A weekend at the gourmet Hotel Mammertsberg in the Lake Constance area, Switzerland
A luxury boutique hotel with Michelin starred cuisine & lake view near Saint Gallen:
UPDATE: new management as from fall 2022 (boutique collection by Andreas Caminada, 2-star Michelin chef Silvio Germann)
Only recently I came across a gourmet retreat that I had not yet heard of. This is about Mammertsberg, a Michelin starred restaurant complete with a few stylish rooms, near Saint Gallen in Switzerland’s northeast. On the way home from the “Swiss south”, my husband and I were looking for a place to stay and dine in style for one night. When we found a vacancy at this luxury boutique hotel, we seized the chance and booked a culinary indulgence offer. And we came to the conclusion that this stay at the gourmet Hotel Mammertsberg was the perfect way to end our early summer vacations!
About the Lake Constance area
If you are interested in some (brief) details what awaits you in the Lake Constance area in terms of region and things to do, have a look at my overview post about our latest vacation.
As to places where to go here for gourmet experiences, please refer to my list about restaurants to choose when traveling Switzerland (Fine dining directory Switzerland, part two, canton of Saint Gallen and canton of Appenzell). When writing it at the time, I did not realize that there are also recommended nearby dining-spots in the canton of Thurgau. So I missed the fabulous gourmet Hotel Mammertsberg. For sure, I will include it on this list’s next revision!
Now to what to expect when staying and dining at this foodie hideaway. First, I will go into lodging.
Staying at the gourmet Hotel Mammertsberg
Location
The gourmet Hotel Mammertsberg is idyllically located in the suburban community of Freidorf/Roggwil, 7 km/4.4 mi from Saint Gallen. The latter is the one and only city in the northeast of Switzerland. From here you can reach the luxury boutique hotel with gourmet restaurant in 11 minutes by train (the train station Roggwil-Berg is just across the street from the accommodation). By car you need a bit more than ten minutes.
From the hotel, you have splendid views of Lake Constance as well of the Appenzell and the Austrian Alps. And you are in the middle of beautiful nature with lots of apple trees and farmland.
History/Facilities
The historic part of gourmet Hotel Mammertsberg, the timber-framed building, is more than 100 years old. It used to be a country inn ever since it was built and this until 2006. From then on, it had been empty. And this until 2010, when Juerg Maurer, an investor living in the immediate neighborhood, bought it.
He asked Tilla Theus, a specialized architect for historical hotel renovations, to reconstruct it as boutique hotel and gourmet restaurant. She returned the house to its original form using old photos and postcards. The architect added a new building, too, the so-called Monolith. The two parts are connected by a passageway. Here you find the kitchen, in the shade of bamboo canes. One floor below, there is an event room.
While guest rooms and restaurant (35 – 60 seats) are in the historic part, the new modern building houses additional room for 35 more seats. It is a cut stone construction, glazed on two sides.
There also is a wonderful terrace and a panoramic garden where you can enjoy the beautiful vista. The view ranges from Lake Constance to Friedrichshafen (Germany) and Voralberg (Austria).
Furthermore, there is a state-of-the-art wine cellar, the Lounge
– which you reach by an impressive staircase from the restaurant – ,
and the Esprit-Lounge with a walk-in humidor.
6 guest rooms to stay in style
As mentioned, there are six guest rooms to choose from. You find here two suites (40 sqm, as from 450 SFR/US$), one junior suite (?) and two double rooms (23 to 24 sqm, 360 SFR/US$). As to the vista, I recommend going for a lake view accommodation (Bodensee). The second-best choice in my opinion are the rooms with partial lake view (Saentis). The least favorite pick in terms of vista are the ones toward the train station (Haselwald).
When we had made our booking, there was only one room left, the Suite Haselwald (40 sqm).
It consists of two rooms and a spacious bathroom, the latter with a window where you can catch a glimpse of the lake.
