Lunch @ La Poêle d'Or, Cologne, Germany (1-Michelin star)

*Update 14/4/16: This restaurant has closed down.

Just this year, La Poêle d'Or in Cologne received its first Michelin star, elevating its position to one of the best eateries in town. We were there to sample their lunch menu to experience for ourselves what makes a Michelin starred restaurant and get fed by of one of rising stars of the scene in French chef Jean-Claude Bado. In addition to the Michelin star, they also have 17 points on Gault Millau 2013. We went for their 2 course lunch menu and were pleasantly surprised by the amount of small samples of amuse bouche we had throughout the meal. The lunch menu changes daily, depending on what fresh produce the chef receives each morning.

A pleasure for the senses

The exterior of the restaurant. It is placed side-by-side to its sister bistro Bistrot B

Located in close proximity to the Cologne Dom, certainly the most recognisable landmark in town.

The interior of the restaurant. We were early there and thus had the pleasure of having the restaurant to ourselves.

Cosy and understated decor

First amuse-bouche: Terrine, mousse and tartar of salmon. Three contrasting textures and tastes. A nice start!

Some warm bread and French butter

Second amuse-bouche: British sardine with olve tapenade and escabeche. Beautifully presented and the escabeche provided a huge punch of flavor. Would have went great with some bread but it was all already in my tummy by the time I thought about it.

Cheese croissant and house-made bread 

Third amuse-bouche: Coffee macaron with ham flavoured mousse. Cutely presented on a wooden platform, the macaron shell was air light and the savory ham mousse was surprisingly good

Starter: Salmon with quince chutney. This was the star of the day for us. The fatty salmon was wonderful and complimented by the sweetness and acidity of the quince chutney. Stuff of dreams!

It's not too bad looks wise as well!

Main dish: Guinea fowl with sauce Albuféra, vegetables and potato. The fowl was cooked perfectly, with a crispy exterior and and moist inside. It is easy to get this wrong and we were impressed at how good it was with the Albuféra sauce. The portion was generous as well.

Petit fours to end the meal

Some awards the restaurant managed to garner.

The waiting area at the entrance of the restaurant

Verdict: We were wowed by the great food and impeccable service at the restaurant. The sum of the parts and components of the meal were a delight and left us planning a revisit in the near future.

Opening hours. Lunch and dinner from Tuesdays to Saturdays.

Price: €65 including drinks for a table of two

Location: La Poêle d'Or, Komödienstr. 50-52 - 50667 Köln, Germany

Tel.: +49 (0)221/13 986 777

Website: http://www.lapoeledor.de/


*This is a guest post by The Unc.

Baby Sumo's Top 12 Healthy Recipes for 2014!

If one of your New Year's Resolutions for 2014 is to eat healthier, lose weight, start cooking more or go on a diet, then you are at the right place ;)

Top 12 Healthy Recipes for 2014

Here are a few of my favorite healthy (and delicious!) recipes which I have carefully compiled to help you on your quest. Click on the title or caption below each photo for the full recipe.


1. Breakfast - Overnight Oats
Whatever you do, don't skip the most important meal of the day. If you wish to increase your intake of fresh fruits and fibre into your diet, then try this recipe for overnight oats with fresh fruits and nuts. This can easily be prepared the night before (soak the oats in milk) and then simply add your favorite fruits and nuts in the morning.

Overnight oats with fresh fruits and nuts

2. Egg White Omelette with Sliced Avocado
Eggs are also great for breakfast, brunch or a light lunch - for a low-fat breakfast, you can try this egg white omelette with bacon and avocado. Egg white contains almost no fat, no cholesterol, and contains about 17 calories in a large egg. It is often prized as a low-fat, high protein food. You can skip the bacon if you want, but a little bacon won't hurt, right?

3. Homemade Hummus
Hummus is a Middle Eastern food dip or spread made from cooked chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), tahini paste, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. Hummus is high in iron and vitamin C and also has significant amounts of folate and vitamin B6. The chickpeas are a good source of protein and dietary fiber and the tahini consists mostly of sesame seeds, are an excellent source of the amino acid methionine, complementing the proteins in the chickpeas.

We often dip our toast in the morning in hummus, in lieu of kaya or butter/jam and also a spread on wraps. Another favorite dip of ours is guacamole - easy peasy to put together!

Homemade Hummus

4. Japanese cold soba noodles with quail's egg

One of my favorite things to eat for lunch is Japanese cold soba. Not only is it easy to prepare, it is also healthy, light and refreshing for our hot weather. Contains no oil at all. You can also make your own soba-tsuyu (dipping sauce), making it possible to control the saltiness of the sauce.

Japanese cold soba with quail's egg

5. Salads
When we mention healthy / clean eating, salad is the natural choice for most people. Two of my favorite salads from last year are the strawberry and avocado salad as well as the avocado, pear and rocket salad with Parmigiano Reggiano, both dressed with a honey vinaigrette.

Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C and contain more vitamins than the equivalent weight of oranges. Avocados are also high in potassium, folic acid, vitamin K, vitamin B6 and vitamin C.

Strawberry and avocado salad with honey dressing

Pear, avocado and rocket salad with Parmigiano Reggiano

6. Pesto-glazed chicken breast with pesto spaghetti
Chicken breast is our preferred cut as it is leaner and healthier. Try coating it with pesto and roasting in the oven and you will have one super delicious dinner. Since we make our own pesto, we love having it with pasta too! It makes a great accompaniment to the chicken or as a dish of its own for a quick, healthy lunch.

Pesto-glazed chicken with pesto spaghetti

7. Fusilli pasta with tuna, sweetcorn and quail's egg
This is another great way of serving pasta - the cooked pasta is lightly coated with extra virgin olive oil and tossed with the other ingredients (tuna, shallots, cherry tomatoes, sweetcorn and quail's egg). Healthy, balanced and light.

Fusilli pasta with tuna, sweetcorn and quail's egg

8. Fish
We all know eating fish is good for you. An easy, healthy way of cooking fish is to bake it in the oven. There is also very little cleaning up to do afterwards. WIN! My three favorite fish recipes are oven-baked fish with lemon and dill , oven-baked salmon trout in teriyaki sauce and oven-baked salmon fillet with soy sauce and dill.

Oven-baked salmon trout in teriyaki sauce

9. Desserts
Eating healthy or going on a diet doesn't mean that you have to skip desserts altogether. As far as cakes go, this Castella cake is pretty healthy. This Japanese sponge cake is made of eggs, sugar, bread flour and honey and contains no butter/oil.

Castella cake

Another favorite healthy dessert of ours is this easy roasted banana with honey, lime, nuts and dried fruits. This is a great (sweet) treat for kids too!

Roasted bananas with honey, lime, nuts and dried fruits

10. Oven-baked Crispy Cornflakes chicken
Who says you cannot eat fried chicken when you are trying to lose weight? Just go for the healthier option and oven-bake instead of deep frying in lots of oil. With oven-fried chicken, you use a lot less oil and the chicken is coated in yogurt and either breadcrumbs or cornflakes to give it a crispy outer layer.

Crispy cornflakes chicken

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*This post was featured on Asian Food Channel's Facebook page on 7 January 2014.