Top 10 restaurants with overnight accommodation
In the magnificent Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois, the Cheval Blanc delights with French haute cuisine full of clarity and finesse - refined with Mediterranean and Asian nuances. The cuisine is of the highest calibre - a gastronomic royal experience.
This romantic castle is seventh heaven for gourmets. Here you can unwind and indulge in the gastronomic delights of the iconic chef Andreas Caminada and his team. He proves time and time again that gourmet cuisine works perfectly without exotic ingredients.
A visit to Memories is always an experience. Sven Wassmer's cookery combines regional traditions and the best ingredients to create delicious gourmet cuisine without chichi. The excellent wine pairing by Amanda Wassmer Bulgin creates a fourth dimension of enjoyment.
This top restaurant in the five-star hotel, The Dolder Grand, impresses all round, with the view over the city, the elegant ambience, the extremely attentive service, the select drinks menu and the fine creations from the pen of top chef Heiko Nieder.
The first surprise comes right at the welcome: Stefan Heile-mann has hired a new host for Zurich's "Widder Restaurant". And what a host. Ansgar Fischer worked for a long time at the legendary three-star "Schwarzwaldstube" in Baiers-bronn, including several years together with Stefan Heilemann. Heilemann made a real stroke of luck with Fischer: There has perhaps never been a more nonchalant accompaniment to a menu. We were also impressed by the wine pairing from Connor Münster, who is also new to the "Widder Restaurant". Especially as he wasn't even there, but his team represented him more than worthily and conveyed his ideas perfectly. An absolute highlight: the Schoenenbourg Grand Cru from Trapet with Gambero Rosso di Mazara on lettuce, Thai salsa and kaffir lime. It couldn't be better, only different. Just like the Heilemann classic to set the mood beforehand: Bao Bun with French free-range duck, duck liver and crispy skin. Tasty white asparagus with morels, peas and Périgord truffle is followed by perfectly cooked red mullet with mussels from the Algarve, artichoke, rouille sauce and sherry vinegar escabèche. We often find meat courses superfluous. However, we would have liked a second helping of Heilemann's Swiss Wagyu beef with cauliflower, beef marrow and lovage. Then pâtissier André Siedl is on top form: Strawberries from Schlattgut Herrliberg with Felchlin Opus Blanc chocolate, wheat grass and hay milk. That too: next "ram" level!
No, Reto Brändli is not dogged. Although, back at the "Ecco", he naturally wants stars again - two please - he approaches the matter with an enviable composure. And serves French cuisine that is as light-footed and self-confident as he is. Brändli was part of the "Giardino" family for four years before star gastronomy took him to Berlin and St. Moritz. But the connection to Ascona remained - perhaps because of the delicate scent of lemons here, which he loves so much and which accompanies Brändli's signature in many dishes. Such as the greeting from the kitchen: crispy roll with gamba blanca and citrus, a delicate tartelette of old dairy cow with beetroot, radish, caviar and smoked mayonnaise. And a personal favorite: an egg royale with imperial caviar and potato foam that is so creamy and light you want to lie down in it. The star of the show, the iced foie gras filled with orange and lobster espuma, is as delicate as a sorbet. Brändli proves why he is considered an exceptional talent. Fresh turbot follows, flown in from Portugal less than 24 hours ago, accompanied by horseradish, apple, beef tongue rolls, kohlrabi and oxtail essence with lovage. Accompanied by a complex Viognier, recommended by the hostess of the house, Theresa Windhofer. By the way, non-alcoholic diners don't have to miss out on pairings at the "Ecco": The accompanying teas from "Saveur" are so finely tuned that they are in no way inferior to the wine accompaniment. Pastry chef Antje Hauser creates the sweet finish: yoghurt foam, pear sorbet and mousse, iced berries in a lemon sauce. Conclusion of the evening: The stars should come back - please!
On the upper floor of the Hotel Einstein, precisely themed fine dining menus with four to six courses unfold pure elegance. The cuisine avoids gimmickry and the wine selection from the vaulted wine cellar delivers big names as well as exciting surprises.
The celeriac in the "7132 Silver" - there was something about it ... Even predecessor Mitja Birlo amazed guests in the two-star restaurant of the "7132 Hotel" in Vals with this inconspicuous vegetable. His successor Marcel Koolen does the same. But in a Thai dish. But more on that later. We start with a glass of Cristal 2015 in the kitchen. One snack stands out: the frikandel, a nod to the chef's Dutch homeland. Instead of deep-fried sausage, Koolen opts for smoked eel and - so that the snack is not too intense - sea bass, topped with pickled onions, a dill emulsion, kohlrabi pickled in yuzu and crystal caviar. Several times on the menu, the chef indulges his penchant for Asian cuisine, such as with the celeriac cooked for two hours. He then glazes it with a reduction of soy, agave, roasted garlic, chili and star anise. An emulsion made from the oil in which he previously roasted the latter three ingredients enhances the flavor. On top: a celery chip with five-spice seasoning. And carrot salad, inspired by a classic Thai papaya salad, and a light sauce based on coconut milk and lemongrass. Earthy, sweet notes, freshness and acidity, a citrusy kick from galangal oil and finger lime - an amazing dish! Two highlights alongside the perfectly cooked lobster and the bisque made from smoked lobster mousse. the deep-fried ball, filled with a ragout made from the lobster claws, and the lobster shell, which Koolen transforms into an artistic presentation plate.
The focus ATELIER is one of the best restaurants in Central Switzerland. Signature dishes such as duck liver ice cream, pigeon in Albufera sauce or razor clams with dashi walnut beurre blanc - next to this gastronomic work of art, Lake Lucerne becomes a minor matter.