The Duchy - Düsseldorf — Restaurant in Dusseldorf

Coming back to the restaurant after many years, I was pleasantly surprised by a completely newly renovated restaurant with a new concept and intriguing theme.

Knowing it was a posh hotel, you are not quite sure of the 'warmth' of service as there are perceptions of it also being some what snobbish. I was proved wrong and that this could not be a generalized perception. Upon arrival, the place had a sophisticated yet warm and comforting look and feel, just as all the staff. We were warmly welcomed and were made to feel at home with casual conversations with the staff throughout the evening. Something odd did catch my eye... there was a young lady casually walking around, quite sophisticated, sipping a glass of wine? Soon I discovered a well illustrated book on the table that explained 'the Dutchy' concept and the lady in the red dress. She would roam from table to table and all her responses resembled the 'Dutchy' giving us insight into some of her favorite dishes on the menus... quite a sweet concept I thought... lol, also an interesting job to have.

Now the reason for a visit,which was a surprise date night organized by my husband... and the biggest factor of the evening...The FOOD! We chose 2 different starters. Hubby chose the traditional knodle and mushroom, which was the comforting dish it is, yet it had so much depth of flavours. I opted for something different from the Japanese 'raw' bar. I tried the salmon with passionfruit and sea asparagus, it was a delicious combination and as super fresh fish, it didn't taste of fish and just melted in your mouth. We then had a palette cleanser... mango sorbet... which tasted of fresh mango and very refreshing. Onto mains, after some debate I chose the fish with saffron cream and hubby the brisket. I have to admit, having tasted this fish for the first time, it was not my favorite. However, tasting or rathing eating half of hubby's brisket, more then made up for it. The brisket meat was literally falling apart, I'm quite a foodie and generally sceptical about meat dishes, not being cooked well enough, too chewy or lack of seasoning, this dish was divine and sause was absolutely flavorful, the best I've had. They could of been a little more generous with the sause😊. To last but not least dessert, being pretty full, we decided to share a creme brulee. This was smooth, with that had a perfect crunch on the top and a delicious caramel ice cream. The portion here was also really small. But then again we did share, but slightly more would of been better. We were quite intrigued by the Japanese chef serving her food especially her salted caramel ice cream, which looked like a bit of an experience at the table.

Also another very warm touch to the place was the head chef who visited every table, very warm and charming. What I found very sweet was when he took the children from one of the tables for a tour of the kitchen. Often fancy restaurants don't have family's, or rather not kids friendly but here they were so well taken care of it was very heart warming.

It was indeed a lovely evening, even though the prices are of a high end restaurant, it was definitely worth the tasty dishes and warm ambiance...

Overall, it was a great experience from the time I entered the restaurant until I left. I started with a nice glass of Tattinger Champaign and had the opportunity to chat with "the Duchy," who is the well styled hostess. She explained the ideas and history behind the restaurant theme. It was a nice conversation, and as I was dining alone, welcomed. They start the service by bringing out two types of bread with salted butter. Both breads were nice - potato bread and bread with apple and black pudding (sausage). I selected the steak tartar as my starter. The meat was very good quality, and the mix of ingredients was tasty. For the main course, I chose the beef rib, which was accompanied by a tomato salad. The steak was very well cooked and seasoned - which was a first for me in Germany. For the desert, it was black cherries with a warm chocolate cake and sunflower ice cream. All was good, especially the ice cream. This restaurant is expensive and a bit of an indulgence, but it used local top quality ingredients and was exceptional. I would certainly...

Fine dining at its best! A reason to visit Dusseldorf again. We made an online reservation in advance, where we mentioned our dietary restrictions & food allergies. The moment we entered the restaurant, we were welcomed by Mr. Urs, who knew our exact preferences as if we had been friends for life. It's plausible that the Duchy follows the farm-to-table concept focusing on sustainability. Like Jamie Oliver says: "Real food doesn't have ingredients. Real food is ingredients." Mr. Urs helped us choose the best courses and drinks. I'm on medication (nothing serious) and should avoid alcohol for some time, therefore I had to abstain from having a glass of wine. It wasn't a problem for Mr. Urs. He offered a lovely alternative to wine: some fancy ice tea that looked like wine and had a very delicate taste. The Homegrown Potato Soup, as well as Handmade Tagliarini and Regional Salmon Trout are what we enjoyed the most. Refreshing sorbet was the final act of the evening. All we can say is Thank You and we'll...