Kintaro - Köln

My favorite sushi place in Cologne! The most authentic you will find around here. After coming back from Japan, this place makes me feel like I never left. Been to many sushi restaurants in Cologne but I’m not a fan of westernized sushi (too much rice, cream cheese??? so if you like authentic sushi, Kintaro is your spot! The prices are definitely on par with the quality so just with all things in life, you get what you pay for! Be sure to make a reservation because it’s usually pretty full. I have been going here for two years now and I can safely say I still look forward to my weekly visit to Kintaro. The owners are amazing people and do an amazing job at keeping this place going! tip: If you like raw fish be sure to try the Kimchi!

Paid 20€ for 10 maki and 2 nigiri, 1 bag of soy and now wasabi. Sushi was average. I felt cheated. Usually for 20€ I can order 18-20 pieces. The owner told me that 5 pieces were uramaki and then brought me only small maki. Very, very disappointed.

Japanese food in Cologne, worth it? Or is it only in the forbidden village on the periphery of the Lower Rhine? For our next club meeting (we are a small non-registered club with up to now two members, but that has been stable for years to the upcoming day of enjoyment it can actually be only the Dom city (or a place in the Bergische Land). This is our field of operations. The distances shall not be too large; because we want to get home in the evening without problems with public transport. The start to the pleasure is always a lunch in a selected place under a certain motto. It should be “Japanese” this time. The focus should not be on sushi. This is not a home game because we are untrained in this area. But: “The true gourmet is above all very tolerant and always interested in new. Finally, he would block himself if he would always do just the same things as the Scheinschmecker.”, says Jürgen Dollase (who is not necessarily our benchmark in all his views. According to Carsten Henn, the restaurant critic of the Cologne city scorer, “Daikan” came into question for this purpose mainly (although even more the “Zen” – his predecessor Helmut Gote (yet in 2013). “Küchsreise” awards 4 out of 5 points “even again” (2014 . But I could not find more recent positive recommendations. The esteemed GG colleague table notes rated “Akira” quite well a short time ago and called it his favorite place for sushi (in Cologne – his visit was also in the evening. And unfortunately there are more and more local differences to the lunch, such as a limited lunch ticket. The reason for this may be, among other things, that today's audience wants to take the lunch without a snort and fast. – We don’t! Even at midday, the emphasis on enjoyment is at our heart and three courses should be at least. It will definitely remain on the Japan list. In the “taku” (Asian we have already fed – and it is always worth a visit but not necessarily typical Japanese. In the “Daitokai” the “show” of the house is always praised – and so it is for us from the race; because we want to focus on the food (although ladies in kimono are certainly an enrichment, and many other locals seem to be focusing on only sushi, and it is often more like fast restaurants. Maybe another time. The Kintaro responded to my e-mail request for a lunch table in a friendly and timely manner: “In the middle of the day we offer our lunch menus, but you can enjoy eating dishes from our evening menu.” A feedback came from Daikan, which made me less satisfied: “Leider we have no menu online. You can also just look past us and look into the menu.” Michelin and GaultMillau will only lift taku and Zen in this area. But Schlemmeratlas and gourmets at least award 1,5 points to Kintaro. And then we went there too. The Japanese-Cologne couple Arakawa has been leading the restaurant since October 1988. Takusaburo and Hedwig were the first to cook original Japanese in Cologne. – To date, this concept has not changed much: “We serve traditional Japanese food, nothing new,” the boss explains. Ambience Inside, the restaurant is really minimalist. Around the counter, which is also kitchen, there are seating and in the rest room very simple tables and chairs. There are some pictures and photos on the walls. There are disposable sticks and a simple paper napkin. a place That corresponds to the ideal of simplicity that is declared to Japanese architecture and furnishings. Whether it is a typical equipment, I can only find out after further visits in other houses. Guest room Cleanliness Everything worked well maintained. Service The head of the House Hedi Arakawa welcomed us kindly. I referred to