My personal highlight: Watching Chef Ben creating my miso ramen in the kitchen and explaining to me every detail about what is relevant to get elastic handmade ramen noodles and telling me that I need to slurp my soup to get the best taste

Food rumors are spreading so fast in our tiny city. It makes it very easy t to hear about the new places in town. Yume Ramen is now offering Ramen soups at Reitergasse 6, Zürich.

Behind Yume Ramen stands a heritage of Japanese Cuisine. Lorenz Muster, the Manager of Sala of Tokyo brought this concept to the city with the goal to introduce to Zurich People the authentic Japanese gastro pub lifestyle called Izakaya. In Japan people to stop by at this easy food bar for lunch or after work. The ambience at Yume Ramen is completely like that, easy and homy. The fact that a traditional Swiss “beiz” was here before having a bit of a 80’s and retro interior, makes that place even more authentic.

Chef Ben introduces me to the uniqueness of Yume Ramen. It’s the soup stock that is made fresh from scratch every day and cooked for hours either with pork bones or a veggie stock. The selection of ramen is variegated, guests appreciate that. Pork, Beef, Chicken or Veggie, all available on the menu.

The noodles are from Swiss natural flour (no transgenic crops!). They rest for a few days to mature the perfect taste and get knead by hand carefully. They serve up to 150 ramen soups per day, that is obviously the favorite dish of the guests.

Feeling the passion of Chef Ben and his staff is viral. You understand fast that people here love what they do. The result in your bowl is the prove.

The Yume Ramen menu

Enjoy a Japanese beer and fresh Ramen, Donburi or Otsumami appetizers. Take a Bento Boxes to go if you are in a hurry, meat or veggie. They make fresh home made lemonade with pure fruit pulp. I love the fact that it is not too sweet. Products are from best gastro suppliers.

In the evening the best choice are Otsumami. The variety of the appetizers is fantastic and perfect to share with friends. Get some advises from the lovely staff, they are happy to help you.

The quality/price ratio is absolutely okay. Ramen soups start with 19 CHF.

The selection of Japanese Whisky is the biggest available in Zurich. I am fascinated by the labels of the bottles! Ben recommends the brand Habiki or Nikea. Guests love the label Karuizawa.

www.yume-ramen.ch

My personal highlight: It takes five seconds to understand that 25hours Hotel HafenCity is a place thought up to the last corner. Real place, real people

Ahoi and welcome to HafenCity. This vibrant still strongly developing area of Hamburg is fascinating. The name of the streets suggest the international vibes. Singapur Street, San Francisco street, Osaka Allee, we have them all. The buildings here are all architecturally perfectly planned and designed. It’s Europe’s biggest inner-city urban development project. A culturally diverse home to 2,800 residents, a place of work for about 12,000 employees of more than 730 companies, and a center of learning for 5,000 students.

This is the home of Elphi, known as Elbphilharmonie a phenomenal concert hall. It’s THE architectural landmark of Hamburg that opened this year planned and projected by the Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron. I love the fact that this building looks different from every angle you admire it. It may seem a huge sail or a huge cruiser.

This is 25 Hours Hotel Hafencity Hamburg

Hafen City is lovely for promenade walks along the rover Elbe or having drinks and dinner in a bar or restaurant. Find details about that area in my other story about Hamburg and check their informative website!

Who is 25 hours hotel?

A young dedicated management and staff that follows the mission Real place, real people. Which means feel home away from home.

Find 25 Hours Hotels in Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna and Zurich. All the hotels are tailored to each location. The approach is to offer a Bed & Breakfast including useful additional services. Every house follows a different theme. In Berlin for example the location gives the tone. Being close to the zoo you’ll find the ambience playing with the contrasts of nature and culture. In Hamburg Hafen City obviously it’s all about Sea life.

• 170 cabins
• meeting space for up to 200 guests
• club floor to relax
• heimat kitchen+bar with traditional food
• harbor sauna with a breathtaking view over the new harbor area
• mare kiosk with quality products as food, books, gadgets and gimmicks
• ue boom bluetooth speakers in all rooms
• Vinyl room with hundreds of selected vinyls of great music
• iMac workstations and game room
• free of charge mini car and bike rental
• a hearty and service oriented staff that makes you feel home away from home

The 25 Hours Hotel Hafencity is located only 5 minutes walk from the underground station at Überseeallee. Entering the house is like going on a cruise with an individual urban groovy style.

Get the feeling of being being on a container ship. One of the conference rooms consists of stylish containers that have carefully been selected. These containers have been on 7 continents. The elevators  and floor signs underline the industrial feeling. The design is well combined with heartwarming stories. 25 seamen have been interviewed from the designers team to get inspiration on the architectural concept of the house. Stories of dangerous voyages, romantic encounters, violent storms and painful farewells are interpreted in a characteristic and appealing way.

Accommodation

17o cosy and comfortable cabins in the sizes M and L for couples and friends, families or business trips. The rooms feature all you need: UE Boom Bluetooth speaker, TV and a cute teddy sheep to fall asleep.

