Kevin Romes’ Skin’s – the Restaurant has proved to be a resounding success – 2 Michelin stars 4 months after opening:

When Skin’s – the Restaurant was opened end of May 2022, there was hope for a Michelin star in the near future. Four months later, head chef Kevin Romes and his team’s efforts resulted not in one star but two of them! This was a small sensation, also for the owner of Skin’s, Felix Bertram. He is a medical doctor and founder of Skinmed, a clinic for dermatology and plastic surgery. And this healthcare facility is at the same spot as Skin’s Restaurant Lenzburg.

While I have had the restaurant on my radar since its beginning, I have dined here only recently. And so much I can tell you, it was one of the best dining experiences I have had in the recent past! In this context, I also have to mention that the dining spot’s performance was 15 points worth to Gault Millau. Find in the following some of Skin’s backstory and how it is to have dinner here.

Skin’s – the Restaurant’s backstory

I just mentioned it, Skin’s Restaurant Lenzburg is the product of a successful entrepreneur, Felix Bertram. In 2018, he opened Skinmed, a clinic for dermatology and plastic surgery, at a former industrial site in Lenzburg. This is a small town about half way between Zurich and Olten in northwestern Switzerland. The architect who was responsible for the construction of the high rise which houses the clinic

gave him a present. This was a cooking class at the Michelin two-star Restaurant Einstein in Saint Gallen (see my post about it).

And this was where he met chef Kevin Romes and Pascal Hobler, now sous chef at Skin’s.

Felix Bertram thinks that good nutrition is beneficial for beauty and health. In addition, he sees parallels between high-end cuisine and his clinic, and this regarding quality and precision. So, he decided to open a fine dining restaurant. He wanted to have Kevin Romes as head chef, who said yes. The same was true for Pascal Hobler, the sous chef. The duo has lots of freedoms from the side of the owner. The only food which they are not allowed to serve is meat from young animals, stuffed liver and similar things.

As mentioned, both the clinic and the restaurant are on the grounds of a former industrial company. It is about Hero, a producer of canned food. Quite some time ago, this company has moved to Lenzburg’s periphery. So, Skinmed found a domicile just by the town’s train station. To realize Skin’s – the Restaurant, it was necessary to expand, and this by including Hero’s former tinsmithery. A reconstruction was necessary, which costed about 1.5 million SFR/US$.

Skin’s concept: two in one

There are two operations under the Skin’s label. On the one hand, there is the fine dining spot Skin’s – the Restaurant. That is what I am going into. On the other hand, there is Skin’s – the Kitchen. The latter offers lunch service from Monday to Friday. Staff from Skinmed and other nearby companies can make use of it. Customers have to order and pay one of several one pots (about 20 SFR/US$) beforehand. They can have the meal either in-house or take it out.

But now to the focus of my post, Skin’s – the Restaurant, the fine dining outlet. It is about top gastronomy, made of high-quality produce, locally sourced whenever possible. And the aim is to newly interpret tradition, drawing influences from all over the world. Furthermore, Kevin Romes thinks that reduction is the key when cooking in the field of high-end cuisine. In his opinion, perfection is the result of applying this principle.

The team at Skin’s Restaurant Lenzburg

I already informed you that Kevin Romes is in charge at Skin’s – the Restaurant. It is his first job as a head chef. Pascal Hobler stands by his side, as sous chef. Both used to work as sous-chefs at Michelin two-star Restaurant Einstein in Saint Gallen before. If you should be interested in this restaurant, have a look at my post about it. I have had dinner here on two occasions, and I tremendously enjoyed it both times. As to Kevin Romes’ other former work places, he had been “touring” many Michelin starred restaurants in Europe and Asia for ten years.

There are four more chefs in the kitchen team at Skin’s plus a kitchen steward and a patisserie consultant. In terms of service, there are four employees, and this under the lead of restaurant manager and sommelier Basile Schneider.