our emails. And she recommended us the lunch box, which essentially depicts all areas of a Japanese food: some vegetables and salad, a soup, tempura, various fish dishes and ice cream. In addition, we ordered some fried beef and some more from the sea (Jacobus mussel, octopus . Various cooking methods, which are probably typical of the kitchen, were collected: raw, fried, cooked, fried. In addition to the silent chef behind the counter, two young Japanese services were still active. the chef Mrs. Arakawa was responsible for short conversation during the stay. Her clear and persuasive statements were heartbreaking for me. She also liked to leave us “children’s sticks” that have the advantage of acting like a tweezers without having to handle them properly. She answered the question of suitable drinks with the remark that one in Japan takes what a taste. This is how the short dialogue came about: “How is it with Kölsch?” – “Mühlen Kölsch is a good choice!” The tasting food Zensai soup with inlay and raw salad from cucumber, fine carrots and iceberg soup The broth was relatively neutral in taste. In it were dark algae and a kind of fine thin egg engraving. As I like to taste food with courageous spices, I was somewhat insecure about the subtle flavors. But after a few little swallows, I arranged myself with it. Salad The peel with cucumber and iceberg salad surprised me with even more simplicity. Less can hardly be done. It was a light touch of a dressing sprayed on. Yasai Nimono Cooked Vegetables: Lotus, Tubular, Bean, Asian Mushrooms, White Vegetables (Sellerie ? Vegetables This kind of preparation and the vegetables used were relatively uninhabited or new to me. The coats were neither soft nor hard – so they were perfectly cooked. I haven't tasted Lotus so far. Again, all vegetables were very natural in taste; so I couldn't feel spices. But in any case interesting because I haven't fed them so pure for a long time. At home we leave our vegetables more bite-resistant and season more. Box (23 € Lunch Box A square structure with four troughs (painted wood ?): top right: Maki, Negiri, Sashimi, raw vegetables, glass noodles, inlaid ginger left elongated: Tempura shrimp (scampo and vegetables a separate bowl with a dip outside the box in the middle right I have already served a deepening with soy sauce for the sushi and a stick on the edge I like these things. Here, salmon, tuna and a bright fish (codling) were processed or prepared. Wasabi paste was picant and not too sharp. The inlaid ginger was also pleasant in taste. Tempura With the grilled parts has already tasted quite well with the shrimp. The other pieces were vegetables. Together with the dip a trace of wort came to me. Dip for Tempura The Happen tuna lying on a large sheet of iceberg salad and next to a slice of lemon, was gently roasted or cooked. In any case cooked. The taste reminded me of the fish, was too compact and strongly neutralized. Rice Rice The rice was surprisingly grainy and not pappy at all. Salt was again used sparingly. Gyuniku Amiya (13,50 € grilled beef and iceberg salad beef grilled We shared the portion. The meat was fried and still slightly pink inside. The taste was strong, the consistency was relatively firm. In any case, most likely as a thinly cut steak. It tasted us. Hotategai (4,30 € – Scallops; a small portion of soy sauce The mussel me rice and soy sauce has tasted very good to me. This single tap of the Sushi card was exactly my case. In future visits, this list would definitely be my fund pit. Squid and Scotch Ika Remon Shi (3,20 € – Squid with Salt and Lemon This second piece was also really something for me. The squid was delicate and aromatic. With rice a magnificent unit. Matcha ice matcha ice cream The small ball ice to finish was also a hit. The tea taste was harmoniously present as a subtle bitter tone and refreshes the tongue and the mouth. The ice was not creamy, but pleasantly soft. I'd like to eat that again. As a drink (1.90 € for 0.2 l we have taken the fresh mill Kölsch. And it was really good for Japanese food. Conclusion 3 – if it results; in any case, I will continue to eat Japanese and also visit other locals (see above. I would like to gain many experiences in this field. (1 – certainly not again, 2 – hardly again, 3 – if it results again, 4 – happy again, 5 – absolutely again – after “Kuechenreise” Date of visit: 19.07.2017 two people at noon

We ordered the menu and were thrilled. The quality of the ingredients is fantastic and the atmosphere is absolutely suitable for traditional dishes. Whenever I'm in Cologne, Kintaro will be the Japanese.

The most authentic sushi I ever have in Germany.