Ito – Japanese Cuisine

"General The ITO is located in the rooms of the former restaurant “Sorgenfrei” in the Belgian district. I liked to have lunches a long time ago. I have rarely had contact with Japanese cuisine. But I've heard a lot of good about the new place in Cologne. Chef Kengo Nishimi learned the craftsmanship in his home country. He then gained experience in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Finally he came to Düsseldorf, where he worked for several years at the stared Japanese chef Yoshizumi Nagaya. He also met Torben Schuster where he moved to the “Gut Lärchenhof” to Pulheim. Peter Hesseler has the “La Société” in addition to the “Gut Lärchenhof”. And now he opened his third location with Ito. The gourmet “table notes” reported very positively about the new restaurant some time ago. And Carsten Henn from the Cologne city scorer also praised the kitchen; he even gave 6 out of 6 stars. Michelin also mentions the house and GaultMillau awards 2 black hoods for 2022. There was only 2 members for our little connoisseur club to come here. After all, our enjoyment always starts with a lunch. Ambience There are some outdoor seating on the street. We'd rather be inside. When you enter the house, the counter is on the right. There the “master” works clearly visible to the “fishing”. We had reserved and got two tables offered for selection in the first room next to the counter. At the window we found it all right and settled there. The facility is simply but very tasty for me. In addition to the seats in this area, there are still further seats in the back of the house. It's about 40 people. At this noon, the places in the counter were all occupied. Cleanliness Everything works well maintained. The toilets can be reached in a flat way. They're in the back. Everything was clean and tidy. Service Place A lady and two gentlemen took care of the guests. Both were friendly and empathic. They were always in place when it was necessary – and left the guests alone so I like it. However, the card n Man can order me many terms not much because I am an ignorant in this kitchen; there is also an extensive beverage card that I understand better. So we went down to the lunch menu and wanted to “surprise”. In the drinks we chose a bottle of wine and water. Beverages were relatively expensive – and you don't know what's coming. With a Riesling, you can't do anything wrong with Asian dishes, can you? The tasting food Omakase Lunch – Kengo’s menu trip served in four courses € 55.00 offer applies exclusively to lunch greeting – twice cauliflower with shrimp This little bite of pleasure had come up. The happen showed a wide range of aromas. The cabbage was tasty, the shrimp pieces fit well. Sashimi Hamachi The rolls were slightly marinated or seasoned. The fish tasted fresh and aromatic. In addition, there were still herbs I mean and green sprouts maybe peas as well as strips of Nori alge, under and next to the fish. A soya sauce was kept in a bowl. Eating with rodlets is not my thing – I am occasionally practicing at home with peanuts, but the result does not convince me. In addition, I would also like to eat knives and fork in Japan with my fingers. Sushi – Hand Roll Temaki Nigiri Hosomaki – Wasabi – Gari – Soy Most of the time I saw the “Eishörnchen” from Nori Alge. In this funnel or cone were crispy parts, rice, sauces and soft marine animals. I have no idea what it was and I have the names. The waitress said, forget immediately. But it was delicious. With several bites and small breaks in between I enjoyed the taste. Also the Nigiri were very pleasant. There were three types of fish I think: Salmon, Thun and trout maybe. It tasted very good again. With the small inserted ginger pieces, I was able to “fresh” the mouth after every bite. The Wasabi Paste was too sharp to me – I only tried one my, that was enough. The ginger did the rest. The maids also have guarded. I have to admit that I was very done with this gang. However, the next two courses did not appear very “Asian”. But we didn't do that. On the contrary, they also enjoyed us. Main dish of the day – cod, tomato, vegetables, butter herbal sauce The fish was buttery and creamy. The small tomatoes were surprisingly strong in the sweeter aromas; so I rarely tasted her. It must be a wonderful variety. Tiny salad slices were next. And from baked dough there were two crispy “finger hats” on the plate. The sauce was quite rich and ally, loose. Dessert – Cheesecake, Ice, Strawberry On the plate a red berry sauce was poured out circularly. In the middle was the creamy cheesecake. Then followed strawberry pieces on the turret. On top was the white creamy ice cream. The conclusion was made by two transversal tubes from Baiser. For me, they looked like broken pieces a plaster pipe for Marin's wake-up men. But they weren't so hard, they were crunchy. Drinks Schloss Lieser Thomas Haag SL Riesling 2020 bottle 33,00 € Viva con Agua medium 0,75 l 7,50 € The drinks were well cooled. The wine came into a cooler. The semi-dry Riesling was a good handle; because he was very good with fish. Price Performance Ratio I think the lunch menu is fairly calculated. Conclusion 4 – happy again. I tasted it and liked it to my colleague, but I have no great experience in the sector. In the “taku” in Cologne, the Asian dishes always taste good; from “Kintaro” in Cologne I was a bit disappointed years ago, too, with our gourmet club for lunch. 1 – certainly not again, 2 – hardly again, 3 – if it arises again, 4 – happy again, 5 – absolutely again – after “Kuechenreise” Date of visit: 15.07.2022 – midday – 2 people My enjoyable experiences also stand with [here link]"