The rooms are decorated with a lot of attention, here you sleep in a bunk styled room. Forget a classic or standard room concept. The maritime theme surrounds you all over with paired shapes, colors and materials.

There is a in-house radio station that plays songs guests and the staff selects. You are always surrounded by good vibes!

I love all extras listed above. Profit form the free car rental. Drive through HafenCity in a cool mini.

They support local brands. The soap is a very nice reminder to stop water flowing while teeth brushing!

Do you need a stylish bag for a city tour? Use their hand made canvasco bag made of used sails.

Food & Drinks

The in-house Restaurant Heimat Küche & Bar offers classical and seasonal dishes created with locally sourced products. The place is not only frequented by hotel guests. Locals choose it, too. Their Schnitzel is absolutely worth trying. Find delicious local sea food as a baked cod if you prefer a fish menu.

For breakfast I love their tea selection called samova and the hand made jams from Marges, both from local producers.

My personal highlights

Andreas Schnuerer, Senior Sales & Marketing Manager 25Hours Hotel HafenCity and the team gave me a very hearty welcome and made me feel immediately home. Andreas provided me plenty of details for this story. This is the way they treat every guest in the house.

After my dinner I found out by chance through the guide geheimtipphamburg that the Wiener Schnitzel had at their Restaurant Heimat Küche & Bar is one of the best in town. So my culinary highlight: the Schnitzel.

It warmed my heart observing the Chefs through the glass front while preparing plenty of dishes in a fast tempo. Their happy smiling faces and relaxed attitude shows that people feel home here.

Getting a bottle of water after checking out from the staff at the reception was very attentively.

Thank you very much 25HoursHotel Hafencity for this memorable experience. I felt home.

www.25hours-hotels.com

A Juwel rich of tradition and history reopens at the Limmat river in Zurich: Hotel Storchen’s location is unique. Waking up facing the river and admiring the beauty of Grossmünster or the Alps is memorable

The renovation of the hotel took place in 6 1/2 weeks only tells Director Jörg Arnold at the press conference. A team of ca. 400 specialists made this project happen. The logistics were quite an effort, due to its very central location. A detailed and professional planning was indispensable.

Today the Storchen is proudly presented with its new plumage. The house architect Patric Meier from P. Meier & Partner AG and the interior designer Ina Rinderknecht and Christoph Cavigelli had the task to reposition the Hotel Storchen as a contemporary hotel still keeping its traditional heritage for an international young clientele.

Walking through the hotel corridors my eyes capture the high quality materials that have been selected and perfectly brought into place. There are plenty little details, where you understand that the topic here is the stork itself as well as the element of the water. Some of the lamps remind me a ships buoy. Delicate shining white ropes integrated as a decorative material in the curtains may build the bridge to a classy yacht, too. The colors of the plums are well incorporated everywhere. It’s all about to feel the Stork-Image confirms the designer.

Accommodation

There are 66 rooms and suites in several room categories available. Every room offers a combination of classical furnishings, together with warm colours and modern facilities. The rooms facing the river or the alps are breathtaking. Get all the booking details here.

Banquets & Seminars

Find several offers of tastefully, functional equipped rooms of varying sizes for business events and family celebrations for up to 100 people. Get more information on all available rooms here. This calm and settled ambience will surely positively influence the time spent at hotel Storchen. Get in contact with the hotel to find out all details about their seminar offer.

Food & Drinks

La Rôtisserie, Cigar Bar and Barchetta Bar, Lounge, Piazza are all newly renovated. For early birds or night owls, a quick drink or a long, leisurely lunch, here everybody finds what he is looking for. The food and drinks are presented with a hearty portion of passion, creativity and flair.

Axel Eichhorst, sous-chef, Cyrille Anizan and team look forward to surprising you with all manner of delicacies at La Rôtisserie in the evenings and daytime. There are special Lunch packages available, too. A one hour lunch for business people or a relaxed Saturday Shopping lunch. Stop by and check it out.

A special Food Event for sea food lovers will take place in March. André Jaegers Fischbuffet is well known in the city. He is a experienced Chef that will cook delicacies for hotel guests and non. Find more about their offer here.

In the Cigar bar you feel thrown back in time. This room is kept classy and authentic. It invites to sit back and relax, chat with friends. You find an extensive range of exquisite cigars and exclusive spirits to suit all tastes.

My personal highlights

Taste the Trancio at Barchetta which is a warm pizza bread with fresh rucola, dried tomatoes and cheese. Or try the version with Prosciutto, too. Absolutely fresh and really mediterranean flavored. Fredi Nussbaum will be serving a range of new dishes at Barchetta.

Get a coffee or a fresh juice in the Lounge or at the bar and enjoy they magic view facing the river and the old town of Zurich.

Overnight in a room overlooking the Alps and the beautiful Grossmünster.

Loving challenges, I thought: why not sleeping 2600 m above sea level in an Igloo?