Location

As you already know, Skin’s – the Restaurant is in Lenzburg, a small town in the middle between Zurich and Olten, my home town. This place in Switzerland’s northwest is part of the canton Aargau, the country’s fourth largest as to the number of inhabitants. And it has been the canton’s first dining spot to receive two Michelin stars so far.

The former industrial site, where Skin’s is situated, is just by Lenzburg’s train station. You can reach the restaurant in a 20-minute train ride from either Zurich’s main train station or from Olten. By car, you need about 30 minutes to reach it from both towns. The restaurant’s entrance is just by the railroad tracks (where you can park your car), at the back of Hero’s former tinsmithery.

Ambiance/Staff at Skin’s – the Restaurant

You are here at a former tinsmithery, and there is still this industrial vibe. Skin’s entrance is impressive. There is a small reception area on the ground floor level. Behind a golden counter, a staff member awaits you. In case you are early, there is a comfortable seating area where you can settle down until your dinner companions arrive at Skin’s Restaurant Lenzburg.

If you party is all set, you can board the elevator which brings you up to the next floor. Here you enter the spacious restaurant premises.

It is all about industrial chic in here. The interiors are dark, warm wood tones are combined with blue.

The open cuisine is large and bright. Somehow it looks like an operation room as it has an exceedingly clean feel.

Staff is friendly, informative and relaxed. The latter both in attitude and attire (black clothes and white sneakers).

When the food arrives, often a chef appears too, pouring a sauce and saying a few words about the respective dish. It very much reminded me of my dining experience at Restaurant Einstein in Saint Gallen where parts of the team worked before. Personally, I like this approach as it allows some kind of interaction between guests and chefs.

Food menu at Skin’s Restaurant Lenzburg

When dining here, you can decide either to have the full menu (7 courses for 225 SFR/US$) or five out of seven courses. In the latter case, it is up to you which ones to order, which I find customer friendly. Compared to ten months prior, menu prices have risen. The 7-course menu was 185 SFR/US$, the 5-course menu 145 SFR/US$ at the time. This move is understandable, in view of the additional two Michelin stars and increased costs in general.

Three out of four of us went for the full experience, which lasted four hours. But I think you can do it in three and a half hours – our party needed quite some time for the wine evaluation, in between courses. Alternatively, you can choose the wine pairing (7-courses 130 SFR/US$, 5-courses 95 SFR/US$). There is also an alcohol free version (7-courses 80 SFR/US$, 5-courses 60 SFR/US$).

Now to what we got at Skin’s – the Restaurant.

7-course menu (225 SFR/US$)

The regular menu contains seafood and meat. Skin’s also offers a vegetarian menu, which you have to pre-order. A vegan version is not available.

Snacks

The snacks lived up to the restaurant’s name, each of them based on a different skin (fish, carrot and pork). In addition, the carrot cuboid was a reference to the canton Aargau – Skin’s home canton – , which is known as the “carrot canton”. Kevin Romes himself came to our table and explained the snacks to us.

Bread

The dinner proceeded with bread and butter. From what I understood, they do not serve a house bread but do bake different ones. On our day, it was a brioche bread, rich and fluffy, accompanied by a delicious hazelnut butter.

Amuse bouche

Beetroot was the star of the amuse bouche, in the form of a mousse and a pleasantly sour sauce.

The latter was poured tableside. We were told that they cook the beetroots for this dish during four hours so that they become black on the outside. For illustration, they brought along some examples.

1. Ring of Zen

Bonito – Shiso – BBQ Eel

The actual start of the menu made a ring of Zen. It was the first of two dishes that had a ring on the plate. This one was a flan made of bonito. On top of it there were grilled pieces of eel. Again, the dish was completed tableside, and this by filling the ring with a liquid made of shiso and cucumber.

2. Queen of the Sea

Carabinero – Jalapeño – Cauliflower

Next was one of the most sought after prawn among foodies, a Carabinero. This is a large deep-sea species, fished in depths of 400 to 800 m (1,312 to 2,625 ft). It was paired with a mild jalapeño foam and cauliflower tempura. A crustacean stock completed the dish, again poured tableside.

