I was born and raised in Hamburg 51 years ago, and although I have lived and studied in other German states and in Italy and Austria, a relationship eventually brought me back to this city.

The city district I particularly love is Altona. With its mix of old and new architecture, it is an edgy place, with a diverse population including creative types from all over the world. It is open-minded, unconventional and politically active, and there are lots of bars and cafes. Along with its neighbour St Pauli, there are lot of community enterprises here, as well as squatter enclaves, charity parties, and even churches which offer meditation and dance classes. It is also close to the Elbe river with its harbour and parks. On a summer’s evening a particular pleasure is to head down to the Elbe beach to watch the sunset from the beach bar Strandperle.

Of course I do also go downtown for my social life, sometimes to Le Lion, for excellent cocktails, right in the shadow of the Rathaus. But the place which takes cocktails to another level is the Chug Club, on Taubenstrasse in St. Pauli, the traditional entertainment district, a place which has cleaned up its act greatly in the last few years. The Chug Club is incredibly hospitable, and its menu features flights of cocktails, five tasters at a time.

Afterwards, for dinner, I might go to Clouds, for its fantastic view of the city and the harbour. The restaurant is up on the 23^rd floor of the so-called Dancing Towers, a distinctive skyscraper right by the Reeperbahn in St Pauli. The food up here is good, although it can be expensive.

If I am downtown during the day I will sometimes pop into Daniel Wischer by the Rathaus, where it offers very good value for money despite its central location. The speciality here is fresh fish, and I love the cucumber salad.

An unusual option, especially when the sun goes down, is the Kleinhuis Restaurantschiff,  located on an old ferry boat on the Elbe river in Ottensen, right by the landing stage where the regular number 62 ferry arrives from Landungsbrücken.

And finally, a really reliable old friend is the Burger Lab, back in Altona. It’s a cool place, very uncomplicated, not part of a chain, and with good staff. I love it, and in summer I am here once a week.

It always faintly annoys me when I’m confronted with the perception of German food abroad, i.e. that it’s not the country’s forte. It simply doesn’t mirror my own German food reality. Maybe that has to do with the fact that I was born in the 1970s and therefore lucky enough to bypass grimmer times in the nation’s food history.

In general, I’ve always eaten well in Germany and am used to a wide variety of dishes that go far beyond the Bratwurst and Sauerkraut myth. (Although I like both!) German contemporary cooking is a completely different affair, lighter and betraying the influence of different types of cuisine, from Mediterranean to Asian. Similar to their British counterparts, Germans have become a nation of foodies where you can’t switch on the TV without finding some kind of cooking programme on one of the channels, and publicity-minded chefs are happy to show their faces on the screen.

Eating, food and restaurants are topics du jour. People like to talk about food, to spend money on cookery items and books, and you should see what they cook up on ‘Das perfekte Dinner” (‘The perfect dinner’), the German equivalent of ‘Come Dine with Me’. It’s more sophisticated than what the British contestants come up with, if I may say so, and the German participants take the whole thing very seriously. Maybe a bit too seriously sometimes, the Brits are far more entertaining.

But then again this is probably how you achieve excellence in the end, by really committing yourself to accomplishing the best, as exemplified in the latest German Michelin guide which puts the country at number two behind France when it comes to three-star restaurants. There are nine three-star chefs, and 32 two-star restaurants as compared to just 18 two years ago. Berlin is not only the country’s capital but also its culinary centre with 16 stars, followed by Munich with 13 and Hamburg with 11.

And there’s still this curious little corner in the Black Forest, called Baiersbronn, where seven Michelin stars are divided between three chefs. One of them, Harald Wohlfahrt, is exceptional in the sense that not only is he an extremely modest individual (Gordon Ramsay must be his idea of hell), but he has also held his three stars for 20 years now without interruption. No mean feat. Interestingly, Thomas Bühner, Klaus Erfort and Christian Bau –  three-star chefs themselves and names to remember –all trained with Wohlfarth, as have another three two-star chefs now cooking in Sylt, Lübeck and Hamburg.

Wohlfahrt’s ‘Schwarzwaldstube’ restaurant seems to have become something of a talent factory which is good for German cuisine. Maybe one day the word will spread abroad as well.

More information on Baiersbonn