It’s the first time I overnight in the middle of a Swiss Mountain, in winter, in an Igloo. Can you imagine how you feel lying in a 42 ° hot Jacuzzi and admiring a sky full of stars before cuddling yourself in a warm sleeping bag? I was speechless. Only trying it by yourself can make you such this experience richer! You even have electricity and no minus temperatures! I finally had a cheese fondue in the ideal setting!

Igloo Village Davos Klosters

I love skiing in Davos Klosters and you pass by at the Igloo Village coming down from the mountain Weissfluhjoch. I always saw that snow houses but could never imagine what a stylish and well-equipped Winter Hotel is hidden underneath. Every angle of the Igloo Village is built with love and on purpose. A tunnel system connects the igloos to each other. You feel the passion put in this project when you talk either to the Village Manager in Davos Elias Torgler or the guide Adrian. But also once standing in the middle of the bar or in the Igloo rooms with open eyes and mouth.

Igloo Villages around Switzerland and the world

Amongst breath-taking mountain scenery, wonderful snow palaces emerge every winter at seven locations to include Davos Klosters, Gstaad, Engelberg, Stockhorn and Zermatt in Switzerland, the Zugspitze in Germany and one in Andorra/Pyrenees.

Every Igloo village has its only design concept, a Village Manager and an own staff with dedicated guides. The construction and maintenance of these villages need time, power and exceptional efforts. The guides are often included in the construction phase taking about 3 weeks. They work day and night even during snowstorms and at very low temperatures to make this project happen. The igloo is open for daily visits and overnights in winter season.

This is real snow art!

Each room features a different design. International artists decorate the interior spaces of the Igloo-Villages with careful attention to detail, creating enchanting fantasy worlds in snow and ice art. It takes up to 15 h per room to create this incredible characters and artwork. They carve large and small ice sculptures by hand and transform rooms into glittering fantasy worlds.

Accommodation Igloo Village Davos Klosters

There are 14 sleeping rooms available of different categories. You find suites, standard rooms or group rooms for example. The rates start at 159 CHF and include food, breakfast and hot tea, no alcoholic drinks. Some rooms have an own Jacuzzi and toilet. All other rooms have toilets to share. Some rooms do even have a power station to recharge your phone. Ask for the special package including outdoor adventure programs, too. Get more details or your reservation here. This Igloo Village can host up to 120 persons.

Food, Drinks & more

Take an aperitivo in a stylish ice bar. For dinner there are ice dining rooms where you get cheese fondue or pasta. A warm blanket to keep you warm is included. Wine and drinks are available, too.

An absolute must is the wellness area. The Jacuzzi overlooks the mountains. There is a wooden stone sauna, too here in Davos Klosters.

A cozy Swedish Cottage with a chimney that is used to warm you up with a coffee or wine before going to sleep is the best place to end your day. The space is ideal for group events, too.

The overnight includes a snowshoe walk after dinner, the super warm sleeping bag and snowshoes if needed.

My personal highlights

Staying over night at the Igloo hotel is an adventure. It’s the whole program setup that makes this stay unforgettable.

• Meeting new people and sharing most of my Igloo moments together.
• Getting an aperitivo surrounded by stylish ice sculptures and great music.
• Gourmandizing a delicious fondue having a warm blanket on my legs
• Enjoying a homemade cinnamon bun for dessert that got warmed directly on the fire in the Swedish cottage Kota.
• Taking a bath in the 42 ° Jacuzzi under a sky of shining stars in the plain nature and the 35° wood sauna.
• Waking up early morning, admire the distinctive Engadine Blue sky and be the first skiing on the untouched slopes.

Why building an Igloo village back in 1995?

The main reason why this idea came up to the founder of Iglu-Dorf (Igloo Villages) Adrian Günter in is because he loves snowboarding on untouched, fresh prepared slopes. How can I be the first early in the morning to touch the snow? By sleeping up in the mountain, he thought. That is how the first igloo ever built was a simple hand shovelled one only to host a few of his friends. Out of this idea the future business offering a real Igloo Village originated. Iglu-Dorf has been building hotels out of snow and ice for 20 years.

How to build an igloo

I have this image of stacking snow cubes, but I have been taught different. Usually around beginning of December when the first snow falls and the slopes are ready the local mountain railways furnish the Igloo Village with technical snow from the snow cannon. Technical snow has perfect properties for the igloo construction since it is compact and resistant.

A big air blown balloon made of a resistant canvas is used to create the dome shape. After only few hours the balloon is destroyed and the ideal shape for the igloo remains. Now the hard handwork begins. All the superfluous snow is shovelled away to the final needed size and shape of the igloo. Tons of snow is used. Hundreds of meters of wire providing electricity inside and around the igloo. Electricity is needed for various stations as the kitchen or the rooms.
Some of you may have seen the Igloo Sport Studio built in St. Moritz for the Ski World cup 2017. Thanks to Iglu Dorf this unique sport studio came to reality!

Watch here how this Igloo got built! 

