Allspice, Hamburg

We could hardly have chosen a better date for our first visit to Piment: Wahabi Nouri has just been awarded 18 points again by Gault Millau and thus, together with Haerlin, elected to the top of Hamburg’s gastronomy. Moreover, it was my birthday.

The small restaurant in Eppendorf has long been high on my culinary wish list. Nouri trained with some of the most enigmatic names on the German scene, for example working with Roy Petermann, Eckart Witzigmann and Harald Wohlfahrt, before opening his own restaurant in 2001. The Pimento was awarded a Michelin star shortly after its opening.

We took advice from Hicham Khabbaz, who makes the service very friendly and personal, and chose the classic Nouri menu (7 courses € 98, -) and a meat-free surprise menu.

We started with two wonderful amuse-gueules before the actual menu began on my side of the table with a cylinder of foie gr as.

Not only visually, but also sensory and especially taste-wise a furious start, in which the so much praised oriental play of spices could unfold directly, in this course complemented by many fruity impulses. Wonderful. Only the light gelatin around the foie gras distracted somewhat from what was actually a wonderful product, but with this form of presentation it is probably not dispensable. Across the street, we had a variation of Jerusalem artichoke to start.

Where could you expect a better couscous than here at Pimento. Wonderfully straightforward, with light hints of lemon and of course Ras el-Hanout.

Perhaps the best game dish I have eaten in recent months. In fact, I can’t remember ever eating a better one. Perfect, tender venison, with light roasted flavors, accompanied by an intense red cabbage, served as a small, lightly bound cylinder. In addition, a variety of excellently composed flavors on the plate, which could be combined again and again to new and intense flavor explosions. Perfect.

A great, well matured and intense cheese, accompanied by warm and fragrant fruit bread: no cheese course needs more.

Both desserts were able to keep up with the fabulous courses that preceded them, each providing lots of enjoyment, complex flavors, and a great interplay between textures and temperatures.

Pimento is a gem in Hamburg and for me one of the personal culinary discoveries of the last months. Both the play of flavors, the strong and ever-present echoes of oriental cuisine, but also the almost perfect craftsmanship and presentation of the dishes are unparalleled. All this in a pleasant, familiar and very quiet atmosphere. Great.

Incidentally, we should also mention at this point the current book by Wahabi Nouri, which has been available for a few weeks and is a wonderful way to set the mood for a dinner at Pimento.

In his first cookbook, Nouri has succeeded in bridging the gap between classic French haute cuisine and the very original oriental country cooking. Thus, the book ranges from rack of lamb with stuffed artichoke and pommes maximes to a tajine of sot l’y laisse, but also an interpretation of veal curry sausage or a tarte tatin. In addition to numerous classic basic recipes, there are also recipes for Moroccan elements such as Pickled Lemon, Charmoula or Couscous. Klaus Arras’ photos exude a charm all their own; many of the images were taken on location in Morocco.