Accomodation Local Swiss Food Restaurant Guide

Hotel Chesa Rosatsch Celerina/St. Moritz

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 her e.

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!