Absolutely okay food but not sure it’s 17 Gault Millau points: Restaurant Schlüssel Mels (29. April 2022)
Since I used to be in the vicinity of Mels or even in Mels itself during my army times, I wanted to pay the Schlüssel in Mels a visit for quite some time. Finally, the day came that I got to try their cuisine. The restaurant is located in the heart of Mels and you have to drive a bit through the narrow streets of Mels to reach it since the direct ways are currently blocked by building sites.
Once you have arrived, and you get to the first floor, you have to “find” the right restaurant since there are different ones. Obviously, I wanted to try the Gourmet Restaurant with 17 Gault Millau points, which is where I had booked a table. Once you’re seated, you’re welcomed warmly by the staff and served the menu – plus “salted mountain butter and olive spread with bread”. The butter and the olive spread are good – what was a bit surprising to me is that you get only one slice of each type of bread, even when you’re a party of more than one person (making it somewhat impossible to try each bread).
As a small amuse bouche, you’re getting “cheese bacon bread” which is quite nice but – even for me – a bit too cheesy.
The first amuse bouche served by the kitchen was a “curry ginger lemongrass cream, pickled sea bass, and minced meat with hörnli pasta and apple sauce”. And frankly, that was a great start. The soup was amazing, the sea bass was okay and the very traditional Swiss dish was exquisite.
Then it was time for the first course of the “6-Course-Menu” (CHF 170.00) which was “king mackerel ceviche, Serrano ham mayonnaise, red onions” and while it looked absolutely pretty, it didn’t do much to me in terms of flavour experience.
The “veal tail essence, South African scampi, juniper oil” looked nice again, and it also somewhat worked, meaning, I liked the veal tail essence and how it was served but again, there was any element of surprise missing.
One of the better dishes for me was the “parsley root, salted lemon, forest herbs” which was served in something similar to a spring roll. And I liked it since there was an interesting element in terms of texture (i.e., the crunchiness) and it also had a nice filling which was accentuated by the salted lemon.
The “duck leg, celery, sea buckthorn” looked nice and sounded interesting but, again, it somehow lacked that element of surprise. The duck meat was good and had its own enjoyable flavour, but the whole dish didn’t blow my mind.
The “veal filet, corn, red wine sauce” definitely belonged to the better dishes that evening. The quality of the meat was great, the reduction was truly enjoyable, and the fact that they prepared a corn-based variety of side elements made it quite nice. Funnily enough, we agreed that the dark dots couldn’t be pure corn since they were too sweet and when we asked the waitress she first told us that of course it was only corn but after insisting she clarified with the kitchen, and it turns out, my friend was right, it was mixed with apricot.
The “cheese selection with pear bread” was somewhat okay. I mean, it’s nice they have a selection, but somehow I was expecting a bit more of a restaurant with 17 Gault Millau points …
Last but not least, you’re served a few friandises which were overall quite nice but didn’t really change that much in terms of making it a memorable experience food-wise.
The place itself is quite nice and fits the surroundings – a traditional but properly set up interior which makes you feel comfortable.
They also have a very interesting decoration with heavy stone-made fruit – apples, cherries, pears.
The service is friendly and definitely attentive – and even a certain level of joviality is present – but still pleasantly.
So, to sum it up, I cannot say anything back about the Schlüssel in Mels but frankly, I can also not say something impressive about it either. They do have a few nice wines for a fair price though, like the “Villa Trasqua, Trasgaia, Tuscany, 2012” (CHF 81.00).
It’s a good restaurant which offers decent dishes for an okay price – but the fact that our table was the only one which seemed to go for the tasting menu (and everyone else went à la carte) is a bit telling if you ask me. Yes, good-looking food and it also tastes decent. But it’s definitely not something which blows your mind, unfortunately.
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Schlüssel Mels
Oberdorfstrasse 5
8887 Mels (CH)
Tel.: +41 81 723 12 38
Homepage: http://www.schluesselmels.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. 