Thank you for getting inspired by the Lovefoodish accommodation guide.

www.iglu-dorf.com

How curiosity brings me to a Foodie Hotel in Celerina/St. Moritz with one of the best Swiss Gin

Thanks to my continuous interest in food and drinks I found out about this place in the Swiss Engadine Alps. The Hotel Chesa Rosatsch is located in Celerina, not far from St. Moritz, directly on the Inn River.
This region is world famous for its natural beauty. The Silvaplana Lake situated very close to Celerina is a kitesurfer’s paradise. The Lake of Sils close by is a great challenge for sailors. Myself I took some cool sailings lessons up here last autumn, the power of the wind is astonishing! If choosing this destination, be prepared for some great fun and a large choice of activities.

Hotel Chesa Rosatsch: More than a hotel – a paradise for foodies

This house was built in 1633 and consists of 4 houses today. They are all connected together like a little labyrinth. The owners put much care and love to keep it still so graceful and traditional as it is. This “Foodie hotel” is a secret hint. You get spoiled with the choice of choosing out from 3 restaurants. The minimum of nights you should book is 2 so that you get a taste of their culinary program starting from local food to Slow food, nose to tail or dry aged meat. Jonas Gantenbein is the Manager of the house.

Additionally I found a puristic premium quality Gin called GINUIN here. I am the proud owner of 1 bottle out of 100. The Gin’s taste is aromatic and kind of strong. The fresh branches of thyme and lemon skin in the glass deepen the flavor. I can drink it pure, that’s a good sign Michael a close friend of Hotel Chesa Rosatsch tells me, since only good quality Gin can be enjoyed pure!

Accommodation

By walking through the corridors you easily get thrown back in time by the antique photography hanging on the wall. The rooms have a classic decoration with the right touch of modernity. Book a double room or a spacious family room with private kitchen. Use the sauna where you can relax after your hiking or skiing adventure. Find more details here.

Restaurants & Drinks

Restaurant Heimatli

This place is casual and concepted for people that love simple Swiss Cuisine in a homey ambient. 400 years ago you could have found a butcher shop here. Today it lives from its authentic interior. It’s outfitted with glasses, plates and single pieces of furniture from Engadine second hand shops.
Local people appreciate it due to its simplicity paired with the excellent quality price ratio. Get a 3-course lunch menu for only 19 CHF.

Gianna the manager of the restaurant has lovely stories to share, for example where to go for a cheese manufacturer tour during your stay. Or how a Chef of the kitchen brings hand picked plumes of her garden to work to produce the delicious liqueur vieilles prunes (plums) for hotel guests.

My food experience

I got some flavorsome Engadine curd pizokel with a mild mountain cheese sauce, chard and bacon as a starter followed by tender beef cheeks with mashed potatoes. The beef was marinated for 3 days and prepared 48 h sous vide to get that delicate and juicy taste. The dessert served a exquisite apple juice cream.

Gianna and her staff are happy to serve a matching craft beer with the food. They have pleasurable local craft beers. I had a Black Boval, it’s a dark and bit sweet beer brewed at the Brauerei Engadiner Bier. I even tasted a bit of a chocolate out of it.

Restaurant Stüvas Rosatsch (14 Swiss Gault & Millau)

At Restaurant Stüvas Rosatsch (Stüvas means parlor) you can enjoy Slow food dishes prepared from Chef Jan Gassen and his team. More than 95 % of the ingredients originate from the Engadine or the close by “Veltlin”. Here Slow food is lived daily not only on the paper but served on the plate. The Stüva is the first official Slow food certified restaurant in Switzerland.

If you get the chance, make a tour in the cellar and explore their stock of fruit and vegetables. They are preserved during summer time to offer quality food all year long. Pears, apples, berries, figs, old varieties of carrots, I saw some Engadine artichokes!

Your nose to tail menu

Try a Variation of the Terra Retica ox Oxtail consommé with vegetable pearl and a Raviolo filled praline and tartar or the Grand Alpin Lasagne with calf’s milk piccata Jura Truffle and boiled Lömmenschwiler Beans.

Their wine choice is variegated; choose out of almost 400 wines. There is a vast selection of Swiss wines. Marco and Daniela know a lot about their wines ask for recommendation.

Restorant Uondas

Uonda means wave. Being located directly at the river the wave was an essential element to be included while designing the interior of this restaurant. I find the outcome really classy and intimate. Restorant Uondas is known around St. Moritz for its unique home maturated meat called “madüra” which means maturation. The Master butcher Ludwig Hatecke stands for the exceptional quality of this regional meat.

I had the chance to admire some big piece of meat in their in-house maturation cellar. There are different cuts of meat as lamb, beef or veal. Maturation time varies due to the size of the piece. Lamb takes about 4 weeks, veal 6-7 weeks and beef up to 12 weeks. The meat is stored in a special fridge at a temperature of 1-2 degrees. Humidity is ideal for the maturation process. It looses up to 30% of water, this makes it reducing weight and getting a prestigious delicacy. A tradition of meat aging on the bone improves the taste and tenderness of the meat.

