Why wander off into the distance? See, the good is so close.
In the case of the Chezfou, even in absolute and thus highly dangerous walking distance.
I have already read a lot in the press and of course in one or the other blog, but the Chezfou is currently considered the recommendation in Hamburg. In fact, regardless of the short distance, we only managed to make our first visit to Leverkusenstrasse the day before yesterday.
On the grounds of the perfectly renovated factory area throughout, you will find the wine bar and restaurant in the basement, there is also to be a large terrace, in the coming eight to ten rainy and winter months here in Hamburg, however, a detail to be neglected.
Chezfou springs from the creative genius of restaurateur Milenko Gavrilovic, whose culinary empire also includes Eisenstein and Marseille, and Boris Kasprik, who directs the kitchen and, according to Stevan’s research, can already look back on these stations: De Karmeliet (Bruges, 3 stars), Jean Claude Bourgueil’s Schiffchen (Düsseldorf, 2 stars), Ryu-Gin (Tokyo, 3 stars). He also worked – and suddenly everything becomes very clear – for two years with Alain Ducasse.
Since we were in the mood for a snack rather than a whole menu (4 courses 57,- EUR, 5 courses 69,- EUR), we chose á la carte.
Already the small, fishy greeting with quail egg from the kitchen surprises positively, as by the way also the contents of the bread basket.
On the opposite side of the table, the dining sequence begins with another egg, though in this case poached and served under a crispy cap of ham and bedded on shaved mushrooms; on my side, a surprisingly sweet and almond-crisp praline of foie gras filled with a liquid center of mirabelle plum.
For the main course I chose the pigeon on the recommendation of the very friendly and competent service. A good recommendation, as it turns out, and already on its way to becoming Chezfou’s signature dish, or so we hear.
A vegetarian pasta dish is eaten next to me. Unfortunately, without much enthusiasm, which of course is not due to the accompaniment but exclusively the overcooked consistency of the ribbon noodles. A dish, by the way, that only found its way onto this table through our inquiries. It seems that guests who prefer a meat-free meal are not directly catered for here. Very amazing actually.
As another very pleasant surprise from the kitchen, a small sweet greeting is inserted before dessert.
For once, I had a hard time choosing a dessert. The choice was between a Rhônetal peach “Melba”, Mille feuille of Guanaja chocolate or a “Baba” of Matcha tea with sorbet of Williams pear. At first glance, nothing that would have directly appealed to me. But of course curiosity wins and so said Baba finds its way onto my plate:
The sorbet and the accompanying slices of pear are wonderfully fruity and intense. Simply a dream. The Baba (or the Baba?) corresponds in principle to the description and perhaps that is exactly the problem. Very firm and massive, it lies on the plate, greenish and moist glossy. And almost exactly the same, unfortunately, he wanders back into the kitchen. And, to be fair and without prompting, also disappears directly from the bill. Respect.
But the sweet tooth finally gets its money’s worth with various little treats to go with the coffee. This is how we end a nice evening at Chezfou. Not everything was quite perfect, but a lot was. And to such an extent that minor problems are immediately forgotten. Next time we will come on foot to have a more intense look at the extensive wine list.
