Fine Dining In A Bomb Shelter.

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.

The Unique Flavor of the Giant White Asparagus.

“What would you like to eat in Lubeck?”

“Something typically German.”

“How about something in season?”

“Great!”

“Giant White Asparagus it is then. And we shall have it in the most famous restaurant in Lubeck!”

We stopped in front of the building of the Seaman’s Guild. It housed that famous Schiffer Gesellschaft restaurant and considers itself “the oldest pub in the world”. It is used as a meeting house for seamen from all over the world. Until today, revenues are still used to help needy boatmen and boatment’s widows.

It was dark when we stepped in. Our eyes took some time to accustom to the surrounding. From the solid furniture to the even more solid pillar, beam and ceilings, every thing was dark sturdy oak. Giving it an air of Age and Permanence. The high ceiling added to the grandeur and venerability of this majestic room. Memorabilia from centuries past adorned every corners and replicas of ships that sailed the ancient seas hanged from the ceilings. If not for the waiter/waitresses in white shirts, aprons and a commanding black vest, we would have thought we were transported back in time.

There were quite a lot seats but we were the only guests. I wondered why. We made our order and just before the food came, the whole restaurant was filled in the space of a few minutes. We were just early. Half way through our meal, an old couple not finding any seat wanted to share our table with us. We were happy to oblige but the captain politely informed them that the table had already been booked for the next meal!

I’ve never eaten white asparagus. It was deprived of sunlight during its growing stage to prevent it from turning green. In Germany, it is called spagel and is known as “Konigliches Gemuse” or the Royal Vegetable. White asparagus is milder in taste than in its green counterpart. I had my asparagus steamed or boiled with Hollandaise sauce and thin slices of smoked ham. It is sweet and juicy and a world apart from the tiny green asparagus that we had with oyster sauce. Verdict – loved it! So if you’re in Germany in June, remember to try some white asparagus.

Lobscouse – The Food of Tough Men.

As promised in the last post on Rauch’s Old Commercial Room, I’ll be talking about what tough men eat. Firstly, pardon the above picture – so keen were we to tug into the food that I forgot to take a shot in its original perfection.

But first let me introduce you to Wiener Schnitzel (the middle plate) which is a thin slice of veal coated in crispy breadcrumbs and fried. In English, it is known as Viennese cutlet and is a traditional Vienna dish. Squeezed a few drops of lemon on it and eat it like that or dab it with cranberry sauce. The crunchy crumbs and tender veal gave a good mouthfeel and as you masticate, brought out a pleasant meaty flavor. It was good though I would have preferred it a bit saltier to better really bring out the meaty flavor. For “like fresh meat loves salt” tragic Cordelia said. And because King Lear did not understand the meaning, he lost his kingdom and his beloved daughter. I sprinkled more salt.

When they told us they are going to serve food for tough men (which of course we were and are), I imagined great chunky lumps of bloodied meat or huge blades of ribs that you held with your hands and tore with your teeth. Ha! Barbarian macho. But what is this bloody pinkish goo with two obscene looking eggs staring at us? A few sad looking pickles and the awesome deep purple bleeding beetroot did nothing to enhance its visual appeal. Tentatively, I flicked a tiny bit from its edge and raised it to my mouth ready to screw up my face. The beer ready, standing by to wash it all down. And….

The sticky mash melted over my tongue. And my Goodness! It is unbelievable! And totally unexpected - the best corned beef I’ve ever tasted. Nothing even came close. While the corned beef is the dominant taste, there are subtleties behind it. Other flavor that I could not quite picked out. What a sensation! I normally hate gooey stuff but not if it is as rich in taste as this. For this, I’ll lick it off the fork.

And to think it used to be called “meal for a rough customer” because they were popular for seamen. Legend has it that when there were nothing left in the kitchen to cook, the chef just threw everything in with corned beef and mashed it all up. Behold! A new dish was created. The sailors loved it. Which reminded me of a saying – “Necessity is the mother of invention” or we are all victims of the cook’s mistakes (in this case, a deliberate and happy one).

Just so you do not think this ghost only eats Western food, next I’ll be writing about “The Dirty Duck of Bali”. Check it out.