The Kitchen Bulls Plays Host

 
Tim Mälzer, 39, nicknamed ‘the kitchen bull’ is one of Germany’s best-known TV chefs. Last year he opened a new restaurant Die Bullerei in Hamburg, which makes sense as it’s housed in a former cattle slaughterhouse in the heart of the trendy, alternative Sternschanze district. The chef and partner Patrick Rüther describe their restaurant as comfortable premises to suit the surroundings, which are everything but posh, thereby refuting the preconception that good cuisine is something for the in-crowd. The ambience looks as if it had been more or less thrown together, like quite a few flat-sharing communities in the neighbourhood: a colourful mix of chairs, graffiti, long tables made from 200-year-old oak, an open fire and intricately worked cupboards – it’s clearly about creating a feelgood atmosphere. The concept is divided into a deli (50 seats, open daily from 11 am) and restaurant (130 seats, open from 6 pm). The motto is ‘overcome your inhibitions’ inasmuch as they celebrate down-toearth, no-frills, modern German cuisine. The response, and not just from the locals, is huge. Die Bullerei accounts for sales of between €20,000 and 25,000 a day. Anyone who wants to eat in the restaurant should book a table in advance. The only time walk-ins have a small chance of finding a table is around 6 or 9 pm. In the deli on the other hand, it is first come, first served.
 
www.bullerei.com
 

 
| 23 April 2010 |