One of the most well-known sights in Cologne must be the Dom. Located in the center of town, next to the train station, it is on the edge of the historic (and very nice) city center. Just accross the street is the luxurious hotel named “Excelsior Hotel Ernst”. This hotel is home to one Michelin star awarded restaurant and one other high quality restaurant. The second restaurant, Hanse Stube, we have visited recently.

The dark wooden walls, beautiful leather seats and benches, plus the spotless cutlery, glasses and china give the restaurant a luxurious look-and-feel. It raises expectations for the food that is to come. For lunch we had the three course menu. Before the first course, we had an (almost usual) amuse bouche; a roll of brisket with some sweet syrup/gel.

First course was something unusual but delicious; beetroot essence with smoked macrel. The somewhat sweet earthy flavours of the beetroot go really well with the smoked macrel. On top of the macrel is some  sour cream which adds a hint of freshness to the dish. When the dish is brought to the table, all you see is the smoked macrel with the sour cream on top. The waiter then pulls out a silver “teapot” and gently poors in beetroot essance.

For main course, the choice was given between place or brisket. The brisket is a true classic, as the waiter explains. It has been on the menu for over 140 years. Interesting little detail is that they roll around the restaurant with a big silver trolley with the brisket on it. The waiter slices the brisket at each table. I know some say this is unnecessary theatre, but I guess I am a sucker for theatre. The thing with the dish was that it looked a bit like it had been eaten before. Fortunately, appearance does not say anything about flavour. Where the meat itself (i.e. without the sauce) could use some more seasoning, the sauce made up for this. Brisket was held warm on the trolley, but this did not go at the expense of juiciness and it was in no way overcooked. On the side there were some sauteed carrots and potatoes, which in one word were delicious.

This lunch consisted of three courses, so only dessert was left. Here the choice was another classic: schwarzwälder kirschtorte, or Black Forest cherry cake in English. This basically is a dark chocolate cake with cherries in it and topped with a chocolate ganache. This was the Hanse Stube’s take on the dish. They added some cherry sherbet and whipped cream. The cake was absolutely delicious. It was moist and had an intense chocolate flavour with cherries. As for the cherry sherbet, the flavours were there and were nice. However, the sherbet was crystallized on the bottom. I had the feeling that either something went wrong when it was made or that it had been sitting in the freezer for too long. Unfortunately, the waiter(s) did not really seemed to care, as the only response to my comment was along the lines of “Oh, ok, I will try to tell the chef when I have time”. Apart from this, it really was a delicious closure of the meal.

This is one of those places that has built up a good reputation. Several of the other guests during my visit are regulars. Made me wonder if I was too demanding or just a bit unlucky with the sherbet. Normally, I would first visit other restaurants in town before going back to a restaurant. For some reason this may be different here, as I am curious to see if the experience is any better. The lunch costed approx. EUR 85 but that is including drinks and a good glass of champagne to start. Lunch at the restaurant is worth it, to my opinion. The staff is working hard and are polite. Even a waiter who normally only speaks German made an attempt to help me in English. If you are having a business or a romantic/formal lunch or dinner, this is a good choice of restaurant.

Restaurant location: View on Google Maps
Restaurant website: https://www.excelsiorhotelernst.com