Amazing atmosphere and selectively great service – with a feeling of being rushed: Restaurant Chastè (2. March 2023)

I am a bit torn about the experience at the Chastè! But let me rewind – I had booked quite a bit in advance and since someone in the group has an allergy to mussels (all types of), I was surprised that they had called me 24 hours in advance and reconfirmed the allergy. So far, so great! I also mentioned that not everyone in the group would be hungry to the same degree, hence, not every one of us would go for the full menu. I decided to go for the 5-course menu (CHF 145.00) instead of the 6-course menu.

Now, when we arrived, there was basically no time to sit down. As soon as the group was seated, the waiter arrived and asked us tons of questions about who wants what and the like. I mean, I get it, you want to get going, but it was really overwhelming in terms of speed and intensity. Maybe it would have been great if we had the time to have a look at the menu first, and then you could ask what we wanted. Anyway, in a rather hasty way, we decided what to eat.

What was already on the table when we arrived was a bit of “butter and pork spread”, which was quite nice, but it took a while until the bread arrived, so, it was just making your mouth watery, but I suppose it served its purpose.

The evening then started with a few amuse bouche like the “bouillabaisse sphere with fish ragout in a tartlet” and a “sandwich with carne cruda”, which were both quite nice. The bouillabaisse one was a bit of a disappointment to me personally since I had just been to Marseille, the city of Bouillabaisse, two weeks earlier. Nevertheless, all in all, it was enjoyable.

The “taco with portobello mushroom” was fine too. Not my favourite, but so far, the start was a successful one.

Then it was time for the second amuse bouche – “smoked eel from Lake Constance with radish and apple” and I must say, it was great. At this point, you really had me and I considered the 16 Gault Millau points very well-deserved.

Even when the first official course was served, the “scallop ceviche with green Thai curry, avocado, cucumber, and lime”, I was absolutely happy. The dish had a nice intensity, and the puffed rice added a nice crispiness to the dish, which made it all in all very enjoyable.

Then, it was time for the “Lostallo salmon (Vadouvan, sweet potato, granny smith, sesame)”, which was somewhat okay, but was, compared to the other dishes, definitely not an improvement in taste experience.

The “beet root steak with Maggia pepper, pomegranate, cicorino tardivo, jersey blue” was interesting, but the beet root steak was too big a portion and basically dominated the whole thing, although there were quite a few different, and quite intense, flavours. So, for me, we were not at the same level as we were at the starters.

The “veal sweetbread with Perigord truffle, vine jaune, leek, bio barley and lamb’s lettuce” was hilarious. I mean, I love sweetbread, and the fact that it was somewhat breaded added to it. So, that by itself was quite nice. The truffle didn’t harm, but didn’t add much (in my personal opinion). Now, firstly, there was no leek in the dish, but there was lamb’s lettuce. And I don’t know if you’ve ever eaten warm lamb’s lettuce, but it doesn’t taste like much, it doesn’t add texture, and is, plainly speaking, quite useless. So, definitely not sure why the heck they decided to add lamb’s lettuce to this dish.

The main course was a “beef filet with roasted onions, peanuts, tamarind, and cabbage”, which was quite nice. I mean, nice in the sense of good and sound, but not nice in the sense of memorable and something you really want to eat again. The meat was cooked perfectly, admittedly, but the whole crust with the peanuts was somewhat too intense, and the chunks were, in my opinion, too big.

The “roasted onions ball” was a nice balance and gave the dish a bit of a twist, but it wasn’t something, which truly blew my mind. Neither the fillet, nor the balls.

Since the food was decent, but also quite generous in terms of portion size, it was already time for the friandises (since I had skipped dessert), which had three components. Brownies, which were quite thick and intense in terms of chocolate flavour.

The “limoncello chocolates”, which were nice, refreshing, and really added to the fact that you balance your palate. Which reminds me – it would have been nice to get a small palate cleanser in the middle of the meal. But somehow, that was not part of the plan.

And last but not least, they served a “cappuccino macaroon” and a “piña colada” interpretation. I liked the piña colada quite a lot, but the cappuccino macaroon was definitely too intense in terms of coffee flavour for me.

What I really liked about the Chastè was the interior of the place – it is very traditional, spacious, and just visually very appealing. What was thus great were the owner and his son, which really take an interest and time to talk to you. What I also liked was part of the service – the young waitress excelled and was super friendly and attentive at all times. What I did not like so much was the speed of the main waiter, where it just felt like ‘he wanted to get this over with’. It was all very rushed, which was somehow a pity, since, I’m sure, if it was a bit more relaxed, it would have been way more enjoyable. In any case, the place is nice, the food is decent, and the prices are okay as well. So, all in all, within the area of Scuol, the Chastè is definitely a good choice.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Chastè

Sparsels

7553 Tarasp (CH)

Tel.: +41 81 861 30 60

Fax: +41 81 861 30 61

E-Mail: chaste@schlosshoteltarasp.ch

Homepage: http://www.schlosshoteltarasp.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.