Seven Seas, Hamburg – 31July 2011

Having arrived in Hamburg with the family, very much exited about the up-coming recording of my “live” debut as a hobby-chef on German television (ZDF) I got to choose a restaurant. Knowing the missus would prefer Sushi, – Steffen Henslers two restaurants in Hamburg, Ono and Hensler&Hensler were both natural choices, but unfortunately closed on Sundays.

So, having only my safari application on my iphone to assist me, I found Seven Seas to be a good choice. I did not realize it was a good 30 min cab drive to get there.

Seven Seas is situated in a complex with diffent kind of restaurants and bars, high up on the hill in the very fashionable “Blankenese” area of Hamburg. I know for sure I could have settled for one or two of the houses we passed coming up that hill. If money was not an issue i.e.

Upon reserving the table some 35 min. before the friendly lady had noted that I inquired for a table for two adults and two children. ” You are aware that this is a gastronomic restaurant?” she kindly asked. Yes, I replied. My boys have had 1, 2 and 3 star michelin dining before, and I am sure they will  handle this one, if you can present a children friendly dish.

So Seven Seas has 1 star michelin star and is very proud of it. The reception and service very friendly. But not flawless during our stay. Minor issues with empty glasses, but apart from that we were in good hands.

Very comfortably chairs, great views of the river and a medium good selection of overpriced wines. We opted for Ruinart at around 115 eur I think. It was later billed at 135 eur. An error I noted, and the waiter truly appologised for.

Classy....

As it turned out, everything was a bit classy. The staff, the food – but also the guests…all in jackets and tie etc. We were a bit underdressed it seemed. But imagine this gentleman, eating all by himself in his favourite restaurant in a quiet corner. Now what would you do or wear if it was you. Now, he put on his Sunday’s best. I know I would have opted for a polo-shirt and jeans. But each to their own, and in this place it certainly seemed like it was in place more than out of place.

So food was ordered, just a starter and a main….we did not want to risk ruining the evening for the other diners in case our boys ran out of steam after the travelling.

First amuse...

Very very nice. If not gluten free. But served for all of us – leaving more for us, because our boys were not really into that kind of experiments.

Second amuse, just as good and pretty. Eel and coliflower/celeriac creme soup

Great amuses, both in presentation, idea and taste. Compliments to the kitchen. It is always great when greetings from the kitchen are actually greetings…meaning worthwhile and justified. God knows that is not always the case.

My choise...

Well actually not. I thought I ordered Braised Duck Liver, but I got Goose liver and pigeon. Might have been my mistake, so I did not obstruct. It looked to pretty anyway. And not a big fan of pigeon, it was still a great dish.

Quail on chanterelle

The choice of the missus. Not as pretty or delicate as my starter. Rather ordinary.

Steinbutt with Parmesan cover

Now – presentation wise this dish was far away from the small beauties that had just left our table. The rather rustic tomato sauce spoiled the picture. The parmesan cover had a funny not crusty look and taste, but it was in fact very delicate, so were the two kinds of hojiblanca olives (moleculary)…. A funny dish. Mostly because it seemed as much out of place that my jeans on that Sunday evening in Seven Seas. But it tasted better than it looked. However, I do think that the tomato sauce somehow killed the overall impression. And the stuffed homemade ravioli underneath the fish. Well, it was actually great. But not glutenfree, and thus the requested gluten-free dish was not. Yes, pasta is made with gluten. Try to make it from gluten-free flour and you will know the difference.

My conclusion:

Well….maybe it was us, maybe we were just not fit fot the hype on that Sunday evening. But, certain things did go wrong. Empty glasses, wrongly billed champagne,  neglection of the gluten issue.  And one dish that somehow seemed out of order……

Nevertheless, I do think that Seven Seas offers the right clientele a good night out with a great view. It certainly seemed like the place to show off, or be recognized as a regular. Well we were not. We had excellent amuses, a good meal, but not more than that.

My rating for this visit:  Food 6p (10), service 3p (5), ambience 4.5 (5), total score for this visit  13.5p (20).

http://www.suellberg-hamburg.de/Restaurants/Gourmetrestaurant-%26%238222%3BSeven-Seas%26%238220%3B/