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Without exaggeration one of the best spontaneous culinary excursions of my life!
The head of the pastry section of Switzerland's gastronomic union recommended that I visit the restaurant, but the dessert menu didn't really convince me at first glance. The descriptions of the entrées seemed, well, a bit predictable. My expectations were not set very high, which is why I was all the more surprised. My preconceived notions of what I would be eating were destroyed in the most delicious way imaginable: Every plate of was a work of art and tasted as good as it looked. It began with one of the best amuse bouches I've ever had the pleasure of eating.
The fact that Felchlin's Cru Sauvage couverture from Bolivia is used as a part of the foie gras entrée made me assume that this was going to be a creative dish, but I was never expecting such a beautiful work of art. A perfect terrine, chocolate jelly, foie gras powder and joghurt square as well as a chocolate macaron filled with foie gras were served alongside several fruity bits on a cute piece of slate. The terrine was perfect and went well with all the fruit on the plate. The kitchen used a Pacojet to create the powder!
The tatar was perfectly seasoned and served one a herb brioche with rocket salad and regional truffle matchsticks. The meat was of superb quality and surrounded by a sabayon flavoured with just a little alcohol (cognac?). The tatar in Vitznau was slightly overpowered by the whiskey they poured over it, but here they used alcohol with skillful subtlety.
A clever interpretation of langoustine and tuna made me smile: A very tasty tatar was served with all sorts of dots and jellies, each playing on a popular sauce taste. For example, one jelly tasted like a luxurious curry sauce, but it was jelly. This isn't molecular gastronomy, but it does use certain techniques and elements without appearing forced or feeling too narrow.
For dessert, Chef Inderbitzin writes the recipes and has executed by trainees who are currently being trained at a school in Vitznau. Devin Giles was the pastry chef in charge of my desserts that Saturday. The two big pastry highlights were undoubtedly Fabian's Chocolate Cake with several textures and the new menu dessert, a take on creme brulée with apples. The latter was so inspiring, so perfectly executed, that I'll be adding it to my repertoire. After all, Oscar Wilde taught us that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. For a bit of theatre, the creme brulée had a little rum poured over it, which was then lit, flambéing the creme brulée and collapsing the chocolate disc decorating the dessert.
Chef Inderbitzin has developed a multi-texture chocolate cake independent of Peter Gilmore in Australia, famous for a chocolate pudding featuring eight (!) textures. The cake consisted largely of chocolate mousse, covered with a chocolate disc that had a hole melted into it by hot chocolate sauce (again Felchlin's Grand Cru Sauvage couverture from Bolivia). The combination of chocolate, meringue, marshmallow and a wonderfully balanced raspberry ice cream (not too sweet, not too bitter) was a winner. This dessert will hopefully be a mainstay signature dessert served for many years to come.
You can even eat at the lakeside restaurant in the afternoon, at least until 17th September. Many guests will travel to eat at the restaurant just to enjoy the view. I can understand why. The restaurant's interior is also beautiful and boasts the most stylish bathrooms I've encountered yet in a top-tier restaurant. The service was flawless in every respect.
I cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough.
For more German restaurant reviews and food photography, please visit:
http://www.dessertblog.ch
