Sunday, August 20, 2017

Schloss Schauenstein (Fürstenau, Switzerland) ★★★★★

Jelloman had no idea why we stayed in Laax, a ski resort town in Eastern Switzerland (I thought all along it was central Switzerland) with a small population of around 2,000 last night but she will find out very soon when we pull up at Schloss Schauenstein’s parking lot in 30 minutes!

The cosy village of Fürstenau was originally founded around 1257. There were several castles in the proximity surrounded by the Swiss Alps. Schloss Schauenstein is one of the smaller ones and it started showing up in the history books back in the 1600’s. In 2007, they found their name in the Michelin guide for the first time with their first star. A second star followed in 2008 and in 2010, the restaurant was awarded with their third star.

 

If you are into fairy tales, Schloss Schauenstein provides the perfect setting with its fairy tale-like ambiance, adding another wrinkle to the unique dining experience.

Little nugget couldn't wait to start his tour of the castle.


So, this is where world-acclaimed chef Andreas Caminada, owner-chef of Schloss Schauenstein finds his strength and inspiration, from the impressive mountains of the Swiss Alps.


While there's no shortage of world-class restaurants in Switzerland, only a few stands out like elegant Schloss Schauenstein.


It gets even better in the dining room, a mix of modern and traditional décor and a view overlooking the front porch and Swiss Alps.


Schloss Schauenstein will always have the dubious honor as one of the most expensive fine-dining restaurants in Switzerland (and Europe). A restaurant with annual recognition as the World's Best 50 Restaurants year after year and an owner-chef touted as the best Swiss-born chef in the world (sorry Daniel Humm), it's really not difficult to justify the heavy price tag.



It took a while for us to settle down but once we did, we were immediately greeted with the first wave of amuse bouche

This included a beetroot cornet filled with beetroot sorbet.

Almond with liver (coated with beetroot?).

Pickled white asparagus and beautifully decorated celery tarts with truffle on top.

The final amuse bouche was corn ice-cream and yoghurt, served with a refreshing sweet corn bouillon.


After the refreshing amuse bouche made with sweet corn, it was time for the first course of the tasting menu. Small cubes of local whitefish, topped with purple onion was served in a cold broth made with saffron and celery. The broth came with some lovely acidity (lime?) and balanced well with the sweetness of the raw white fish.


The second course of the tasting menu was marinated and dried tomato, served with dehydrated melon and a scoop of tomato and melon ice-cream. Another wonderful dish that was soothing to the palate with lovely pure flavors.



Next up was ham chip, dried pear and onion in a light ham bouillon. 



At this point, we were offered some homemade country bread and butter.


More refreshing and clean flavors coming from the red cabbage sphere with mustard mousse, bon bon. Some strong level of acidity provided a powerful finish to the dish.



Pikeperch was presented two ways with pickled red and white radish, buttermilk and lime.


Served on the side was a gorgeous roll made with white radish (as the wrapper), yoghurt and a bit of pikeperch meat in the middle.


Sweetbread was supposed to be next but since I don't eat them at all, I have requested for a replacement which turned out to be succulent yellow chicken from France.



I got myself a surprise dish right before my fish course and it's one of their signatures dishes, a masterpiece that combines langoustine tartare and beautifully seared langoustine with lime and tonic mousse, shellfish bouillon, lemon confit and lemon purée.



Fish course was slightly cooked trout with braised fennel, spinach and marinated herbs. I like the condiments (the green stuff) but a little less so with the trout (really soft texture).



"Best of pork" featured two cuts of the pork, fillet of pork and crispy pork belly smoked and grilled, with button mushroom marinated and pickled, cream and vegetables.



My eyes lit up as soon as our server announced that we were going to have three desserts today. First, there was the curd soufflé.


Followed by the frozen apricot sphere with yoghurt filling served on a bed of poached apricot and apricot juice.


Lastly, caramel, nutbutter, herbs and some edible petals.



Everything they do, they made it look good. Check out these petite fours and handmade chocolates. Adorable~



We got a surprise visit from Chef Andreas Caminada himself during our dessert section. Like a little fan, I shared some of my recent culinary journeys with him (mostly ones in Europe) and guess what he told me, "Keep enjoying....." with a smile. I think what he meant was go back home, work hard and save enough for the next trip.  😁😁







Food Rating: 9.1/10
Price: $$$$$
Address: Schlossgass 77, 7414 Fürstenau, Switzerland
Tel: +41 81 632-1080
S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants: 72nd (2017)
Opening Hours: 12:00pm (Thu - Sun), 7:00pm (Wed - Sun)



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