An interesting, vegetarian 2 Michelin Star experience: Restaurant Magdalena (20. August 2022)
On my Swiss journey to discover Michelin starred restaurants, it was time to visit the 2-Michelin-star restaurant Magdalena, which serves only vegetarian dishes. I went for the “7-course menu” (CHF 185.00) and “half the wine pairing” (CHF 70.00) which seemed like an okay deal overall. Honestly, though, the price is a bit steep for the overall experience.
The whole dinner started with “radishes, basil, ricotta” stones which were frankly speaking quite lovely. Definitely a nice start and a promising one.
Then, it was time for “snacks (tartlet, carrot, buckthorn || taco, chanterelles, truffle || pâté à choux, corn, tarragon)”, and I must say, it was still great. The taco, although the prettiest looking, was the ‘worst’ of the dishes. But, it was still exquisite. So, so far, I felt like it was amazing.
The “corn essence with tarragon oil” was lovely, too – which is largely due to the fact that I love the corn flavours.
The first amuse bouche served was “cucumber, radish, dill” which looked nice, and was interesting. Nothing extraordinary, but a decent amuse bouche.
The “bread with butter”, on the other hand, was exquisite, and I was asking for more when the first batch was over. Frankly, a lovely type of bread, and an even better butter.
The next course looked incredibly lovely – “peas, mint, pistachio”. And it was quite nice too in terms of flavours and tastiness, but somehow it wasn’t anything extraordinary.
The “tomato, raspberry, pine nuts, rape” was an amazing bite. Usually, I’m super cautious when it comes to warm tomatoes since it’s not exactly my favoured flavour, but it was something which I enjoyed truly. Including the crisps and pine nuts on top.
The “kohlrabi, spring onion” was relatively ‘simple’, also in terms of flavour. I mean, not a bad dish, but it definitely didn’t feel like a 2-star dish.
Then again, the “fennel, saffron, ginger” dish was nice – since the saffron was dominant, but it wasn’t. It was very present, making sure it took a good bite of the flavour profile of the dish, but it wasn’t actually overwhelming.
The “aubergine, bell pepper, parsley” with the “mountain potato and field caviar” was fine. To be fair, the side dish, the mountain potato and field caviar, was exquisite! The aubergine itself was good too – because it managed surprisingly well to mirror a proper meat dish, something which I haven’t found too often yet.
The “cheese: apple, oats, lime thyme” was a dish I was not sure if I was able to enjoy it. Let me put it that way, the first bite is quite amazing. Since it definitely is an interesting flavour combination and flavour profile, I enjoyed it. The problem becomes when you have had a few chews and a couple of bites. It truly feels like you’re having your mouth full of the aftertaste of vomit. As much as I wanted to keep trying, I couldn’t even finish half of the dish.
The next course was a pré-dessert with “red shiso, cherries, and pumpernickel” – which was simple, but enjoyable.
The final dessert, “apricot, physalis, sunflower seeds” was a nice little ending to a good dinner.
The side dish, the “madeleine with miso caramel” was absolutely perfect for my palate – since I love anything caramel, it was right down my alley.
Last but not least, it was time for the friandises which were composed of “almonds (dark chocolate and tonka bean, milk chocolate and salted caramel, white chocolate and raspberry) which was interesting, but not bearing a lot of phantasies. The green thing was a chocolate with raspberry and pistachio, which was quite lovely. And last but not least, the one with the flower petals on top was a “foam kiss with cassis and Russian bread” and my favourite of all the friandises.
The menu itself is nice – and it is somewhat inspiring to only be able to select between the number of courses you want, but somehow I still felt like it’s a bit expensive for a “vegetarian only” dinner.
What is absolutely lovely about the Magdalena is the view! The only challenge is that you’re looking straight into the sun in the evening, which is a bit annoying, but other than that, the place is just perfect in terms of atmosphere!
And not only the place is perfect, the service is also exquisite! So, all in all, I can recommend you to visit the Magdalena – just be aware that you pay a regular 2-Michelin star restaurant price for a vegetarian only experience. Booking well in advance is highly recommended since there are not too many tables – and the place was completely booked out!
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Magdalena
Rickenbachstrasse 127
6432 Rickenbach SZ (CH)
Tel.: +41 41 810 06 06
E-Mail: kontakt@restaurant-magdalena.ch
Homepage: http://www.restaurant-magdalena.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. 
