Landgasthaus Huxel Restaurant in Germany's Ruhr
Eating Out In The Ruhr Countryside Amidst Cuckoo Clocks
Jun 24, 2009
The first surprise for visitors who think of the Ruhr as a grimy industrial area of ugly factories and smoking chimneys is that the Landgasthaus Huxel restaurant lies on a quiet country road, Felderbachstrasse, that runs through rolling farmland. The nearest town, Hattingen, is five miles away.
The Changing Ruhr Area
The countryside around is far removed from most people’s perceptions of the Ruhr area which for most of the 20th century was the heart of Germany’s heavy industry, famed for its production of coal, iron and steel.
In recent years these industries have almost completely disappeared.
Landgasthaus Huxel Restaurant near Hattingen
The Landgasthaus Huxel restaurant near Hattingen is run by Werner Westphal and his wife Hildegard who opened it together 35 years ago. He does the cooking and she helps with the serving.
They are open daily from Wednesday to Sunday for dinner and also at lunchtime when passing hikers are often among the guests. In addition they have a high reputation for the coffee and cakes served during the afternoon, especially on sunny days when their garden terrace is open.
Fascinating Collection of Cuckoo Clocks and Antiques
On arrival at the Landgasthaus Huxel restaurant, guests get a big surprise as they walk through the small bar area. It is filled with a fascinating collection of antiques including toys, rocking horses, wirelesses, gramophones and recording machines including a wax cylinder one.
But there are more surprises to come because the restaurant’s walls are covered in cuckoo clocks, together with several grandfather clocks. Altogether there are around 120. Herr Westphal himself says he has not counted them lately!
Constant Ticking of Clocks with Top Class Food at Reasonable Prices
Nearly all the clocks are working, conscientiously wound up by Herr Westphal or his wife each day. So in the background there is a constant of ticking of clocks and on the hour, half-hour and quarter-hours a cacophony of cuckooing and chimes with all sorts of cuckoos popping in and out.
But the real appeal of the Landgasthaus Huxel is its top-class food and reasonable prices. For dinner, in addition to a wide a la carte menu, Herr Westphal offers a 6-course set menu priced at 65 euros for two people, together with suggestions for appropriate wines.
Typical 6-Course Set Menu Followed by Caruso Singing an Aria
A typical set menu would be locally smoked trout with raspberry dressing, soup of fine herbs, seafood pot-pourri, cassis sorbet, roast leg of lamb with Mediterranean vegetables and a plate of assorted desserts.
When Herr Westphal has a quiet moment in the kitchen, he often emerges and puts an old 78-rpm record on a big horned gramophone, so diners may be serenaded by a burst, albeit slightly scratchy, of Caruso singing an aria. And at the end of the evening he is always pleased to demonstrate more of his musical curiosities.
It all helps to make a meal at the Landgasthaus Huxel very definitely an experience to remember.
For bookings, telephone 00 49 2052 6415.
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