Koch-Portal - Rendsburg

More of a gourmet experience than just a restaurant, this trendy establishment surprisingly caters for a yuppie clientele with varied international dishes and home-made local dishes, all prepared with a very delicate concern for fine flavours and subtle spices. Koch-Portal is to be found at around twenty minutes driving distance from Kiel in the direction of Rendsburg, but hidden away in the up-and-coming village of Felde. Finding it could not be easier: on the main thoroughfare Dorfstrasse look out for the local savings bank the Sparkasse, situated just across the street. Limited off road parking is available right beside the Koch-Portal, to the left of the restaurant itself.Open from Tuesday to Saturday from 6 p.m., this establishment run by proprietor Sven Büll-Carstens and his team, offers far more than a simple restaurant. Theme nights are a permanent fixture, with Game and Pasta dishes on Tuesdays, seasonal and regional dishes on Wednesdays, American BBQ with wood charred beef burgers and smoked fish on Thursdays and a particularly sumptuous and varied choice of tapas at the buffet on Fridays, all dishes individually described and served in a recommended quantity of three per person. If you want more, just ask. But be careful, three tapas dishes are enough for most people. And at the price, excellent value for money.Saturday evenings see a Buffet whose ingredients are changed on a monthly basis, fine-wine tasting along with a presentation of the wine-growing areas as a full culinary experience, à la carte!My choice in the Friday evening tapas dishes gave me deliciously marinated spare ribs (better eaten with your fingers), a dish of squid in a white wine and onion sauce and a portion of fresh carrots in a butter sauce sprinkled with fresh herbs (see photo). A real treat. Each dish is delicately flavoured, so take your time and enjoy the many flavours so skilfully added to your dish.The wine list is particularly pleasing. I was introduced to a wonderful Italian red wine from the region of Brindisi, much further south than the habitual central Italian wines. I can recommend the Conte di Lucca to accompany meat dishes but also fine with smoked fish or even with the squid.If you don’t want to be disappointed, do make a booking in advance. If you ask to speak to Sven Büll-Carstens you will be delighted to learn that he not only masters the finer arts of cooking, but he also will welcome you in his charming English. Thank you for a memorable evening.