Vendôme

Joachim Wissler has been running the kitchen at the elegant fine dining restaurant of the luxurious Althoff Grandhotel Schloss Bensberg since 2000. Drawing on classic French techniques, this Swabian-born chef infuses his dishes with modern flair, resulting in creative, beautifully crafted plates with complex and harmonious flavours. Highlights of the menu include the "carabinero special" and Lechtal trout sagohachi, as well as Portuguese red mullet and Kyushu Wagyu beef. There is a choice of two set menus (one of which is vegetarian) composed of five or seven courses. First rate service comes courtesy of a competent front-of-house team who are always on hand and yet pleasantly unobtrusive. More delights are to be found on the wine list, with fans of German Riesling particularly well catered for.