10.08.2021 Flussgenuss

KD’s feel-good dinner cruises

Top chefs invite guests to dine on board the KD event boats in Cologne and Düsseldorf.

Top-notch chefs from the local region demonstrate their individual class on the popular Köln-Düsseldorfer Rheinschiffahrt dinner cruises. The evenings have not been an insider tip for a long time now – they are a sought-after culinary experience that is inspiring a steadily growing fan base. The food is served on board the event boats in Cologne and Düsseldorf. Each of the virtuosos at the stove will create a four-course meal specially for “their” KD dinner cruise and prepare this on the day of the event with the KD kitchen crew. Wine pairing can be ordered on request.

Exquisitely arranged dishes

A well-known saying in Germany goes: “Food should be a feast for the eyes too”. This is doubly true for the KD dinner cruises. Each course is artfully and attractively arranged in the kitchen and served at the table by friendly KD service staff. Visual bonus points are scored by the wonderful backdrops of Cologne and Düsseldorf’s old towns. The evenings are composed to allow enough time for the guests and chefs to talk to each other. This “ingredient” is appreciated very much by Erika Bergheim, who was named 2019 Chef of the Year by a trade magazine.

“There is hardly any time for this kind of exchange in the usual restaurant business. It’s really great to go from table to table on the dinner cruises and talk to the guests, who are attentive and interested in my cooking. I look forward to the next time I’m on board.”

Saddle of veal with pancetta and chard

That will be on Tuesday, 24th August. For the evening, Erika Bergheim has chosen a four-course meal that starts with a fjord trout poached in olive oil and marinated green asparagus. This is followed by a chilled pea soup with lightly smoked feta. The main course is saddle of veal with pancetta and chard, chanterelle mushrooms and chervil dumplings. A dessert of chocolate tart and redcurrant sorbet rounds off the menu. Born in Cologne, she has been professionally anchored in Essen for many years. The North Rhine-Westphalia gourmet ambassador is now striving for new shores. Erika Bergheim, the former chef of the restaurant “Laurushaus” at Schloss Hugenpoet in Essen, is going to be the new operations manager and head chef at the traditional restaurant “Pierburg”. She is due to start in mid-October. Until then, Erika Berg-heim has lots to do. Including many things that have little to do with cooking. “You wouldn’t believe how much work goes into setting up a restaurant like this. These are decisions that will impact us for years.” This includes choosing the right tableware as well as the colour of the façade. Erika Bergheim’s new place of work is located – like her previous one – in Essen-Kettwig. The restaurant will have 80 seats, plus 10 to 12 seats in the wine bar. “It’s going to be a big deal – for me, my team and the guests,” says the superwoman, excitedly.

Ginger is always a safe bet

Jaspreet Dhaliwal-Wilmes knows very well how it feels to demonstrate his passion for cooking in a new environment. He opened the restaurant “Der Vierte König” in Cologne in 2017 and quickly made a name for himself with his compositions of French classics and the fascinating world of flavours from India.

“The Coronavirus time was certainly very difficult. But we got through it well on the whole, especially because our guests supported us with take-away sales. Now we’re slowly getting back on track."

Guests can enjoy artful creations from the likeable top chef on the KD dinner cruise on 7th December. They can look forward to guinea fowl galantine with Indian lentil salad, ginger and tomato jam and wild herb salad to start. Ginger also plays an impor-tant role in the dessert. The choco-late tartlets are accompanied by ginger plums, ginger spirit ice cream and mahonia sauce. Before that, cappuccino of braised root vegetables with braised veal cheeks and, for the main course, cod served on a fenugreek sauce with scampi and bean ragout and orange-pumpkin puree. Jaspreet Dhaliwal-Wilmes is happy to get started again in the “Vierte König” and on the KD dinner cruise.