Meat lovers order an own piece of meat and get a detailed report about its maturation process. When it has reached the ideal maturation Daniela, the manager of Restorant Uondas calls you and you organizes you a table for dinner! Reserve your meat here.

My food experience

The madüra meat is available in different ways of preparation. Take a combination of starters to get the whole picture. I loved the vitello tonnato, the roast beef and veal tartar. I put only a small drop of lemon olive oil and bit of black pepper to that natural very divine meat savor. They have a menu called “Tavolata” that gives you a good selection of dishes for an evening.

The nose to tail offer is superb; too, go for a spider veal steak for example or a hanging tender steak. I got a veal steak as a main grilled over lava stone. Honestly, it’s one of the best steaks ever had in my life. The most tasteful piece is the one at the bone! The meat comes with veggies, quinoa, crispy pommes-allumettes or a spicy eggplant parmigiana. Whatever you desire.
In the hope that you still have some space in your stomach, try the homemade soft ice cream. It’s preparation follows a secret recipe and offers different toppings. I loved it natural.

My personal highlights

Discovering this place enriched my food horizon. The whole team welcomed me hearty and spoiled me with all of their attention. I felt like attending a private gastronomic class. There is so much passion for everything they do. It’s kind of viral! All the insights about the madüra meat, nose to tail and the Slow food preparation are values I will never forget.

I am not a Gin connoisseur, but after having tried their Gin called GINUIN I am officially starting exploring. This Gin follows the Slow food concept and contains only genuine botanicals, exactly 25 of them. The juniper used is collected in the local forest of Pontresina. Even hotel guests collect juniper branches for the Gin when they go for a walk. I love the fact how people feel involved to support their projects. The lemons originate from a village called Limone at Lago di Garda. They explain to me, that it is still in an allowed geographical distance parameter, since even closer, than taking it from Geneva. The Gin is distilled with a special procedure of a double bain marie. This creates its premium quality. The fresh handmade marsh mellows matched perfectly with the Gin!

Thank you Hotel Chesa Rosatsch, Michael, Jonas, Daniela and Gianna for this unforgettable experience. See you soon again.

www.rosatsch.ch

My personal highlight: Variety of filter coffees and best eggs benedict

COFFEE is located in Kreis 4 at Grüngasse 4. The name says it all, very straight forward, it’s a coffee place with the roast from the established Swiss roaster Stoll. Their filter coffee selection is variegated so that everybody can find the right flavor. The place has a lovely vintage style interior and a nice window front that brings in much of light.

The owner are Shem Leupin and Thomas Leuenberger. Shem is a ex Swiss Barista Champ and a coffee roaster, he knows how to prepare your coffee.

Thomas is an experienced Chef and creates healthy and creative food for you, all Vegetarian.  The dishes you find are prepared fresh and at the moment of ordering.

Brunch

Their signature dish are the Coffee Zurich Eggs Benedict. The home made sauce hollandaise is fantastic and prepared at the moment. Find also cakes and home made sandwiches.

On Saturday’s you get a special brunch menu. We had a parsnip cream with fermented apples, homemade cheese, grilled lettuce, some marinated mustard seeds, decorated with cheese crackers and the last mandarines of the season. Thomas makes everything by himself. His dedication in explaining every single ingredient is much appreciated from every guest. It was an explosion of flavors. Light and super fresh.
Go there for brunch and discover more delicacies for your belly!

www.coffeezurich.com

Why I had one of the best food blogger experiences enriching my view and knowledge about farm to table cuisine

St. Moritz Gourmet Festival has it all

Where to begin to summarize this unique experience in the Swiss Alps. My journey started in a cute village close to St. Moritz called Celerina. Here the Hotel Chesa Rosatsch is located with 3 different restaurants. A detailed review is available here. The rest of my time was dedicated to the St. Moritz Gourmet Festival.

What happens at the St. Moritz Gourmet Festival?

10 American Master Chefs are invited to St. Moritz for sharing culinary experiences with local Chefs of their partner hotels. Together they enthrall the festival guests with culinary delicacies one week long. Tickets are available online through the St. Moritz Gourmet Festival for everybody. Additional special events as the Kitchenparty or the Chocolate Cult at Badrutt’s Palace take place during the week. Due to my interest in the farm to table concept my choice fell for Chef Melissa Kelly located at the wonderful Nira Alpina Hotel in Silvaplana.

Sweet sensations at the Chocolate Cult, Badrutt’s Palace

My festival visit starts with a glamorous chocolate afternoon. The legendary Chocolate Cult at the Badrutt’s Palace. Can you imagine what chocolate lovers feel when entering the elegant corridor of this beautiful classy hotel? And that smell of real pure chocolate? You find chocolate art paired with lots of experience and passion. Delicious fresh made pralines, tarts, creams and pastries. Only tasting can explain!

