Review of Restaurant Gourmet Stuebli at Hotel Seehof, Davos, Switzerland
UPDATE: concept change since new ownership Hotel Seehof as from June 2020
Paying tribute to the restaurant’s former chef Martin Bieri:
Hotel Seehof informed in August 2017 about the reopening of Restaurant Gourmet Stuebli as of December 2017, and this under the aegis of a new chef de cuisine, Markus Schneider. Classic dishes, influenced by French cuisine, will be served at Seehof’s signature restaurant. End of April 2017, the restaurant had been closed after the departure of the former head chef, Martin Bieri – in charge of this restaurant as from summer 2015 – and was not opened for the summer season.
My last dinner with “Bieri” took place in his last season at the Seehof and as always I very much enjoyed it. At the time, I was of course unaware of the fact that I would not have the chance to relish his superb cuisine here again. All the more, I want to pay tribute to him by doing this review, although being late. Maybe some time in the future I will have dinner with this talented chef again at his new place of work, wherever it will be!
My last dinner with “Bieri” took place in his last season at the Seehof and as always I very much enjoyed it. At the time, I was of course unaware of the fact that I would not have the chance to relish his superb cuisine here again. All the more, I want to pay tribute to him by doing this review, although being late. Maybe some time in the future I will have dinner with this talented chef again at his new place of work, wherever it will be!
Location/Ambiance
Gourmet Stuebli is one of several restaurants at the Seehof, one of Davos’ leading hotels. It is furnished in a cosy yet elegant style. The room, which is completely paneled in Swiss stone pine, comprises barely ten tables.
Food Concept (under “Bieri”)
You could choose between two menus: one featuring a rather classic cuisine named “Back to the roots” or a modern one, “Around the world”, which was Asian inspired. The menus had 7 resp. 8 courses, from which you could order all or parts of it.
Martin Bieri has a strong affinity to Asian cuisine and I have the impression that this has been intensified over time. While at the beginning of his time at the Seehof there had been only isolated Asian touches, his cuisine in his last season – at the least the modern part of it – was heavily Asian influenced. This is all the more surprising as he never worked in the Asian area. Be that as it may, Martin Bieri knows in any case how to immaculately prepare an elaborate French-Asian fare.
Martin Bieri has a strong affinity to Asian cuisine and I have the impression that this has been intensified over time. While at the beginning of his time at the Seehof there had been only isolated Asian touches, his cuisine in his last season – at the least the modern part of it – was heavily Asian influenced. This is all the more surprising as he never worked in the Asian area. Be that as it may, Martin Bieri knows in any case how to immaculately prepare an elaborate French-Asian fare.
Sampled Food (under “Bieri”)
Here I would like to showcase the highlights of the last dinner I had with Martin Bieri together with my family and friends during his last season at Hotel Seehof. All of us chose four courses from the modern Asian inspired “Around the world” menu.
The meal started furiously with an array of nibbles,
which were a mix of modern Asian and traditional ones. A memorable nibble was the thinly sliced Asian vegetable salad with a rather spicy sweet and sour dressing.
As a bread aficionada I was also very impressed by the selection of bread,
that compromised of three varieties and was accompanied by a tasty pumpkin seed pesto, ricotta with many herbs in it and flakes of a smoked artisanal butter.
The first regular course I had was duck liver
– I seldom manage of not ordering this dish when it is on the menu – and it was a great choice! It came in combination with Thai mango, sake, plum wine, meringue and a dumpling filled with mango-kafir lime compote. What a great blend of French and Asian flavors! Each element balanced each other out perfectly both in terms of taste and texture.
An exceptional dish was also my second starter, red mullet in Thai ceviche style.
An exceptional dish was also my second starter, red mullet in Thai ceviche style.
The fish, marinated with lime juice, red peppers, mint and ponzu, was seared and then a light sauce consisting of red peppers, fish stock and soy sauce was added. A fantastic Mediterranean-Asian melange!
The last course I am going into is the main course, which was a duck variation.
This was a very elaborate dish composed of a duck liver apple creme brulee, a tower with smoked duck, a piece of duck breast with its stock and a duck consomme. The duck arrangement was accompanied by lettuce, both hot and cold, and a dumpling. Such an inventive take on duck!
Service/Pricing
Service here in the Gourmet Stuebli is generally attentive, informative and kind, be it under Martin Bieri’s supervision or under the one of his predecessor, Armin Armrein. The latter has now his own restaurant in Davos named Glow, which I also reviewed in a post and mentioned it in my overview of recommended restaurants in the highest town in Europe.
When it comes to costs for dining at the Gourmet Stuebli, such gastronomic experiences come at a price. In light of the quality offered and the efforts made here, it is worth the expenditure.
Overall
As mentioned at the beginning, the glorious times of Martin Bieri as chef de cuisine at Gourmet Stuebli unfortunately came to an end. It is to be hoped that this talented head chef will find a suitable field of action again and that the Gourmet Stuebli remains a foodies’ destination, although with another chef and concept.
· Costs (under “Bieri”): traditional menu (“back to the roots”): 7 courses 200 SFR, 6 courses 185 SFR, 5 courses 155 SFR, 4 courses SFR 135 SFR, 3 courses 105 SFR / modern Asian influenced menu (“tour du monde”): 8 courses 225 SFR, 7 to 3 courses as above
· Cuisine (under “Bieri”): fine dining, French-Asian fare
· Awards (under “Bieri”): 16 points Gault-Millau, 1 star Michelin
· Address: at Hotel Seehof, Promenade 159, 7260 Davos, Tel. +41 81 417 94 44, E-Mail info@seehofdavos.ch
Date of visit: December 2016
Are you interested in other restaurant recommendations for Davos? Have also a look at my list with 10 top tips!
Are you interested in other restaurant recommendations for Davos? Have also a look at my list with 10 top tips!
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