retiredmartin

1st November 2022.

We’d just landed in Cologne, but with only an afternoon and evening with the Southworths we were determined that they’d make the half hour trip to see Dusseldorf. Coming to Germany and missing out on Uerige is akin to visiting Maidenhead and skipping the Conservative Club.

But Dusseldorf is more than Alt and rude waiters (they’re really not).

I reckoned it had one of the most beautiful settings imaginable, along the Rhine, though the first half mile from the station is a merely pleasant strip of Asian restaurants and low-key greenery.

And giant Persil signs.

But then you hit Die Bolkerstraße , the so-called party street,

which has some of the great pubs of the world, particularly if you’re partial to Alt and offal.

Mrs RM wasn’t waiting for me to look up Ron Pattinson’s authoritative guide to Dusseldorf and pick a place based on beer scores; she said “That’ll do” and the Golden Kessel it was.

Probably not the best on the strip, possibly not even Schumacher’s top pub, but it was two-thirds full of gentlefolk (hey ! that’s us) at gone 2pm on a dull Tuesday in November, the dining room spotless, the (largely older) Kobes were charm itself, and the menu was even understandable to the Americans in our group.

We all had the Alt. In fact, everyone in the dining room, male and female, had the Alt. It was marvellous. Ask Dave.

Plenty of trade for 19 euro Schnitzel, but we’re cultured and Joan and I had the black pudding, which was as good as at from that market in Bury.

Mrs RM had four 0.2l glasses before she remembered to stick the beer mat on the glass, and then looked grumpy when the Alt stopped coming.

As on my previous visit in 2015, one of the best lunches I’ve ever had.

Ron mentioned the place didn’t look “worn in” a decade or so ago; that may still be true.

But I reckoned it was wonderful.