Why Chef Melissa Kelly gathered all of my attention at NIRA Alpina in Silvaplana

The farm to table philosophy is something that surrounds me since my childhood. The idea of having an experienced Women Chef in Switzerland to share her life and cooking philosophy was reason enough for me to attend the St. Moritz Gourmet Festival. The fact that she has Italian roots was very exciting to me, too.

Melissa Kelly started cooking with the age of 5 in her grandmother’s kitchen. Her Italian roots are from the beautiful city of Bologna. It’s the one and only place where real good and traditional pasta comes from. This explains the exquisite homemade linguine she prepared for us. Her Signature dish is the Nonno Primo’s Pork Saltimbocca named by her grandfather Primo was the absolute highlight.

Chef Florian Mainzger, the home Chef at Hotel NIRA Alpina had a challenging task to gather all of the ordered ingredients to follow Chef Melissa’s farm to table “religion”.  He did a great job she compliments. There is a lot of planning and communication between the two Chefs beforehand, plus cooking on altitude is an additional challenge, confirms Chef Melissa. She brought some special herbs and even pork products all the way from the US to prepare the dishes as authentic as possible. The staff at NIRA Alpina made this unique event possible. The cozy and warm ambience in the Trattoria matched perfectly to the dinner setup. Hotel NIRA Alpina offers an outstanding service. I appreciated their help and kind availability for example by always offering me help for transfer when needed to St. Moritz.
Gioannis from Nira Alpina told me, that he drives every morning to get some fresh goat milk for one of his guests. Absolute lovely!

Diving into the 5 course dinner prepared by Chef Melissa and the team

The courses taste puristic and very fresh. Her creativity is very healthy! She integrates a variety of vegetables that make the courses light and colorful for the eyes. I love the Mediterranean flavors and Italian touch she combines in all courses.

The starter is a fig stuffed with Marcona almond and candled orange. It comes wrapped in pancetta with local chicories. The Gorgonzola filling of the fig is a real surprise.

The next plate is a perfectly spiced Brittany Scallop with a cauliflower panna cotta, caviar and a very light herb spuma.

Hand made Squid ink linguine with a spicy tomato sugo are served next with a Broccoli crema and calamari a la Plancha.

The last course is a pork saltimbocca with roasted garlic potato purée, spinach, prosciutto and a wild mushroom Madeira sauce.

My absolute preferred desert as of now is the Butterscotch budino with salted caramel and rosemary shortbread. This combination gave me such a happy belly feeling, really mouth-watering.

The micro gap still available in my belly got filled by a south Italian traditional sweet! What a surprise! Super soft and fluffy fried Zeppole. I love this fried dough turned in sugar and cinnamon. It reminds me home! In Italy you get them especially at Saint Joseph’s day that is celebrated in March.

Living farm to table as a life philosophy

“Eating and cooking healthy is not a lifestyle, it’s a life philosophy”, says Chef Melissa. This explains why she is running Restaurant Primo in Rockland, Maine since more than 18 years. Living on a farm is the way she grew up. Primo’s staff is involved in the whole gardening and farming activities. There is a lot to do on a 4 acre property. This involvement is necessary to make her life philosophy completely understandable. This is how 400 pounds of garlic come together for example. By not using chemicals and pesticides, their flowers and produce are helping to maintain rich soil without depletion and degrade for generations to come.
They frequently teach kids about farming and healthy food. I liked the story from Melissa about the kids asking if the plant is the place where the chicken come from.

Chef Melissa is as a very authentic and approachable personality. This explains the happy and relaxed faces enjoying their time in the kitchen. Chef Jenna reveals that they feel like a little family. Well done, I really like the group spirit!

Nose to tail for everybody in Rockland , Maine – Annual Pig Day extravaganza

I am happy to see how Melissa offers this tradition to her guests at Primo Restaurant. During the month of November the Pig Day extravaganza takes place at Primo restaurant. Last year more than 180 people spent their day with processing the just-slaughtered pigs raised on the Primo farm. After working everybody eats the food. 4,200 pounds of pork were processed into prosciutto or pates. It’s a unique way to feel Chef Melissa Kelly’s philosophy. Primo’s Pig Day is a focal point of the restaurant since 2009.  Special seven courses nose-to-tail tasting menu are available with exotic delicacies as pig’s ears, pig’s tails, trotters and headcheese.

Where to find Nose to tail in Switzerland

Luckily I discovered the Hotel Rosatsch and their food philosophy. They offer these delicacies, too. You do not need to travel that far! Visit the beautiful Engadine and make a stop at Restaurant Stüva Rosatsch. Try their Slowfood or Nose to tail menu!

Around Zurich you can get in touch with Slowfoodyouth. Their activities published online include interesting projects with special excursion to farms. Join their eat in every first Wednesday of the month to get in contact with local nutrition aware foodies. Or just check online and let me know by email if you find interesting places!

All in one experience in the Bernese Alps: Exquisite food, live music and superb accommodation

The Wetterhorn is a secret escape at Hasliberg, a mountain in the Bernese Alps located in between of Lucerne and Interlaken. Either by car or train, you can get there very easy for a weekend trip and enjoy hiking or skiing or a great concert. By car you reach it in 40 min. from Lucerne. What this hotel offers was kind of unique and new to me. It’s more than just an accommodation.