3. Sea Glider

Skate – Horseraddish – Beurre Blanc

The menu was continued with yet another sea food, this time a skate fish. The delicate sea creature was aromatized with horseradish and came with a tasty beurre blanc. This was by the way one of the few buttery sauces on the menu, most others were rather on the light side.

4. Trumpet Royale

King oyster mushroom – Umami – Leek

Nowadays, chefs must be able to create delightful vegetarian dishes. And it seems that they know at Skin’s how to do this! We got a king trumpet, the largest of the oyster mushroom genus, known for its meaty texture and umami flavor. And it did not disappoint, it was perfectly cooked and arranged on the second ring of the menu. The mushroom came in unison with leek, and once again the creation was finished tableside. And this by pouring a delicious jus around it.

5. Flight to the Bazaar

Pigeon – Vadouvan – Chick Pea

Then it was time for the main course, pigeon. A small piece of pigeon breast was combined with chickpea Oriental style. The dish was flavored with vaudouvan, the French version of a curry blend and ras el-hanout, a spice mixture from North Africa. A jus accompanied the arrangement, yet another time poured tableside.

6. Golden Mountain

Vacherin – Parsley – Kissabel

If we had not known that it was the cheese course, we would have not guessed from its look. But after the first spoonful, it was clear that it was! Vacherin cheese paired with parsley and Kissabel – a red-flesh apple – resulted in a creamy harmonic blend.

Pre-dessert

After so many exciting savory courses, it was the turn of the dessert. The start made one with vegetable, precisely lettuce. Hidden unter a lettuce, we found sponge cake with pear and walnut. The dessert was accompanied by a drink with a strong lettuce taste. So original!

7. Bush and Berry

Piedmontese Hazelnut – Red Currant

That was the last sauce poured tableside of tonight! And this time, it originated from the wood of the red currant bush that was pickled before. The resulting stock became the basis of a multi-layered creation made of vanilla mousse, a core of cassis and a Piedmontese hazelnut. The whole was paired with cassis granita and a creamy foam.

After-dessert

Not enough, there was one more sweet dish! And that was a mini chocolate soufflé with vanilla ice cream. A more conventional dish after the two unusual ones!

Petits Fours

The feast was rounded up with a few few petit fours, a pistachio macaron, a lemon yuzu tart with meringue and a dark chocolate praline filled with a liquid balsamic syrup.

Overall performance of Skin’s Restaurant Lenzburg

Food wise, it was one hell of an evening for our taste buds! Skin’s – the Restaurant never let them get restless. While the creations were often ingenious, they were never too aloof. All the courses were amazing, but the star for me was the Queen of the Sea, the Carabinero. The pairings suited each other perfectly! What made the experience at Skin’s unique for me were the sauces. I go so far as to say that Kevin Romes is the king of sauces! All of them were full of flavor, complex and different from each other. In most cases, they were poured tableside, which made the experience even more intense.

What I also appreciated at Skin’s was the fact that the size of portions was adequate. The serving sizes were large enough that you could really savor the dishes. An exception to this is maybe the main course where I would have liked the piece of pigeon to be a bit bigger. Yet in no case we had to leave the place still hungry!

A big compliment to the service team, too! Service under the lead of Basile Schneider was smooth, efficient and relaxed. Our party felt well at ease. The generous spacing between tables at Skin’ added to this impression. The lighting enhanced the casual laid-back atmosphere in here. There was a strong contrast between the dimmed light at the dining room and the brightly lit open cuisine.

It is so good to have a place like Skin’s in my (distant) neighborhood (Olten). And a good advice for every foodie in Zurich – and from elsewhere – , it is well worth to make the detour to Lenzburg! This is especially true as this new gourmet temple is just by the train station.

Date of visit: March 2023

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