I was looking through my Germany archives on the blog [helpful hint if you didn’t already know: my blogposts are categories with the links up the top, according to some of the places I visit the most!] and I simply CANNOT believe I haven’t told you guys about GALLO NERO. Because it’s only, like, my favourite restaurant in Hamburg. Or my favourite Italian restaurant in all of the world. Or because it has the best pasta dish in the world.
Either way – here it is. GALLO NERO – a wonderful neighbour Italian restaurant only 10 minutes walk from our place in Hamburg!
I’m not quite sure how this works but I think they make their own olive oil?! Maybe not in Germany…either way, you always start the meal with some beautiful fresh bread and GALLO NERO olive oil! We were also served a cute little Amuse Bouche which had wild rice, zucchini and octopus. Unfortunately I’ve recently found out I’m allergic to octopus / calamari so lucky for DS he got to eat both our portions!
Yes, I’m posting photos of the same dish from different angles because our dinner was just too good to post only one photo of each dish! Can you tell I love GALLO NERO? It’s not a fine dining restaurant, exactly. However, it’s also not cheap. The service is always wonderful, attentive and friendly – they make you feel right at home. This isn’t always the case in Germany, as you’ll see in my post about MUTTERLAND from last week.
DS and I shared a starter and they helpfully plated it on two plates for us! I love that the description of the dish is literally The best burrata with datterino tomatoes, basil and prosciutto from Saint’Ilario (€16.90). And yes, I couldn’t fault the burrata at all, but then again I also couldn’t fault anything else in this dish! It was such a perfect Italian entree.
I had the Tagliatelle with chanterelles and Umbrian speck (€17.90). It’s so rare to get chanterelles in Australia, and even if you get them they’re often dried. So I try to grab every opportunity I have when I’m in Germany to eat them! I love how the pasta dishes are really just a couple of ingredients with great cooking. Does that make sense? My dish actually only had 3 main ingredients, but somehow it was whipped up to create complex flavours with a sauce that at times reminded me of soy sauce and at other times had a caramel essence to it!
But now we come to the hero of the evening (and every other evening we’ve been to GALLO NERO)…
The utterly incredible Tagliolini with a parmesan waffle and truffles (€28.50)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Let’s take a closer look…
Every year I come to Hamburg and visit GALLO NERO I have an overwhelming sense of fear and trepidation that they may have taken this dish off the menu. Thankfully, for nearly 10 years now, it has been a faithful member of the standard menu. Every year, however, the dish takes on a slightly different appearance. In the years past it has been served on a flat plate, for example. This year, it was served in a shallow bowl which helpfully supported the parmesan waffle. That meant the waffle didn’t splinter into pieces as you ate!
As with my dish above, there are only a few ingredients but the execution of the dish is absolutely flawless. Don’t let the small portion size fool you. This dish packs a punch in terms of flavour and density. It’s actually quite a heavy dish! DS was totally filled after it, so we decided to go with quite a light dessert to share.
Like with the other dishes, the Strawberry sorbet with rhubarb compote (€9.90) sounds really simple but it came with some unexpected extras. The little squishy pink thing on the left is a marshmallow, and the chocolate bark had some nuts in it too. Strawberry and rhubarb is an unusual combination, and the contrast of sorbet and the stewed rhubarb sure made for some interesting textures. It’s a nice little dessert to finish off a great meal!
All in all, I hope I’ve spoken highly enough about GALLO NERO to convince you to go if you’re ever in Hamburg. I seriously cannot fault our meal at all!
GALLO NERO
SIERICHSTRAßE 46
HAMBURG, GERMANY
http://www.gallo-nero.net/