Built in 1907, it was originally a summer residence, now it’s transformed into a modern and idyllic ambience where culture meets local food and nature. Christoph and his team introduced me to the heritage of the Hotel Wetterhorn. Since the house was abandoned for a while and you cannot imagine, how the interior of the hotel looked like! Once standing empty being an old illegal party place it is today a shining star in the Berneroberland. The house has been completely renewed. Sinnvollgastro is the owner of the house. They are a Lucerne-based company in the gastronomic business specialized in the conception of innovative culinary places. I have to confirm, they did an amazing job up here!

Accommodation

There are several room categories available in the house even party people find modern multiple bedrooms for a good budget. Every room is kind of different and unique. I stayed in a deluxe room that I absolutely recommend. The room is cozy, warm and spacious. Most of the rooms have an own kitchen, which offers great comfort. The ambience is stylish with a mix of simplicity. Closing the day by taking a relaxing bath and enjoying the panoramic view with a sunset was memorable.

Seminars

Book their seminar package and enjoy a well-equipped room to work on your creative business ideas. The ambience will inspire you for sure. Get in contact with the hotel to find out all details about the seminar offer.

Food & Drinks, Cantina 1313

The Wetterhorn team puts great attention to origin of their products. Food waste is a topic they care about. The beefsteak I had comes from their local farmer up at Hasliberg. It’s a highland cattle a very prestigious and delicious Swiss beef! The meat is prepared on a grill, the taste super tender and juicy. It was accompanied by some red beet and potato Röschti with an extremely crunchy taste.

The house follows the nose to tail concept which means, that every part of the animal is used in the kitchen and seen as precious good. Their menu is simple but prepared fresh and with delicacy.

How do they care about food waste?
The Chefs use their creativity to prepare great tasting pickled veggies, this to produce some stock for the winter. They also cultivate a nice permaculture garden that offers a super selection of herbs all year long.
The cantina 1313 is the wine cellar of the hotel. Ask for their enchanting wine card and get the chance to select your own bottle of delicious drops with an expert guide.

For liqueur lovers it’s a must to try the unique Heuschnaps (hay Liqueur) made according to an old tradition from pomaceous fruits. Its taste is delicious sweet! Don’t get addicted! Further you find nice red wines, cocktails and house beers that I absolutely recommend.

Events and activities

Going a bit into the events I find a great mix of activities for young and old. Famous Swiss Acts as Adrian Stern or Dabu Fantastic and International acts as Mozart Heroes are on the program for this year. Beside the music acts join their legendary the Sausage Festival, Snow Boccia or a Yoga week. As you see, the variety of activities is surprising! The whole program is available here.

My personal highlights

Waiting at the bus station two 80 years old ladies started telling me personal stories about their youth and Sunday walks up here. They seemed very happy to see the Hotel Wetterhorn in this new robe now. Local people love to stop by for lunch or a coffee and chat with the staff.

My other highlight offered me a lovely flashback to my childhood. While dining I observed a little girl walking with the staff into the kitchen to prepare a chocolate cream. How attentive from the staff taking complete care about small and big guests! The atmosphere in this place is uncomplicated and relaxing and very welcoming. If you get the chance talk to Oxi, he takes care about the whole house and knows a lot of stories to share!

www.wetterhorn-hasliberg.ch

My personal highlight: observing my friend getting attacked by the feeling of pure delight while swallowing a piece of tender meat

As a foodie apparently my job is to search new places for a great food experience. This time we stopped by at Fork & Bottle. Andreas, a friend of mine, had the pleasure to join me. He finally understands why a foodie never touches the food before taking at least 5 pictures. All the dishes were looking amazing. The labels of all the craft beer bottles were exciting to shoot.

Our dishes obviously did not only look good, the taste of every bite was an unforgettable food experience. Every course came paired with a delicious craft beer. At F&B you find over 80 different craft beers sourced by the owner, Mike Goguen, some of them are local, too. What made me very happy was the attention we got from Rena (events and marketing manager) and the staff.

Being a food blogger is contagious, too. My friend Andreas started to describe his food experience after every single bite! This flatters me and gives me the chance to exchange my impressions, too. Thank you, Andreas!

Let’s get a bit into the courses served

The Starter

I recommend to share the starters, if you choose a menu with more courses.
The first starter is a Warm Winter Root Vegetable Salad. It comes with fresh salad greens topped with grilled Halloumi cheese, roasted root vegetables, mango & chilli salsa and a Balsamic Dressing. Fingerlick’n good and really fresh.

The craft beer paired with this course was Gamma Ray by Beavertown from London. A killer American Pale Ale rammed with juicy malts and huge tropical aromas.  The can is cool and exciting to boot! A great picture for your instagram account!

After the first starter the show went on with some Asian Wings battered in a medley of Asian flours and spices and deep fried in duck fat. Drizzled with sweet chili reduction and topped with sesame seeds and mango and chili salsa. The duck fat gives that amazing tasty flavor.

