People shyness is out of place at "Félix" in the Hamburg suburb of Nienstedten on the Elbe. The tables are close together, the atmosphere is lively, loud and informal. Laughter rings out from the open kitchen - a place where enjoyment and conviviality go hand in hand. Felix Bechtolf, previously head chef under Thomas Martin at Jacobs Restaurant in the Louis C. Jacob" hotel, now devotes himself entirely to his love of French cuisine in his own restaurant. The 30-year-old - his mother is French and his father is from Hamburg - has already cooked at "Le Bristol" in Paris under Eric Fréchon and at the "Trianon Palace" under Gordon Ramsey. As a child, he visited the market halls in Versailles with his grandfather: This culinary influence runs through the entire menu, which includes pâté en croûte bourgeois with foie gras, truffle jelly, pickled black walnuts and wild herb salad as well as lightly tempered smoked eel with scrambled eggs on toasted brown bread with lemon foam or the precisely glazed turbot with beurre blanc and champagne risotto with a distinctive acid tip. Bechtolf is not a consensus chef who wants to please everyone, he deliberately gives the poussin with couscous and oriental aromas a lot of color when searing - it is crispy on the outside, but juicy on the inside and harmonizes perfectly with the spicy, flavorful jus. Financier exotique is the name of the fluffy almond cake with warm pineapple and coconut sorbet, which ends the evening near the Elbe with a touch of Paris: Casual and stylish, that is Félix Bechtolf's upscale French bistro cuisine.
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