In a castle in what is supposedly the smallest city in the world, sits superchef Andreas Caminada’s original and crown jewel restaurant. I’ve been wanting to try this restaurant forever, as they’re loved by Michelin, OAD, World’s 50 Best, La Liste, etc., and drove out from Zurich to this place and stayed the night. And yes, the pictures, taken by my photographer dad, are certainly better than usual.
Pikeperch with Apricot and Red Onion 7/10: This dish was pretty meh. The pikeperch was just slightly cooked and served with its accompaniments that didn’t do much. The red onion was quite nice though.
Mackerel 7/10: They managed to make something pretty great out of a pretty bad fish IMO. The mackerel had a nice crust and was paired nicely with thai spices and horseradish. A good amount of acidity subdued the oiliness.
Pork Neck, Dried Pear, and Roasted Onion 8/10: This was the first enjoyable dish of the night. Somehow, the pear went very well with the classic pairing of pork and onion, and a fresh jus based sauce tied everything together nicely. I would have liked a little bit of spiciness though, or even a bit of pepper.
Char with Kohlrabi and Tarragon 8/10: Once again, well done. They used locally caught char and just barely cooked it, though this actually worked with the tarragon heavy sauce. The pickled kohlrabi gave the dish a phenomenal acidity and tang.
Deer with Pumpkin and Buckthorn 9/10: Beautiful! Everything meshed together almost perfectly here, though I wish the jus sauce was slightly thicker, the venison was seasoned more, and the dish was served warmer (it was room temperature when I got it and cold by the time I finished).
Cheeses 10/10: A simple but exquisite selection of local Swiss cheeses. The sauces and dried meats they served on the side were wonderful.
Pre-Dessert 6/10: Pretty poor job IMO. The lavender and rhubarb ice cream had an incredibly overpowering lavendar flavor, and the french toast was simply too hard.
Raspberry with Yogurt and Basil (preparations of raspberry, yogurt ice cream with raspberry sauce, raspberry soufflé) 6/10: While nicely done, nothing really stood out. The preparations of raspberries was somewhat interesting, though I’ve made better ice cream and soufflés at my house.
Food cost – $350; Value for money – 3/5; Overall rating – 3.5/5; My Michelin rating – 2*; Would I recommend – No. IMO, this restaurant doesn’t do almost anything super well. While I respect restaurants in the middle of nowhere, Harbor House, KOKS, and The Inn at Little Washington do a much better job. They also don’t do minimalism as well as say Geranium. The food lacks depth and flavor and is simply not worth the long drive and money.
by Schwarzwaldstube
2 Comments
Sorry to hear you didn’t love it.
We went back in September and it was my second favorite meal of the trip, beaten out only by Alchemist. I enjoyed it more than Harbor House and Geranium (both of which are top tier). We loved the canapés and found that almost every dish just tasted good. Not a lot of flashy ingredients, just well cooked proteins and interesting flavor combinations.
We stayed in one of the rooms at Schloss Schauenstein and that definitely made the experience better. I can’t imagine driving after that meal. Breakfast the next day was similarly delicious, they served the best eggs Benedict I’ve ever had.
OP thanks for the raft of detailed recent reviews, I appreciate it greatly!
I’m waiting for your review of Schwarzwaldstube as I am going there next March!