A Sunset Dinner High Above Dusseldorf

One of the things we've really missed since travel restrictions went into place this year is eating out when we travel. It's such a huge part of travelling for us, both the planning and researching and the actual dining, so we thought we'd take advantage of the relaxed local lockdown measures and treat ourselves to a foodie experience to remember in our neighbour city, Dusseldorf.

We chose Qomo Restaurant, dramatically located at the top of the Rhine Tower (Rheinturm in German) that stands 240m above the city. Qomo serves Japanese food with a modern twist, and while it's not the cheapest, you get a lot of bang for your buck: every dish we tried was so creative and full of flavour, the sunset and night views over the city and the Rhine river were utterly breathtaking, AND the restaurant moves, completing roughly one rotation every hour, so that the view never gets old! We actually felt glamorous for the first time since lockdown began in March - and not just because it was our first chance to wear something other than hoodies and sweatpants in quite a while!

The Location

We'd never actually explored Dusseldorf before, thanks to the fact that we were always heading off to more 'exotic' destinations elsewhere, so we spent the time before dinner exploring the area around the Rhine Tower. It's located in an area called the Media Harbor, a waterside space full of innovative architecture. The must-sees here are the Gehry Buildings, a collection of mind-boggling buildings designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry. We had a lot of fun finding all the weird and wonderful angles to photograph these towers.

Step back, though, and you can enjoy Dusseldorf's famous skyline with the Gehry Buildings and the Rhine Tower all in one shot! It's supposed to be great after dark, too, seen from across the harbor, but we had other places to be...

The Restaurant

Our favourite thing about Qomo - apart form the view, obviously - was the fact that its design means there isn't a bad seat in the place. One row of tables winds all the way around the circular restaurant, meaning that everyone gets a window seat!

The View

It speaks for itself. Here are a few shots that we grabbed as the restaurant made its way slowly around...bonus points for spotting the Gehry Buildings!

The Food

The restaurant offered set multiple-course menus - the cheapest for 70 euros - but these tended to be padded out with sushi rolls and sides such as potatoes. Instead, we decided to treat ourselves, taking the cost of the set menu - 70 per head - and creating our own bespoke tasting menu of the plates we really wanted to try. We went for a 'sharing plate' dining style, ordering one of each dish and then splitting each one. As a result, we got to try over 10 different dishes in total.

Here's what we ordered!

Yakitori (grilled skewers) of wagyu beef with chilli sesame sauce and tiger prawns with lemongrass, coriander and jalapeno sauce. The wagyu was especially delicious!

Tuna tataki, with pea puree, green beans, soy and sesame

Sea bass ceviche with calamanzi, red onion and orange. The citrus gave this a great kick and complimented the fish well!

Yellowtail ceviche with asparagus and truffle cream. We couldn't decide which ceviche to order, okay? This one was just as delicious as the other!

Octopus with avocado, nanban red onion, and soy balsamic jelly. This was one of my favourites: I've never had such tender octopus without any hint of rubberiness, and the balsamic jelly was a fun touch!

Wagyu beef tartare with daikon, soy, truffle oil and herb mayo. We've missed wagyu! And we've missed tartare! Wagyu tartare was just what we needed!

Rainbow maki roll. The only sushi roll we ordered (partly because we've started just making our own sushi at home!) this one was an irresistible mix of tuna, salmon and yellowtail.

Azuki rare cheesecake. This cheesecake made from Japanese azuki beans was SO GOOD. That is all.

Green tea tiramisu. This dessert was a fun surprise, served in a plant pot complete with mint tree, chocolate dirt, shovel and pitchfork!

The Verdict

This was such a special evening, and not just because it was our first nice meal out in 2020! The combination of Japanese food - our absolute favourite - with a fun twist, the sense of being so high in the sky, and the perfect sunset during an otherwise very rainy week gave us the boost of positivity we desperately needed!

TIP: Don't want to dine? You can also visit the viewing deck of the Rhine Tower for the same views, OR grab a drink in their panoramic bar. More information on the website!