The largest of the five restaurants in the fairytale Hotel Gstaad Palace oozes beauty and artistic flair. If you find yourself sitting here of an evening, start by ordering a glass of champagne and a few oysters. Then sit back and soak up the atmosphere and ambient lighting. Maybe check out the skill of the serving staff as they carve and fillet meat in front of you. This is the place to come for inventive culinary creations, this is the place to come if you’ve got a craving for haute cuisine classics from around the world. Highlights include the beautifully thick and foamy lobster bisque with carefully shelled lobster tails, the home made foie gras terrine with mandarin and black garlic, the sole meunière, the salt-crusted sea bass and the châteaubriand with béarnaise sauce. This restaurant steeped in history and Culinary Director Franz Faeh are also famous for their extravagant buffets and barbecues on the Big Green Egg. We decided to go for the double slow-cooked Simmental veal cutlets and were suitably impressed by the crust on the outside and the tender meat that was still nice and pink on the inside. It’s no surprise to see caviar on the menu at an establishment of this calibre. Here it’s served as a simple dish with new potatoes, sour cream and chives or as a side with a signature Palace rainbow trout fillet with white wine sauce and boiled potatoes. Franz Faeh’s mighty Grand Marnier soufflé (which is also mighty fluffy) is a firm favourite amongst regular diners and restaurant critics alike.
Words Alex Kuehn
Related Stories
Late in the evening when the last guests have left, Priska Thuring likes to sit on the terrace of her restaurant Stara Skola (meaning Old School) under an old mulberry tree looking across the sea over green forests and vineyards.
Discover more
Several hundred tonnes of saffron are harvested worldwide every year. A staggering 90% of the world’s most expensive spice is grown in Iran and exported from there all over the globe. However, this delicate spice also thrives in the mountains of Graubünden and is increasingly cultivated by regional farmers – a niche product with great potential and increasing in popularity.
Discover more
Which foods have a tradition in the mountains of Graubünden? The answer is easy: the very best mountain cheese, spicy dried meats or sweet nut cakes. But salmon? You would probably expect to source it in Scotland. But for a few years, Swiss Lachs have been farming top-quality, sustainable salmon in Misox, Graubünden’s southern valley.
Discover more
The Bündner Herrschaft is one of Switzerland’s best-known wine-growing regions. Among the grape varieties, Pinot noir leads the pack. Traditional and innovative winegrowers also cultivate a number of exciting specialities in white and red—an introduction to a small region of great wines.
Discover more
Fresh goat’s cheese with mountain herb brioche, Brussels sprouts with nut cream, knöpfle with roasted yeast and truffles: Sven Wassmer’s dishes look pure and elegant on the plate. The culinary director at Grand Resort Bad Ra-gaz describes his style of cooking as sustainable alpinism.
Discover more
Ever wondered which tomato should be cut into pineapple-shaped chunks for maximum enjoyment? The pineapple tomato, of course. Oh, were you not aware that each tomato variety should be cut in a very specific way?
Discover more
With prime views of the Rhine, Peter Knogl serves outstanding produce and subtly balanced flavours at the Cheval Blanc, one of the best kitchens in Switzerland. Add the atmospheric brasserie and engaging bar culture, and Basel’s Les Trois Rois confidently steps forward as a gourmet destination.
Discover more