L`escalier Restaurant - Köln

The restaurant has a humble but cozy ambiance and a very friendly and easy going staff. The cuisine by Maximilian Lorenz is most excellent and refined. Although expensive the taste experience warrants the price..., almost. The one thing that this restaurant really lacks is a sommelier and wine arrangement that can match Maximilian Lorenz's cuisine. They have a great wine list and I know a thing or two about wines myself, but... as a customer I don't know which food I'm going to be served. So I can't do a wine pairing 'on the spot' for 7 courses. This was a bit of a disappointment, a well balanced wine arrangement would really make the experience complete.

Food here is done to the highest standards. Each plate has a design element and works with color, texture, temperature and taste. Helpful comment is given as needed. Expensive, and a great spot for a special night out.

From the moment you walk in (or sit on the terrace) this is an experience which will not be forgotten! Superb, excellent, unbelievable and simply impressive!

I'm not sure eating will ever be the same again!My boyfriend and I booked into L'escalier for New Years Eve in Cologne upon recommendation from a friend. Although their website said they were fully booked they made an exception for us, so we were already onto a good start!We arrived for 7pm sharp where we were greeted by all staff on first name terms, shown to our table and given a glass of vintage champagne. Immediately we were blown away by the luxurious yet relaxed atmosphere and one thing we particularly appreciated is that although it was New Years Eve, they hadn't packed the restaurant with clients like sardines, there was enough space between each table.The sommelier introduced us to some fine white German wine which was delicious and then the 8-course meal started - each meal better than the last.The dove was a particular favourite, along with the lobster and then the foie gras ice cream!Even the bread and butter was home made, just small touches like this that really set a restaurant apart from the rest. The chef came out and spoke to everyone after a few courses had been served and after a few glasses of wine we couldn't stop praising him and the team!I occasionally steer clear of these types of restaurants through fear of them being too pretentious but L'escalier have struck the perfect balance and set us up perfectly for 2016. Thanks to all at the restaurant for such a perfect evening!

I recently traveled to Cologne in Germany. Cologne’s range of eating establishments is extremely diverse and tourists have over 3,000 restaurants to choose from including a handful of top restaurants that have been awarded one or even two Michelin stars. During the first day of our stay we decided to have our lunch at L’Escalier restaurant by Maximilian Lorenz that have been awarded with 1 Michelin Star and 16 Gault & Millau points.Location:L’Escalier restaurant is based on a quiet Brüsseler street so it is perfect if you wish to escape from the hustle and bustle of the big city.Atmosphere:At first glance, L’Escalier restaurant looks like many other eateries however if you go inside you’ll discover that the restaurant has very modern and intimidate surroundings. Restaurant can host up to 32 diners at once and in the summer it also has 16 additional sits outside. Private dining or events are available upon request.We booked our table for 12:30 p.m. When we entered the restaurant, we were welcomed by a friendly waitress -Michelle who took us to our table. Once we were seated, she recommended us a glass of champagne-it was divine.The decor of L’Escalier restaurant is exclusive, modern and sophisticated.Throughout our meal there was soft, romantic music playing in the background.Menu:Guests dining at this fine-dining Michelin star restaurant have an opportunity to select from the A La Carte Menu as well as a few selected tasting menus. We decided to order the 7-course tasting menu ‘Innovation’. If you are looking for a great food which is out of the ordinary and completely different then you should try it.The first dish we had was small incitement. It was made using crustacean espuma, North sea crab, amaranth, watercress, herring, red onion, topinambour, comté, pine nuts, citrus dressing, wels catfish, cabbage and black cumin.For second dish we had was German ‘Vitello Tonato’ made with pork loin, trout, cucumber and yellow dandelion.For third course was Breton Mackarel made with some tomato, apple dressing and leeks.Next we had some wild broccoli with chicken giblets, hazelnut and chicorée.Following from that we had one of the signature dishes-Norwegian Scalop on a marrow bones with some young garlic and lovage.To clean our palate we received some refreshing Green Apple tonic water with celery.For our main course we had some calf’s head that was served with a side of peas, snow pea pods and asparagus.For my dessert we had some mouth-watering rhubarb cake with some bourbon vanilla and buckwheat.The meal ended with a selection of petit fours.All dishes were delicious and presented beautifully. I could even describe them as rather Instagram-friendly. After our dessert and petit fours Maximilian Lorenz came over to ask us if we enjoyed our food and we talked for a couple of minutes about his background, inspiration behind the dishes and the ingredients he sources for his dishes.Overall experience:We had an amazing dinning experience at L’Escalier restaurant. All of the dishes we tried were delicious, creative and featured regional products. If you are looking for a fine-dining experience based on the best quality, locally sourced ingredients then you should look no further. The service was great and the food was delectable so we will definitely be returning there next time we are in Cologne.