8. November 2014: Restaurant Sternen

As the Restaurant Sternen closes per end of year, it was about time to give it a try and to experience the quality of the kitchen. It started with “bread and olive oil” which was nice but rather regular. To pick what you want to eat you can leave the room open to the kitchen by just announcing how many courses you want and if you have any allergies. I decided to go for five courses (CHF 138.00 for the 5 course surprise menu).

The first course of the evening was a “corn poulard with bell pepper flan, cream puff with basil mousse, and an eggplant caviar”. It looked impressive but not really appealing but it was. The chicken was nicely juicy and rich in flavours, the bell pepper flan were of very poor taste, and the eggplant caviar was a perfect light side element to the dish.

The owner of the house, and chef the service, suggested the wines to the respective dishes and we started with a “Sauvignon Blanc, Fransola, Torres, 2012” which was light and fit quite well. Next in line was the “pulpo carpaccio with char, fennel and dill”. The char did not taste like fish which it does quite often, and the pulpo carpaccio was actually smooth and soft (which it often isn’t). The combination with the apple and the apple sorbet made it an even better dish – as it had a simple but surprising element in it.

The wine which came with this course was a “Zierfandler Mandel Höh, Stadlmann, Thermenregion Österreich, 2012”. One of my favourites was next – and that without even knowing what would be served – “duck liver with pumpkin and cranberries”. The duck liver was very aromatic and smooth and the fact that it was served on a slice of pumpking (so you would eat the two together) gave it an interesting touch in consistency.

Moreover, there was something else to the dish – which, now that I’m writing this, still provides me with a watery mouth as it was so delicious. The “duck liver icecream” was so smooth, so rich, so intense you wanted to have a whole kilo of it! Absolutely lovely!!! The wine which came with the duck liver was a “Riesling Auslese, Wehelner Sonnenuhr, J. J. Prüm, Mosel, Deutschland, 2006”.

While it definitely looked the most fancy of all of the dishes that evening it was a bit of a disappointment. The “potato purrée from the blue Swedish potato from the Albula valley with white truffles from Alba and an sunny side up quail egg” just lacked aroma. While there was truffle, it did not really make the dish much better. It definitely looked interesting due to the fact that the potato purrée was blue – but else. At least the wine which was served with it was great – a “Haut-Billat, Languedoc Roussillon France, 2011”.

The main course was great again – the “vension saddle with juniper jus …

… and spaetzle” was definitely a great meal. The venison was aromatic without tasting too much like venison. The spaetzle were not too chewy but also not too hard. All in all, a very sound dish. The “Ses Marjades Negre, Mallorca, 2010” which accompanied the dish was perfect – nicely intense but smooth too, perfect match to not overwhelm the tastes of the meal.

You know what is really beautiful? People who have a passion for something! And the waitress which served the cheese was incredibly passionate about it. I already like cheese a lot but after she had described what her little cheese waggon had to offer, I was just so much more motivated for the cheese than I would probably usually be after such a meal.

Unfortunately, I was not able to take note of which cheeses I took in the end (too much information at this late hour) but I must say that the selection was great and they were generous. If you have valuable people like this in your service – keep them!

With the cheese they served a tiny piece of pear bread which provided the sweet angle to the whole dish balancing the cheesi-ness a bit off.

The selection of different honeys, jams, and chutneys was limited but high quality which really made the cheese selection in the end the perfect closing for the dinner. And the fact that it was served with a very good glass of wine, a “Terra do Zambujeiro, Alentejo, Portugal, 2010” helped of course.

While one thought at this point in time that the whole dinner was over, a generous display of “friandises” followed to finish off the meal. I had the chance to try them all – and they were tasty indeed. Especially the ones with marzipan.

It is a pity that the restaurant closes – the place is simple, traditional but very atmospheric. The service is great – at least with regards to the “regular” waitresses. It took the head of service waitress quite a while until she decided to be friendly – not really how you would an owner of a restaurant expect to act. However, if you still have the chance to go and dine at the Restaurant Sternen before they close for good – do it, it’s worth it!

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Sternen

Dorfstrasse 1

6318 Walchwil (CH)

Tel.: +41 41 759 04 44

Fax: +41 41 759 04 40

E-Mail: info@sternen-walchwil.ch

Homepage: http://www.sternen-walchwil.ch

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.