The Pink Pepper at the Steigenberger Parkhotel Düsseldorf becomes a new fine-dining address
Michelin star chef Benjamin Kriegel promises culinary highlights in the revamped restaurant
The Königsallee, or “Kö” for short, is Düsseldorf’s principal high-end shopping street. From 1 February 2022, the area will boast a new culinary stop-off point when the Pink Pepper Restaurant at the Steigenberger Parkhotel starts serving up exquisite fine dining creations to local residents and visitors to the city. The interiors expert Yakob Asmellash has produced a distinguished new design featuring plenty of velvet and various powder shades. This will provide the ideal setting for the 30-seater restaurant that is sure to go on to acquire iconic status and is the perfect match for a Steigenberger Icon Hotel. The Chef de Cuisine behind the concept is Benjamin Kriegel, a Michelin star holder and multi award winner who takes inspiration from an international style of cooking.
Sophistication meets the region: The Pink Pepper takes its name from the Brazilian pepper tree, which is known for adding spice to life and for enabling new sensory realms to be explored. The restaurant’s initial February menu will include dishes such as mushroom tart and Düsseldorf brawn, but lovers of fish and seafood will also very much be catered for. Yellow fin mackerel will add a taste of the Far East, and there will also be a “Scottish Coast” complete with scallops, salt water, hornweed and sea urchins. Domestic influences will be in evidence too in the form of pike perch served with Grafschafter snails, Frankfurt herbs and cider. A selection of regional cheese varieties from the Maître Affineur Volker Waltman will allow diners to round off the whole experience with a true sense of “Vive la France”, whilst a dessert of hazelnuts, Cru Virunga chocolate, beetroot, truffle, and condensed milk is sure to keep the cold weather at bay.
Benjamin Kriegel puts his faith in seasonal and regional ingredients. Some of these are sourced from small producers, with whom he maintains personal contact. The Michelin starred chef has learned his trade all over Germany. He entered the high-end gastronomy sector after completing training in the Hochsauerland district, his home region. He went on to spread his wings in Essen and in Tegernsee in deepest Bavaria before returning to Düsseldorf a few years ago. His wife Ramona Kriegel, the restaurant manager and sommelière, has been at his side throughout.
“I always seem to find my way back to Düsseldorf,” said Benjamin Kriegel, Head Chef of the Pink Pepper. “Now I have the privilege of taking over at the ‘Pink Pepper’. I want to use my menus and dishes to tell stories. The idea is that the tiniest details of all the different ingredients on every plate and in every glass should come together to create a total work of art.”
Marcus Bernhardt, CEO of Deutsche Hospitality, said: “The Pink Pepper is the perfect complement to our Steigenberger Icon in Düsseldorf. I am delighted to have secured the services of Ramona and Benjamin Kriegel and their team. Benjamin Kriegel’s culinary approach is seductive and multi-faceted. It draws guests in, surprises them, makes them happy and adds a touch of magic.”
Carsten Fritz, General Manager of the Steigenberger Parkhotel, went on: “The look and feel of the restaurant is impressive and unique in Düsseldorf. Everything in the ‘Pink Pepper’ has been lovingly staged. This is a real win – for us as the Steigenberger Parkhotel as well as for the guests!”