Bullerei

When a restaurant is hyped to the extreme, then I tend to stay far away from it until the heat has cooled down. Case in point, Bullerei, brainchilod of a tv star cook that has long been the centre of much media attention in the trendy and upmarket area called Schanze. So, when I met up with Duygu, and she suggested it, I was at first rather apprehensive about it. But, I thought it was the middle of the week and we could this way avoid the dreaded weekend crowd. I was wrong. It was packed...and with all sorts of tourists, out to sample a slice of the 'real' Hamburg. When Tim Mälzer, the owner himself appeared, there was much oohing and aahing from patrons, making their visit all the more worthwhile.
We had the fish which was oven-baked. It was rather disappointing, unfortunately...and were it not for my company (who walked through the restaurant ahead of me, her naked shoulders parting the waiters like the parting of the Red Sea...a sight to behold, let me tell you!), I would have left sooner. From an ambience point of view, the restaurant is really great. It has been tastefully put together and the room, although large, does not appear menacing. It is sad though, that the fish was not descaled and as a result, difficult to eat. 
Sadly, this visit once again confirmed that hype does not mean good. Bullerei will no doubt continue to attract the tourists and those wanting a bit of the TV personality but, I will not be back.