Hamburg can be accused of many things in culinary terms, but not of a lack of TV chefs. Of course, media presence is not necessarily proportional to skills at the stove – but on the other hand, the opposite is not always true either. In any case, a strong TV frequency is extremely beneficial to the marketing of one’s restaurant. For example, every seat was taken during our recent visit to Ali Güngörmüş. But maybe it was simply related to the fact that it was Valentine’s Day….
At Le Canard, which by the way actually has one of the most beautiful views over the Elbe and the harbor to offer, we opted for the menu, which is offered in four, five or six courses for prices between 79 and 99 EUR and can be individually combined by the guest.
After small baked pockets of duck as a prelude, I first opted for the dim sum interpretation: shrimp – shiitake mushroom – dim sum with pak choy, pineapple and lime – ginger nage .
Obviously not a mistake, on the contrary, this dish turned out to be a flavorful explosion and at the same time is almost symbolic of Ali Güngörmüş’s kitchen philosophy. In addition to the really extremely successful crustaceans, it is above all the lime-ginger nage that inspires and, together with the dim sum, directly sketches a great field of tension between Orient and Occident. I would have loved to order a second serving right away.
I did not, of course. Instead, a crispy dorado with ponzu – chive sauce, cauliflower and cashews followed.
A nice fish, unfortunately a bit overpowered by the very intense sauce and cauliflower. Plain, roasted on the skin, I almost would have preferred it a bit more.
For the next course, the other side of the table went a different way for the first time and opted for the veal ravioli with Parma ham, Parmiggiano and Jerusalem artichoke , spinach vegetables .
The pink duck breast with goulash seasoning, tarte flambée, peppers , pearl onionsthen raised a few minor questions. While the brisket was cooked really well and to the point of pink, the small tarte in particular fell a bit out of character. I didn’t really understand this combination. And if there are reasons to do so, why in such poor quality, especially since it drowned in the sauce and at the latest when served at the table was rather mushy and from my point of view simply superfluous.
After this small, minimal low, however, another high pleasure followed, which started exactly where the first course began so promisingly: coconut, mango, guava and passion fruit with white chocolate was provided as dessert in the menu.
Which doesn’t sound all that spectacular at first. So unspectacular, in fact, that if I’d asked that one again beforehand, I actually would have gladly swapped it for the house classic, Ali’s Valrhona Chocolate Cake with Tangerines.
Fortunately, this did not happen. Simply a great dessert, as the mango was surprisingly lightly grilled. Perfect. Plus a fantastic, bold sorbet and the many different textures.
A nice evening at Le Canard. And Ali Güngörmüş showed himself from the very best host side. Always present in the kitchen, but also always serving at the individual tables and talking to the guests after the menu.
We look forward to another visit, then gladly on the other side of the windows, because from the terrace the view is certainly a little better.
