A less perfect lunch

Last week I walked up to Alpenrösli in Klosters with a friend of mine to have lunch on their terrace and also to see what the new owners had done with the place. I barely recognised the it: terrace, restaurant, hotel rooms - everything has been completely redone. Unfortunately any charm the place had is gone. It now looks like a typical mountain restaurant next to the skiing station, quite sterile and cold. The furniture on the terrace does not invite to stay and enjoy the view, although people come to Alpenrösli to do exactly that.
The day we were there was glorious and sunny but extremely cold. We asked for woolly blankets to cover our legs and were told that they didn't have any. Blankets would be a small investment for a restaurant that is famous for its terrace and spectacular views - people want to sit outside even in winter!

I heard from a few sides that dinner at Alpenrösli is very good. The lunch menu however was quite uninspired and featured the usual Bündnergerstensuppe, Bündnerplatte etc., but the food was well prepared and tasted good.

Käseschnitte with fried egg and Walliser Wurst with Rösti

I will continue going to Alpenrösli - the view over Klosters and the surrounding mountains remains unchanged, but it's not what it used to be.

www.alpenroesli-klosters.ch

Another perfect lunch in Klosters

 

- Nüsslisalat mit Speck und Ei - Lambs Lettuce with Bacon and Egg -

- Ein Dutzend Schnecken mit Kräutern und Knoblauch - A Dozen Snails with Herbs and Garlic -

Restaurant Wynegg

Landstrasse 205

7250 Klosters

+41 81 422 13 40

Should you be in Klosters...

... go to Walserhof for lunch.
The restaurant is known to be the only one in the village that ever holds Michelin stars, currently one for Chef Armin Amrein. The adjacent hotel is known to regularly accommodate Prince Charles and Co, although they haven't been in town for a while.
So you can image that dinners can be quite costly. But a three course lunch menu costs 49.- and is of highest quality! The menu changes every day. If you don't go crazy with wine it's a very good deal!

I had delicious Watercress Soup with Scampi for Starter (I forgot to take a picture).
The main course was breast of quail with pine nut crust and papaya relish.

For dessert I chose a selection of cheeses with a local pear bread - 'Nidle Flade' and fig chutney.

www.walserhof.ch

My brother's cooking club

My brother has a cooking club together with some friends. They meet once a month, sometimes for an evening, sometimes for a weekend, and two people are responsible for the food. They take turns cooking. It's strictly for guys only and so far they've never invited guests. So I was particularly honored when I was allowed to join them for a weekend in Klosters. What better way to spend the weekend than as the only girl with 5 men who are into cooking?! Thank you, guys!

Kristian was responsible for the starter: salad with quail eggs and tiger prawns.

My brother made Ossobuco with polenta and vegetables. The last time I had tried bone marrow was years ago and I hated it. I tried it again and this time loved it! We mixed it with some chives, finely chopped onion and salt and ate it with toast - delicious!

I didn't want to come empty handed so I made dessert: Ottolenghi's orange polenta cake and salty caramel ice cream to go with it.

For breakfast my brother and his friends had bought some graved lachs from Lachserei Ehrat in Klosters: www.lachserei.ch

And my brother made a Spanish omelette following a recipe from Jamie Oliver's iphone app, but gave it a Grisons twist by adding Salsiz instead of chorizo. It tasted fabulous!
I hope I can join my brother's cooking club again some day!

Alp Garfiun in Winter

It has almost become a tradition that we (my parents and any brother, sister-in-law, nieces and nephews that are around) take a horse drawn sleigh to Alp Garfiun on 26th December.

Pferdekutschen Flütsch

www.pferdekutschen.ch

www.garfiun.ch

Once there we eat a hearty Bünder Gerstensuppe with sausage, some Alpine cheese, Bündnerfleisch and Salsiz. I can't think of a better way to spend the second day of Christmas!

Road Trip!: Klosters

After months of waiting and planning and getting overly excited I finally set off on a road trip with friends yesterday. Our first destination was Klosters, where we went for a walk to Alp Garfiun despite the rain and fog.

www.garfiun.ch

After a fast paced walk we well deserved a platter of  'Bündnerfleisch, Rohschinken and Alpkäse' with some gherkins and a glass of red wine.

In the evening we grilled sausages in the fireplace. The sausages came from Macelleria Salumeria Fulvi on Schöneggstrasse 28, one of the best butchers in Zurich!

For dessert we had baked apples and a Zwetschgen Schnaps. Both came from Hof Blum in Samstagern where we had stopped earlier in the day to see 'The Garden of Forking Paths', an exhibition organised by Migros Museum. www.hofblum.ch We made a hole in the apples, stuffed it with butter and sugar, wrapped the apples in tin folio and left them in the fire for 15 minutes - delicious!!!

Trout in Schlappin Tal

Yesterday I went for a walk in the beautiful Schlappin Tal with my parents and a friend.

We had wonderful trout at Berghaus Erika: http://www.schlappin.ch/sommer/index.html