Somewhere in the middle of nowhere but worth the journey: Restaurant Incantare Zur Fernsicht (9. May 2017)
“AT THE END OF THE WORLD BUT WORTH A VISIT!” That is how I would describe the Restaurant Incantare – Zur Fernsicht after spending a lovely evening there.
We decided to be surprised and went for the “6 Course Surprise Gourmet Menu” (CHF 170.00) where we would not know what was going to be served next but it was all going to be things which would be on the regular menu. When I had asked for a wine pairing, we were informed that this was no longer offered. Frankly, I do not entirely understand why but given we had no other choice, we started with a glass (1dl) of “Alentejo Incognito” (CHF 18.00). Well, the wine was good but it was definitely not CHF 18.00 good. That is something which I consider quite a rip off in many Michelin starred restaurants. A glass of white wine accounts for almost CHF 20.00? That’s just – somehow – too much.
The menu then started with a little greeting from the kitchen: “Hamachi served on a hot salt stone with pickled radish and black Schüttelbrot, a flaxseed chip with duck and asparagus”. It looked interesting but nothing special really but I must admit, it was quite delicious! A perfect start into the evening.
Right after the first greeting, “salted and caramelized nut butter and regular butter” with some bread were served. While the idea sounded interesting, the flavour of the caramelized and salted nut butter was rather subtle – a bit too subtle for my taste with the flavourful bread.
Before the actual menu started, another little amuse bouche was served. It was a soup – or rather “layers of soup”. It started with a layer of “chorizo sauce, topped by cod fish, enlarged with almond cauliflower sauce, topped by cauliflower foam, and finished with dehydrated cauliflower”. What a description for such a tiny course – however, you could taste the single elements and it was a very sound and mouth-watering course.
I do love sous-vide prepared things – so smooth, so delicious. But I do not like the looks of that. Then again, it is less about the looks than about the flavour, so I can positively say that the “Swiss Alpine salmon trout, prepared sous-vide, asparagus, herb oil, smoky fish fumet, and sauce hollandaise” was delicious. Smooth. Well-balanced. Aromatic.
A first glimpse of the next dish made me think that I hadn’t ordered “rests of vegetables” but I was quickly convinced after having the first bite of this dish that it wasn’t just the rest of the carrots but that the “lamb from Bourbonnais served with spring peas, carrots from Paris, and yuzu foam” was outstanding. The meat was tender and went perfectly with the intense but pleasant flavour of the carrots. And it went perfectly with the bottle of “Chablis La Forest, Dauvissat” (CHF 103.00).
The third dish this evening was “crab with common sorrel cream and caramelized sweet potatoes”. Often shellfish is quite dry when served but they managed perfectly to keep the balance between making it ‘dry enough’ for it to not taste like sea water and to keep it ‘juicy’. The common sorrel cream was a perfect adding to the dish as it – surprise, surprise – provided the crab with a ‘hint of sour’.
The next course was interesting – in two ways. First, the way it was served as it came in two plates. One part in a regular plate, and one part on a tiny plate which was on top of a little tower. The “Breton guinea fowl served with black onion seeds, fermented celeriac, verjus, and morels” was excellent. I’m not a big fan of poultry but it was exquisite.
The second part wasn’t any less of a surprise. It was some kind of dumpling (I must admit, I forgot what exactly it was as I didn’t take notes during the dinner). But I remember that I liked it a lot.
What I experience quite often in starred restaurants is that the dish is finished at your table – usually with some kind of sauce or soup or broth. The next course was a new experience to me – the dish was absolutely finished on the table but not just with a sauce but it started with a “cream with fermented banana” …
… to which “tannenschösli” were added …
… to then add – in two steps (but I was too slow to take the pictures) – the “parsley dots” and finally the meat, the venison so you would end up with “venison with crispy buckwheat, cranberry jus, fermented banana, parsley, and tannenschösli”. The meat was delicious and it went so well with the sweetness of the fermented banana and the crispiness of the buckwheat. Not to mention the fitting with the bottle of “Barolo Cannubi, Boschis” (CHF 130.00).
Somehow, the next course was almost my favourite. I mean, of course not really, as the dishes were extraordinary. But I just love, love, love great cheese trolleys! I mean, look at it – so amazing!
I went for a variety of different cheeses – and it was great! Especially the one on the right, the ‘wild garlic cheese’ was delicious! Mostly because the wild garlic wasn’t overwhelming but had a lovely intensity.
Obviously, the cheese wagon wasn’t the last course – now it was time for chocolates! Usually not what I am really craving for but the combinations they offered made me try more sweets then I usually would.
The little “white chocolate plate with truffles” was somehow wrong in flavour – but it was so right on the other hand. Definitely interesting! The “Caramel Croquant” was just so well-made that one would have to try more than one of these (and as we were at the end the only guests, we got to try more than one). The “little black chocolate with pumpkin” was quite special. The consistency wasn’t as creamy and chocolatey as you would expect of a chocolate. But it was pleasant nevertheless – given, probably also because the pumpkin wasn’t overwhelming. My absolute favourite was the “white chocolate with basil”. Yummy! Just yummy! Luckily, also there I got to have more than one!
Approximately 4,5 hours later, it was time for a “double espresso” (CHF 7.00) and a “Paolo Berta Riserva” (2cl, CHF 19.00) – a great end to an amazing evening. Well, not the end really though.
The interior of the Incantare is lovely – it is well thought through, generally appealing and pleasant …
… but what is truly amazing is the view onto Lake Constance – almost no obstacle (besides the nice little – or rather large – villa on the left) and you are seated right there being able to enjoy this view for hours.
With regards to the service, I must admit that it was close to flawless – the waiter was friendly, jovial, swift, and very attentive. And not only him as our main waiter but the whole crew did an amazing job! In terms of coordination, friendliness – it was a true pleasure. But, as mentioned above, if you still feel like there is something more to the evening, you can enjoy the fumoir – and we did. The “David No. 2” (CHF 26.00) as the absolutely perfect end!
The experience itself is not really on the cheap side – especially if you go the ‘whole way’ and enjoy the menu, wines, digestivos, a cigar – but (!) it is absolutely worth it. With some restaurants I wonder how they dare to charge such prices – but with the Incantare Zur Fernsicht it is pricey, yes, but it is also legitimately pricey! Outstanding experience! And booking a table in advance is absolutely recommended – at least for any other day but Tuesday or Wednesday.
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Incantare Zur Fernsicht
Seeallee 10
9410 Heiden (CH)
Tel.: +41 71 898 40 40
E-Mail: livio.vincenz@fernsicht-heiden.ch
Homepage: http://fernsicht-heiden.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. 
