29. December 2015: GuardaVal Gourmet Restaurant @ Romantik & Boutique-Hotel GuardaVal
If you are a larger group you are required to guarantee your reservation by credit card but it is definitely worth doing so. The evening started with a “small greeting from the kitchen – a variation of veal: veal broth, veal tartar, sweetbread, veal tongue)”. The broth was intense and lovely, the tartar smooth but could have been a bit more seasoned, the tongue interesting as always and the sweetbread very fried.
For the “four course menu” (CHF 89.00) you were free to choose any of the six dishes for your meal. My first choice of the evening was “pickled zander with beetroot and quince”. The dish not only looked lovely but was actually quite interesting with the rather earthy notes of beetroot and the sweetness of quince.
Next in line was the “farmer’s egg from Sent with prosciutto, cauliflower and caviar from Frutigen”. While, in general, I am not a big fan of egg dishes I like this particular form of egg (cooked at 63°) a lot. And this course was lovely in its combination of creaminess and smoothness while being very aromatic.
The “salmon trout with cream spinach and mashed potatoes” was my personal disappointment. If you ate the single ingredients by themselves they did not taste like too much. If you combined them, the spinach was definitely overwhelming the other flavours. So I did not entirely understand the concept behind this dish.
While the portion was rather small it was quite delicious – “grilled prime rips of beef from the beef from Engadin with a vegetable selection and steam bread”. What was pretty interesting about the course was the fact that it consisted of two flights. When I had finished the course, I thought that was it.
The waitress then took away all our empty plates but I got another set of cutlery. Being rather confused (and also having had enough), I pointed out that I was done with my menu. This was politely refused and I was explained that there is a second course to this course. Which was “braised oxtail with onions”.
What is something rather typical for the area of Graubünden is that you get bread and salsiz to start instead of the regular bread and butter.
The GuardaVal Gourmet Restaurant is a great place to have dinner as the restaurant has a very charming atmosphere due to the creation of the impression of being in a small house somewhere up in the alps. The prices are actually also quite fine for what you get. Additionally, this is true for the beverages (i.e. 0,75L, Passuger, CHF 8.50; Double Espresso, CHF 6.60; Tre Soli Tre Grappa, CHF 18.00; although CHF 18.00 for 2cl is a bit expensive; or Bricco dell’Uccellone, Braida, 2012, CHF 92.00; and Fabelhaft, Duoro, 2013, CHF 64.00; or Gago, 2013, CHF 69.00).
The service is overall very competent. The only thing which was a bit disappointing was the lack of knowledge about spirits. When we asked which Grappe from Berta were available we were informed that there was only “Tre Soli Tre”. However, when I went up to the bar to pay the bill, I figured that there were also other Berta Grappas.
All in all, it is recommended to dine at GuardaVal – make sure to book a table in advance though!
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Contact Details:
GuardaVal Gourmet Restaurant @ Romantik & Boutique-Hotel GuardaVal
Vi 383
7550 Scuol (CH)
Tel.: +41 81 861 09 09
Fax: +41 81 861 09 00
E-Mail: info@guardaval-scuol.ch
Homepage: http://www.guardaval-scuol.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. 