The craft beer paired was the local beer “Corporate Monkey Lager” by Bier Factory, Jona. It’s a lightly hopped lager beer.

The Mains

This a 10 hour House Smoked BBQ Pork Ribs accompanied by hand cut fries and a cute pot of smoked beans. The fries were outstanding. They get fried 3 times and are really fingerlick’n, too. The best fries found in Zurich so far. The pork ribs are so juicy that they melt on your tongue.

This main course was paired with Gin Inspired Gose, made in collaboration with Pohjala from Estonia and To 0L from Denmark. The taste is mildly sour has a gose with pink Himalayan rock salt, coriander, juniper berries, spruce tips, rosemary, ginger, and rose petals. It’s an explosion of flavors. It was bit too much of flavors for me but a good choice for a summer beer I think.

The F&B Classic Burger was waiting on the second plate for us. It’s a 200 gram Swiss Premium Beef with cheddar, house corn relish, tomato, gherkin and lettuce.

This course was paired with a Tipopils by Birrificio Italiano from Northern Italy. It’s my absolute favorite beer here. The taste is fresh. It’s a crisp hoppy pilsner with a hint of sweetness.

The dessert

As you can imagine our bellies felt quite satisfied after, but it’s a duty of a foodie to go through the dessert menu. Rena suggested a traditional desert of the house: the Chocolate Brownie Sundae. It’s a crumbled brownie with homemade Daim ice cream, chocolate ganache and a marshmallow fluff. The pistachio in the chocolate brownie was an exotic and excellent combination.

Rena and her staff spoiled us with super delicious food and drinks. The atmosphere at F&B is very cozy and invites you to stay for a few hours and forget home.

I like their farm to table concept that will be expanded in future to more local products. F&B works with local farmers. I like the idea of supporting local suppliers. And we will definitively hear more about this farm to table concept in Switzerland, too.

My personal highlight: Paradise for families, couples and solo travels find modern comfort, peace and a blue sky full of shiny stars at night

Choose the Privà Alpine Lodge Resort if you want to keep your living habits from home in an alpine surrounding.

The Chalet Village is a real pearl in Lenzerheide. Its concept of offering living spaces in 90 Chalet-Apartment and 3 Chalets is unique. In the Chalet Village you have everything you need:

Underground parking, shuttle transfer from/to train station, direct access to the ski slopes, ski school and rental, play land for kids, mini-shop, a wellness area and great restaurant.

Take a short walk through the forest to get to the lake of Lenzerheide, which is lovely for ice skating in winter and swimming in summer. If you love Biking, discover the most beautiful and secluded places around here on great bike trails. There are many events and activities, too, in the whole region! Find more details here.

Accommodation

Feel at home when you enter into the Chalet Village. Privà Lodge offers a modern living for couples, families and groups in spacious and high quality equipped apartments. The interior design and furniture are elegant and modern with a wonderful alpine touch. Choose an apartment with a private infrared sauna you will not regret it! In Winter you can do the Kneipp just on your snowy terrace!

There are various categories of rooms and sizes available that match your budget. Find here all details.

A world for kids

Families love this place. There is a ski and snowboard school and a special kids program (starting as of 2 years old) where they can have fun and entertainment all day long. A professional is there to take care for them.

Food & drinks

Feel the hearty hospitality everywhere in this house. Corina and Daniel the manager of the house take care of their guest’s wishes personally. All the staff carefully understands your needs and makes you feel home from the first moment you enter the door. There is a restaurant, a bar and a restful Cheminée Lounge in the resort or if in a hurry order your food take away.

My personal highlight

The highlight of my stay at the Privà Lodge, (I admit that I abused a bit the fact that I am a food blogger) was the chance to have a look behind the scenes in the kitchen and chat with the staff. I immediately felt like being part of a team. Exchanging my instagram name with their youngest Chef Vera made me feel honored and happyfoody.

Further, Kenny, also a Chef at Privà Lodges explains with lots of attention where the ingredients come from they use. Now I do also know, that they prepare a great Italian carnaroli risotto rice, the Acquerello risotto produced in Vercelli/Northern Italy! Thank you for this insight! It’s a great joy to see people creating food for you with creativity and love. It connects me with the plate, once served on the table.

The restaurant offers delicious traditional Swiss meals prepared with local and international products. Their meat menu and pizza are my favorite ones on the menu. Taste their selection of local white and red wines. They are excellent.

I absolutely recommend having a cheese fondue in the little wooden “Berghüttli” (little alp house). It’s a magic atmosphere dining with candlelight having a fell on your lap and feeling like being up 2500 m high in an alpine house. And even practical, after your Fondue you walk only 5 minutes back home.

So if all of this matches your ideal winter or summer holiday up in a tranquil village, check it out or get in contact with Privà Alpine Lodge. I enjoyed my stay and lovely talk to Daniel and his staff. Thank you!

www.privalodge.ch