Restaurant La Société Köln — Restaurant in Cologne

With great anticipation we went to the newly designed La Société to spend a culinary evening at the highest level and I can, no MUST tell you: our expectations were not disappointed, they were rather exceeded. In a cozy, relaxed and simply beautiful atmosphere, the restaurant presents itself a little more reduced in terms of decoration than was the case in the past. After we were greeted rather cassually and escorted to our seats (obligatory check of the vaccination status included, of course 👍), the wonderful evening began as befitted the occasion with a glass of Deutz Brut Classique for me and the wonderfully light, pleasantly not very sweet, subtly bitter house aperitif for the lady. Of course, we opted for the full eight courses and the exciting wine accompaniment. Here, one of the great strengths of the restaurant became apparent: the service around restaurant manager Stefan Helfrich, who was able to inspire with wit and charm, and the young sommelier Maximilian Altermann, who approaches pairing with courage and a lot of skill, was excellent, because the rest of the team was also attentive without being pushy, competent and extremely courteous and, above all, fun to work with. Especially in the current situation, this has to be mentioned extra. Why I praise the service exactly at this point, however, was the very pleasant dialogue to replace two wines from the wine accompaniment by alternatives to the, since these were already known to us. Maximilian approached us unpretentiously, quickly and courteously with two excellent suggestions, which turned out to be a perfect match in the course of the evening, hence this extra thanks. But now we come to the actual reason for our absence, the meal of the new cake chef Leon Hofmockl, previously sous-chef at the triple-starred Aqua in Wolfsburg, who presented with his team from the highest quality ingredients a menu excellent in its choice of dishes and sequence. The creative interpretation of classic and modern, French-inspired European cuisine simply thrilled us. The variety of flavors, the richness of contrast between the tastes and the simultaneous harmony demonstrate, in addition to the greatest craftsmanship, a special understanding of how to present a first-class taste experience without the often common round of oysters, caviar and foie gras. My personal highlight, to single out just one outstanding one course among the eight, was the delightfully meaty-sweet scallop on cauliflower couscous with wonderfully umami-explosive XO hollandaise, this being well contrasted by the subtle acidity of yuzu in the form of judiciously added gels. A delightful decoction served as a flavorful binder. Chapeau! Overall, the concentration on and reduction to the essentials, but without becoming too minimalist, was also absolutely convincing, while the portion sizes and the lightness of the dishes allowed us to enjoy the evening well satiated, but not too full, relaxed. Also not to be left unmentioned is the performance of patissier Thomas Planberger, who provided us with two wonderful desserts and delightful petit fours - a great conclusion to this so magnificent meal. In conclusion, we can say with a clear conscience that La Société is an absolute highlight in Cologne's gastronomic scene, even after 33 years. We are already looking forward to...

A restaurant with a French name does not mean it is a "French" restaurant. On the 4th of November I phoned to make a reservation for a dinner for my wedding anniversary, the 15th December. The person who answered to the phone took note of the reservation but he told me that it was tentative, as the restaurant was pending for confirmation or cancellation of a group event that same day 15th December. The person told me that if the restaurant did not phone me back on the next week of November, I could consider my reservation confirmed. They did not call me, so I consider my reservation confirmed. Happy moment! Today, 10th December I received a phone call from the restaurant. They have told me, with the total absence of courtesy and client orientation, that they made an error and that my reservation was cancelled because the group eventually confirmed their reservation. The person who phoned me told me that it does not matter whether he apologises or not, it is a fact, and he added “your reservation is gone, and sorry but I cannot have the phone line open talking to you, bye”. French restaurants, and in general, Frenchs, they have what is called “la politesse française”. They will have never treated a client like that, and they will have offer an alternative to make the client to feel special, particularly on a wedding anniversary dinner. But as I say, having a French name does not mean it is a “French” restaurant in all senses. “La Société”, A place which I will never repeat, even before having put...

We shared the tiny table, which situated just by the Plush Corner (which is overbooked since years for the Valentine's Dinner) and enjoyed the special Valentine's Day Menu. I gotta give a remark here, luckily I managed to book the table already early January and the most friendly staff there - who greets everyone with that tipicaly Bavarian greetings such as Gruß Gott and Servus, promised me the best table apart the Plush Corner. This loving guy also fullfilled my betterhalf secret wish - Txogitxu!

So here we come on that very day...

We giggled all the way long as we were just being seated at our table. Really not my kinda fave place, but Im broadminded enough to enjoy such crazy changing. ;-)

The food is okay. Nothing to really critize about it. The appetizers, esp. the Cologne-Tapas, were great thus the fish-course was almost perfect. The delicate-ness was somehow not there.

I just need to mention, that the Txogitxu wasnt really perfectly prepared. Well, Im probably too picky but I am sure that Txogitxu should be nearly awesome to a dry aged steak.

The desserts were awesome. Not as colorful as I usually got but both taste n presentation were adorable.

To make the story short... I know way better and refined gourmet places in that price segment (dinner for two around 300 Eur with 1-3 drinks) in Cologne. I'd probably revisit La Société in the future and could recommend foodies who'd like to try out some Colonian Specialities in such...