month of lockdown coming up next week in the form of at least three weeks at sea so I am glad to have had this nice meal to remember while we are getting tossed around in the North Sea and Bay of Biscay. Enjoy your weekend 🙂 Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Le Canard nouveau at Le Canard Nouveau
Dinner with a view of the shipyards at Le Canard nouveau. Good but not great. Although one dish did make it into my 2020 best dishes list.
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Jan Tabac at Jan Tabac
Ok, I can already feel some of you judging me. Feel free to do so but please keep it to yourself unless it’s in a good spirit. Germany has, last Monday, opened a lot of it’s restaurant’s doors and this is two visits to our lovely local restaurant here in Bremen Vegesack that I made this week. Firstly to be an amazing boss and treat my sous chef... More
Ok, I can already feel some of you judging me. Feel free to do so but please keep it to yourself unless it’s in a good spirit. Germany has, last Monday, opened a lot of it’s restaurant’s doors and this is two visits to our lovely local restaurant here in Bremen Vegesack that I made this week. Firstly to be an amazing boss and treat my sous chef Suzanne Bezuidenhoudt to a well deserved treat and secondly for some of our crew (who all live and work together) to let loose a little. I am of the view that I will follow the government’s guidelines in the particular place I am. We will all eat in a restaurant again at some point and personally I will be taking a cautious approach to supporting this sector again. I have discussed this with friends and some agree and some of course disagree when I tell them that I feel much safer going to a restaurant than when I go shopping as part of my job to feed the yacht’s crew. On both visits we were told outside the restaurant that we must wear face masks when not at the table, the customers were very well spaced apart, waiting staff and chefs were all wearing masks and gloves throughout the evening, when we came as a large party (from the same ‘household’) we were seated in a separate section of the restaurant and we were maybe two metres from a door that was open to the fresh air all evening which I guess would help with preventing an environment of stale air.
I am eating out now. I feel comfortable doing so and am extremely mindful of people that I come into contact with to hopefully put both of us at ease somewhat.
I’m going to start posting the meals that I have but am not going to write this whole disclaimer above as pretty much the same people read these.
After all that, if you are ever in Vegesack, Bremen Germany then this is the best spot to come to. We went on their reopening night. They had not been doing takeout, as the food doesn’t suit. They were overjoyed to be open again and able to support their staff and hopefully be pulled back from the brink of permanent closure. Speaking to the owner, the German government has been reimbursing her for paying 60% of her employees salaries and she has received that money back within 3 weeks, keeping her afloat just about. However, I certainly remember being a young cook and living pay cheque to pay cheque so when it comes to the basics of survival, namely food and rent, I can only imagine how hard it has been for these guys and girls. I’m not encouraging you to rush out but to certainly consider the situation where you are and then if you feel comfortable and it’s allowed, support some of your local small business like this. Or give them a call and see if they maybe do takeout.
Have a nice day 🙂 Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Azurmendi at Azurmendi
“Beans”
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Another visit in January to ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Azurmendi @azurmendi_atxa near Bilbao in Spain .I hadn’t planned this particular visit but while walking the Camino Del Norte I looked over to my left across the valley and realised I was walking straight past it. Well it would have been rude not to pop in for dinner, and then... More
“Beans”
.
Another visit in January to ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Azurmendi @azurmendi_atxa near Bilbao in Spain .I hadn’t planned this particular visit but while walking the Camino Del Norte I looked over to my left across the valley and realised I was walking straight past it. Well it would have been rude not to pop in for dinner, and then lunch two days later 🙄🤷🏼♂️
.
Michelin Guide - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
OAD - 17 (2019)
W50Best - 14
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#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #oad #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #iphonexsmax #michelinguide #foodlepro #influencer #oadtop100 #azurmendi #threemichelinstars #basquecountry Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Hand and Flowers at Hand and Flowers
Bitter orange soufflé with dark chocolate sorbet and marmalade custard
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Hand & Flowers chocolate and ale cake with salted caramel and muscovado ice cream .
Dinner a while ago @handfmarlow ⭐️ ⭐️The Hand and Flowers in Marlow where a steak & chips will set you back an eye watering £50.50 plus service charge. I think the cheapest... More
Bitter orange soufflé with dark chocolate sorbet and marmalade custard
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Hand & Flowers chocolate and ale cake with salted caramel and muscovado ice cream .
Dinner a while ago @handfmarlow ⭐️ ⭐️The Hand and Flowers in Marlow where a steak & chips will set you back an eye watering £50.50 plus service charge. I think the cheapest main course on the menu was nearly 40 quid for the pork belly, so it’s certainly not for the faint of heart in terms of price point.
It was an enjoyable meal but I struggle to see how the guide Michelin @michelinguide can justify giving this pub restaurant two stars.
I don’t want to come across too negative, especially at a time when the hospitality sector is in serious trouble, so I would say that if this was a 1⭐️ with a less punchy price point then I would certainly recommend it. .
Michelin Guide - ⭐️⭐️
OAD -
W50Best - .
#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #oad #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #iphonexsmax #michelinguide #foodlepro #influencer #oadtop100 #handandflowers #londoneater #eaterlondon Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Real Balneario at Real Balneario
Raspberry dessert
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Cream de tocinillo y helado
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While walking the Camino del Norte over Christmas and New Year I was incredibly lucky to have a few Spanish friends following my progress. They would regularly message me to say that I would be arriving in a particular town or village in a couple of days and recommending/insisting that I eat at a particular... More
Raspberry dessert
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Cream de tocinillo y helado
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While walking the Camino del Norte over Christmas and New Year I was incredibly lucky to have a few Spanish friends following my progress. They would regularly message me to say that I would be arriving in a particular town or village in a couple of days and recommending/insisting that I eat at a particular restaurant. Even booking them for me on occasion. The @michelinguide , @theworlds50best and @oadtop100 are all great resources (among many others) for hunting down great restaurants, but you can’t beat local knowledge. And that is why I ended up at ⭐️ @realbalneario Real Balneario, a beautiful restaurant on the beach in Salinas. As with most of the restaurants I visited in Asturias along the coast the emphasis was on seafood and traditional preparations. Cocochas of course with pilpil sauce, hake, local anchovies and goose barnacles were the highlights here. I went for dinner but I would recommend going for lunch to fully appreciate the view of the sea, which comes right up to your table if you are there at high tide. .
Michelin Guide - ⭐️
OAD -
W50Best - .
#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #oad #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #iphonexsmax #michelinguide #foodlepro #influencer #oadtop100 #caminodesantiago #spanishfoodie #spanisheats #realbalneariodesalinas Less