Kyba Experimental cuisine meets creative cocktails

If you want to treat yourself to a culinary delight and appreciate something special, Kyba, near Musikhalle Hamburg, is the place for you. Just glancing at the menu at Kyba gives you an idea of chef Julian Widlitzki's culinary style. He describes his style as rich in aromas and facets and cooks fusion cuisine with tremendous, practical combinations.

With his creations, Widlitzki wants to encourage his guests to enjoy his menus in order to understand his cooking, as he says. To understand Widlitzki, we will therefore let the kitchen decide for us this evening. Over the next two hours, the kitchen conjures up a five-course menu of the highest order on our plates.

But before we get to the more substantial delights, we first enjoy a cocktail. At Kyba, guests can choose between sweet, sour, bold or fruity flavours. We opt for bold and a Spiced Berry Negroni, which flows into our glasses and down our throats in the form of homemade gin, sweet vermouth and Campari with the aroma of black pepper.

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While we enjoy the cooling drink, the amuse-gueule is served. The spring roll with cauliflower, vanilla puree, coffee and nasturtium is beautiful to look at and tastefully sets the mood for the evening. The roll is tender and crispy, the puree refreshing with a creamy, fluffy texture and nuanced, intense flavours.

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After this successful introduction, we take a moment to look at the premises. The space appears open and inviting, surrounding guests with timeless elegance. Clear and structured, the colour scheme is black and anthracite, with golden elements.

Back to the food. The first course is a new interpretation of the classic tomato mozzarella and is presented here as a ceviche caprese (15 euros). The marinated bream melts in the mouth, and the various flavours and micro-leaves enliven and delight the palate and guest. In addition to the seafood, burrata, tomato gel, tomato granita, and tomato tiger's milk can be found on our plates.

A small stopover in the form of beetroot soup with sour cream, dill, and papadam crackers (13 euros) grounds us and increases our anticipation of the next course. It is not long in coming and arrives in the form of pike perch. It is accompanied by braised pears, Roquefort cream, Asian pickled cucumbers, sesame seeds and onion broth. It tastes as good and stimulating as it reads.

Between courses, we have the opportunity to talk to Julian about the Kyba, his career, his inspiration and his ideas. After a few sentences it is clear: the man loves and lives cooking. This impression is confirmed when you eat what he cooks with flair, a desire to experiment, experience, and craftsmanship.

He also leaves nothing to chance in the selection of his products. His principle is quickly outlined. Only the best ingredients find their way into his kitchen. This philosophy is consistently followed through and is also reflected in his work ethic. Having grown up to be a chef in top gastronomy himself, he now exemplifies commitment, enthusiasm and professionalism in a leading role.

The next course surprises us with a crisp, spicy red cabbage steak flanked by miso cream and red cabbage cream (23 euros). Topped with a crispy enrichment of tofu crumble, peanut crunch and a papadam chip. Here, too, the green touches of colour, aka fresh herbs, are not to be missed. The cabbage with a subtle spiciness and creams that skilfully accompany the gentle fire, while crumble and crunch sprinkle in nutty notes and enrich the textures.

Finally, we indulge in the Miso Dulce for dessert, consisting of white chocolate miso mousse, sesame ice cream, chocolate stones and dulce de leche (14 euros). Cool, warming, melting, crunchy, sweet, nutty. It's simply outstanding how differentiated and yet round a dessert can taste. We continue chatting with Julian, who tells us that he had already planned to become a chef at the age of five.

Mission accomplished without detours, we would say. Despite being only 24 years old, he already has years of experience in the Michelin-starred kitchen behind him. He has cooked with Tim Raue, among others, whom he names as one of his inspirations. He has also worked as a private chef for big names from showbiz and has stations in Berlin fine dining restaurants in his portfolio.

The founders of Kyba are Marc Gerlach and Soeren Schan. The concept was finalised by Nicolas Nemalceff and Julian Widlitzki. The restaurant and cocktail bar is managed by Victor Andrei Ene. With Kyba, these experienced top restaurateurs have created something that we believe will be the talk of the town in the near future.

Part of the project's success is, of course, the pleasant and professional service. Quick, charming and to the point. Conclusion: The Kyba shows itself to be an authentic and innovative enrichment for Hamburg's gastronomy.