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Spectacular wine cellar but overpriced truffle experience: Restaurant zum Gupf (10. November 2018)

| April 27, 2019 | 0 Comments

One year ago I had booked the table in the Gupf – and that was absolutely necessary as the place was very full again. The evening started with “curry butter, Gupf butter refined with sour cream, and beet root grissini”. The grissini were interesting in taste but a bit too hard for my personal gusto.

I decided to go for the “five course menu with two main courses” (CHF 182.00) and the “wine pairing” (CHF 136.00) which started with an amuse bouche from the kitchen: “porcini soup with duck liver terrine on a apricot pine nut chutney”. The porcini soup was delicious as it was nicely warm and the duck liver terrine was enjoyable too.

The first course of the menu was a “celery variation with boar filet, bacon and walnuts”. I liked the celery combination and the boar wrapped in bacon was exquisite. A simple yet delicious dish.

The “sea bass on orange sauerkraut and pumpkin” was interesting. The fish was rich and had a nice consistency. But what really blew my mind was the little pumpkin cube which was just absolutely mouth-watering.

You had the choice to have a course in between – “noodles …”

… “with fresh truffles”. The truffle was applied quite generously but you would also feel the price of that. This course would cost about CHF 46.00 per person. Which is not surprising there is fresh truffle involved, however, I personally don’t think that this is reasonable for a course like that.

The first main today was the “two types of veal (cheek and filet) on a rosemary pepper risotto served with Taleggio and chanterelles”. The veal cheeks were so incredibly tender and basically just dissembled in your mouth. Smooth like butter. Funny enough though, in terms of flavor, the perception changed a bit after you’d start chewing the cheeks. The aftertaste was really somehow like canned tuna. Sounds weird but it is true. The filet on the other hand was incredibly tender and smooth so you’d enjoy it a lot right away.

The second main course was “back of venison with cream savoy cabbage, Jerusalem artichoke, spelt cous cous and pear”. The venison was rich and smooth and went well with the savoy cabbage and the sauce.

I am almost a huge fan of the cheese wagon. However, I must say I was a tiny bit disappointed by the selection. There are some cheeses and you find a bit of everything but for a restaurant with 17 Gault Millau points, I was expecting a bit more in terms of selection.

At least the chutney selection is quite exhaustive.

Of course, if you look at the final result of ones selection, a “nice cheese plate with truffle brie and fresh truffle on top” then you would be satisfied. But given the “truffle brie with fresh truffle” accounts for CHF 52.00 per person, I was a bit shocked. Admittedly, it is not the responsibility of the restaurant to inform on in advance on how much something costs, respectively I could have asked upfront. However, CHF 52.00 for cheese respectively CHF 46.00 for noodles – both with fresh truffle – seems a bit off to me.

Finally, as a sweet “covered apple, Calvados cream, caramel parfait and pickled apple” were served. Decent, tasty.

The little good bye for the end of the evening – “fig sorbet with caramel foam, chocolate with sesame and an eclair with jelly” were marking the end of the dinner. And it took a solid 5.5 hours. So, you definitely need to take your time.

The place itself is traditional from the outside …

… as well as the inside. The waitress which was responsible for our table did a good job and made sure we’d feel comfortable at any time. There were moments when the attention period was a bit too long for my personal gusto but generally, all was good.

What is truly spectacular is the wine cellar. They have more than 1’083 wines (which is the altitude of the restaurant; 1’083 meters above sea level) and more than 15’000 bottles in their cellar. Truly impressive, I’d say!

While the system is – apparently – about 20 years old, it still works perfectly!

The large bottles cellar is also impressive – especially since they got a 27 litres bottle of “Bricco dell’Uccellone” – one of my favourite wines!

And last but not least, the wine cellar holds a world record with the largest glass wine bottle of the world which is 2.40m high and holds 420 litres!

All in all, the Restaurant Gupf is one I can recommend. Personally, I’d leave out the truffle courses (as I personally don’t see the price performance ratio as fair) but else, definitely worth visiting! Just make sure to book well in advance!

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Contact Details:

Restaurant zum Gupf

Gupf 21

9038 Rehetobel (CH)

Tel.: +41 71 877 11 10

Fax: +41 71 877 15 10

E-Mail: info@gupf.ch

Homepage: http://www.gupf.ch

About the Author:

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.
CHF 900.00 (incl. tip) Filed in: Appenzell (CH), Restaurants
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