Le Canard Nouveau is a destination restaurant for German gourmets. Housed in an impressive round building designed by the architect Meinhard von Gerkan, it offers a breath-taking view over the river Elbe. Awarded a Michelin star in 2006 with famous chef Ali Güngörmüs at the helm, the restaurant suffered a fire which led to its temporary closure and later total remodelling.
Le Canard Nouveau finally reopened in the spring of 2019, redesigned to look both simple and elegant at the same time.
Now the restaurant operates under the name of Norman Etzold, former chef with a Michelin star at the Palais Hansen Kempinski in Vienna. His cooking uses always fresh, seasonal ingredients, “so that the dishes are easy to explain to guests”, he claims.

The brief

• After the fire the kitchen needed a total overhaul, taking into account the fact that the existing fittings had to be adapted to the limited space available.
• “Originally it had been decided to move the walls and build one big kitchen but, after the fire, this was no longer possible. We had to find a partner able to help us make the most of the available space”, said Etzold.
• Le Canard worked with the distribution company Chefs Culinar to carry out the project.
• After several searches the choice fell on Ambach, the only company able to meet the high technology and flexibility standards necessary to meet the demands of the restaurant.

The solution

• The solution proposed by Ambach is a made-to-measure island from the System 850 line, which enabled full use of the available space while taking the chef’s needs into consideration.
• It was specifically Ambach’s extensive flexibility that allowed the kitchen to be designed with the utmost precision. The chef had very clear ideas about the equipment layout. “The oven had to be placed in a particular point and the plates had to be arranged the same way I had previously”, explained Etzold.
• To ensure speed and maximum productivity in the kitchen, the arrangement of the equipment and workstations along the island was optimally designed to reduce transit and allow staff to work efficiently and ergonomically.
• Optimisation of space and maximum functionality and much more. The Ambach island is open and has carefully crafted profiles.
• In black, “it has no sharp edges and a very sophisticated design”, said Etzold. “Also”, added the chef, “with the restaurant’s logo on the front it is truly perfect”.