Nagaya - Menu

"For some Cologne, the trip to Düsseldorf is almost a thing of impossibility. Too great may be the feeling or actual differences in the mentality of both cities. Here is the grounded metropolis of Dom, the Rhine and itself, with a large heart and a similar flap and there the state capital with Kö, luxury brands, where the density of SUV's, which are driven by bored dentists, is higher than elsewhere. Live the cliché. As a North German, who lives partly in Cologne in terms of work, I have to deal with any Rhenish local patriotism. Nevertheless, I admit that I have rarely found the way to the “bad” city. From a culinary point of view, this is more than a concern, because in 2016 alone, three restaurants in Düsseldorf have received a new Michelin star. At the top of my list, however, one of the long-served hamlets was standing for a long time: the Nagaya, also stared and described by many as the best Japanese restaurant in Germany. The lunch menu, where Yoshizumi Nagaya offers a 6 course menu for 72 Euros, which includes three appetizers, sushi, main course and dessert and thus offers a good entrance to the Japanese-European creative cuisine of Nagaya. And this should also be for us on this sunny Saturday, when we enter the simply, but elegantly furnished, elongated restaurant and are very kindly greeted by the service and crew from the open kitchen. In a glass of champagne by Marc Hébrart, a relatively small and more unknown house from Aÿ, which we like well, we study the somewhat high-priced wine map, which is not really surprising to us, because finally we are in Düsseldorf – Klischee and so, s.o. ... and decide for a 2015 Riesling church game from the Groebe winery from Westhofen. The great growth from the known location gains in the glass fullness and strength and brings us well through the menu. This starts with an amuse, which I unfortunately only understood half. But I am relatively sure that it could have been a piece of mackerel, with buckwheat, fruity broth and tapioca chip. This is very nice to watch and a fresh, sweet appetite maker. Amuse Bouche: Makrele ? , Buchweizen, Tapiokachip The first appetizer bears the name “Suzuki” and under radishes there are raw marinated slices of Japanese wolf bass, on the side combual genes and plum seed. There's another Yuzu vinaigrette at the table. This has a little the character of a ceviche, in which the excellent quality of the fish is of course in the foreground and allows exciting combinations with the seeds and algae. A very taste-intensive but very easy entry into the menu. “Suzuki” Japanese Wolfsbarsch, Kombualgen, Plum Seeds, Yuzu-Vinaigrette It goes on with raw fish, namely Sashimi from the scallop with leek and a Yuzu-Miso-Sud. Not announcing the pocket cancer, which is also in the fine arrangement and controls a subtle sweet note. The product quality is once again excellent, as was hardly expected otherwise, and the aromas are very finely balanced. Sashimi von Jakobsmuschel, Japanese Lauch, Yuzu-Miso-Sud The next gear comes very purist, but visually impressive. A wonderful piece of first-class seaweeds, cooked in oil softly and slightly fluffed, is only accompanied by crisp and almost raw cabbage raspaghetti and an aromatically dense plum sauce. It tastes very round and delicious. Sommelier recommends a glass of sachet for the following sushi selection. As it appears to be a very special one, which is only available in Nagaya, the glass with 28 euros is also correspondingly expensive. For comparison, I order a cheaper variant for 10 Euros, which is also very good quality, but actually cannot keep up with the Prestigesake. But both are a good choice for sushi. The four varieties are once again of fabulous quality. Scottish salmon, Dorade, belly of tuna and yellow fins are served classic with inlaid ginger and washabi. The soy sauce, is explained to us, is further refined in the house and actually tastes denser and less salty than conventional to buy. The tuna, which has an almost fat, creamy texture, is a delight for me. Sushi Scottish salmon, Dorade, tuna tree, yellow fin shells The main course combines a perfectly delicate, probably sous-vide cooked piece of fillet from the Basque calf with an arrangement of asparagus, baked in the Tempura pastry, and corn. There is a dense Wasabi butter sauce that combines Japanese and European flavors in a clever way. The dessert is simply announced as a chocolate mousse with strawberry sorbet and matcha. In fact, it is an augmenting variation of the good old childbirth classic “Kalter Hund”. The chocolate mass between the dough layers is in any case too compact to go through as mousses, but tastes significantly better than the cuddly lumps from childhood. The sorbet is reshaped to the strawberry and, together with the matchbreads and the fresh strawberries, takes some of the alleged severity to the chocolate-keks structure. In any case, this is a once again optically very pleasing gear and beautiful finish. Chocolate mousse, strawberry sorbet, Matcha Yoshizumi Nagaya's kitchen we enjoyed very much. Its dishes are characterized by a very precise aesthetic, excellent product quality and a lightness that goes through the entire menu. Stylistic we are actually very common in European proximity, but by some very targeted ingredients in each course the Japanese context is always produced. Even though the large Grandmakase menu in the evening may be more sophisticated and more demanding, but also more expensive, this lunch was a perfect entry into the aroma world of Nagaya for us. On the outskirts it is only mentioned that with the Yoshi by Nagaya there is an annex, which is dedicated to the Kaiseki cuisine in a more informal setting and is thus even more closely aligned with the traditional Japanese style. Another reason to get to Düsseldorf more often."