Now if you were to taken to an entrance like this, you would not be impressed too. But this was one of the five recommended restaurants in Hamburg given to us by a gourmet. We checked the address to make sure. Yes, the sign says Groninger. We were in the right place.
We stepped in and when our eyes got accustomed to the dark, the interior was just as unimpressive as the main entrance. “Don’t judge the book by its cover” we said and walked into the point of no return.
A whole different world greeted us as we moved deeper into the restaurant. Huge pillars, low ceilings and warm lights gave the whole place a very cozy feeling. We were pleasantly surprised after our low expectation. The restaurant was much larger than its front suggested. The first hall was already packed with diners filling with the room with warm conversations. The chamber was solidly constructed and one of us remarked that this could serve us as a bomb shelter. We liked the idea of dining in the safety of an underground cellar while bombs are dropping overhead. Imaginations can run wild in a totally alien setting. We didn’t know about the food yet but the atmosphere was just great!
The restaurant has its own home brewery producing its unique brand of German beer fresh from the taps served in heavy glasses. Every table seemed to be enjoying that so we ordered the same and was not disappointed.
The restaurant extended very deep in. I was surprised at how far in it went. I walked into sections that are still empty and felt as if I were transported back into time. I can imagined medieval knights clinking glasses and tearing at meats on the long table. I lingered for a while before joining my friends.
The German are famous for their sausage and my well-informed friend told me it is because German sausage must contained a 100% meat by law. Genuine stuff. We called for the house’s special and they placed a wooden stool on our table on which they heaped generous amount of food.
The white stuff you saw in the picture is the famous German sauerkraut which is seasoned cabbage fermented in lactic acid. The crunchy sour cabbage went well with the heavy meats. It helped with the appetite and prevented the feeling of being too satiated with meat. There were several types of sausages and all were excellent. But the thick chunks of roasted pork were really something else. The skin is much thicker and more leathery than the Chinese roasted pork but the thick succulent layers of tender meat layered with fat were out of this world. It was so good that we ordered second helpings. The ham slices were also great. If you looked at the picture carefully, you will see the yellow stuff beneath the meat. Those were the mountain of mashed potatoes. These are all typical German food and a bit heavy for our Asian stomach but they were really good food and went down really well with the home brew beer.
So if you are in Hamburg and you wanted to have a typical German meal in great atmosphere, try the Groninger. You cannot go wrong.
