Food & drink

Thinking of treating your significant other to a special night out?  I would highly recommend the Ristorante Grande Milano in Cologne. Their present speciality is white truffles with almost everything.  Prices are a trifle - or should I say truffle – upmarket but there is an authentic Italian kitchen, ristorante not trattoria. It's a bit over the top - they even decant the bottled water. Try their delicious ice cream version of suppa inglese. First class food and great service, well worth a visit.

Ristorante Grande Milano

As you might have guessed - the Rhine-online team are a bit hot on cocktails.  Imagine us on a night out in a bar - we're the ones sipping noxious looking concoctions and graceful classics with the sole adornment of an olive and a smile.  Which makes Cologne a great city to live in - and the bar at Spirits a regular haunt.

If you're looking for somewhere nice to eat in the south of the city - try Die Ente (The Duck). Its traditional, farmhouse interior, and menu full of German specialities will make you feel truly at home.  In the summer the terrace outside is the perfect place to enjoy a cool beer and something delicous from the menu.  What's different about Die Ente is that it serves typical German fare but with a totally modern interpretation.  The team in the kitchen are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of their abilities and stimulating every taste bud with their creations.

Elia is a Greek restaurant with a difference, clean and sleek in its decor and furnishings, it's also so modern in its cuisine you won't find a kebab in sight.  This family run restaurant (with Mama in the kitchen) has added a twist to traditional Greek cuisine and made it into something elegant and extremely tasty.  Superb grilled Dorade fish, succulent grilled lamb and much more besides.

If you live in Bonn your automatic answer to this question would probably be  “Where and when?”. The Cafe, Bistro Pendel  is probably the best known gastro address in the city. It is more than just a meeting place it is an institution in Bonn. Saturday and Sunday don’t have a monopoly on Sekt brunches here; any day of the week you’ll find the place full of early diners and it is not only brunches that are served. There are the chef’s daily selections to choose from as well as a multitude of dishes to be found on the menu.

Deep in the heart of the Südstadt, behind Chlodwigplatz, is the cheery and friendly Ecco restaurant.  Daytime it’s full of bleary eyed Mum’s with sleeping infants in prams, sipping sneaky espressos and flicking through Gala mags.  Lunchtime it’s full of local business people, media types and creatives enjoying a healthy lunchtime snack, evenings the Südstadters come out in force to dine and enjoy the warm and friendly hospitality.  In the summer the broad terrace is always full, and even in the deepest winter you’ll find someone huddled up in

Cocktails are by no means a new way of selling us attractively decorated drinks in bars. They have been around since the early eighteen hundreds and I doubt there is a mix that has not been tried. The very first cocktail was concocted in 1806, in California, and was named the now famous Martini. By the 1830s gin-cocktails were already being dispensed to New York’s high society and they were soon to be followed by whisky cocktails.

Amidst the greenery of Bad Godesberg’s Stadtpark, La Taverna’s soft lighting, warm colours, dark-wood furnishings and wonderful period bar and mirrors simply ooze Latin American charm. Be it an after-work drink, a family meal, a romantic dinner for two, a private party or a night of music and dance, La Taverna Latina has it all. Managers Marcelo and Constanze Humeres Correa (he from Chile, she from Colombia) make guests feel welcome and special. Their menu includes Tapas (try the Calamari), salads and pasta, Argentinean steak and grilled salmon.

Caminetto serves the best pizza in Cologne.