Otherwise, the suite faces the train station, which is not too busy yet party goers coming home in the early morning might be a pain (as we found out). The accommodation is well appointed in a modern style, my husband and I were fond of it.
Hosts/Ambiance
The hosts here are Luisa and August Minikus. They are born in the area, but both are widely traveled. She, trained in hotel management, used to be a flight attendant with the former Swissair. He, a chef, soon set off to the Philippines and Australia to perfect his cooking skills.
Before coming here, they run a restaurant in nearby Arbon. Luisa Minikus is responsible for the service and she is a sommeliere, too. And August Minikus is still a chef, and since 2015, the restaurant has been awarded a Michelin star.
The gourmet Hotel Mammertsberg is a chic place, that is for sure. Yet the ambiance is pleasant. My husband and I agreed that we have rarely been at a hotel with such a feel-good vibe. Everyone we met was amiable, accommodative and helpful. And it seemed to come from the heart. We appreciated the warm welcome from Vanessa Schudel, the management assistant, and the excellent service at dinner, overseen by Simon Wyss. Also Luisa and August Minikus appeared to be the perfect hosts!
Dining at Mammertsberg, a Michelin starred establishment
Dinner at the gourmet Hotel Mammertsberg is a big deal. When I first caught sight of the dining room, called Escale, I was intrigued by its beauty. Not only it is stunningly restored to its original glory, but there also are modern elements that complemented it perfectly. First of all, I think of the elegant spiral staircase that leads to the Lounge. It is covered in hammered aluminium, a real eye-catcher. And you can enjoy the lake view from all tables, which are placed in the room with generous spacing to the next ones.
When the weather permits it, you can have your meal on the beautiful terrace, with this stunning Lake Constance vista!
The weather was not kind enough to us on our evening, so we dined indoors. However, we could have breakfast – which was fabulous – in the outdoor area.
As to the food, we had booked the Mammertsberg’s special indulgence offer. This included the costs for the room, breakfast, fruits and sweets in the room, five-course gourmet menu, pre-dinner drink, wine pairing, mineral water and coffee. And that amounted to 940 SFR/US$ per room and night, which we found reasonably priced.
The cuisine is classic French with a healthy dose of modernity. The restaurant has one Michelin star and 17 points Gault Millau. As to the individual courses, you will find the details below. In this context I have to admit that I operated my camera incorrectly, so that a large part of the food pictures were deleted. Sorry, I can only provide those from the cheese and the dessert. In case you want to see more dinner pictures, have a look at the post from a fellow blogger couple (of another meal).
Now to our dinner, which was outstanding! And the wine pairing was great, too. Five course were included in the special indulgence offer, my husband and I decided to have all the courses, so we had to pay extra for one course.
Carabineros (prawns) accompanied by calamansi, mango, broccoli and sweet potatoes made the beginning. Next was mackerel in unison with cucumber, radish, wasabi and apple. A pasta course followed, pappardelle (wide noodles) paired with apricot, pines, artichokes and chanterelles. The main course was prime entrecôte with mustard, pearl onions, champignons and tarte flambée.
Before dessert, a well-stocked cheese cart was wheeled to our table and we could make our choice. They served it with a regional specialty, Schlorzifladen, a tarte with dried pear paste.
For dessert we got regional strawberries (from the canton of Thurgau, the best ones in Switzerland) and they came in combination with vanilla, almonds, elder and meringues.
Right after serving the petit fours,
the chef went from table to table and briefly chatted with the diners, a nice touch!
Overall
If you look for a boutique hotel for a short luxury stay with Michelin dining near Saint Gallen in Switzerland’s northeast, then you cannot go wrong with the gourmet Hotel Mammertsberg. In case you are a lover of beautiful buildings too, all the better, because it is an architectural marvel!
And the lake view here is grandiose, the same is true for the hospitality. The only downer here was the location just by the train station where there were noisy party goers returning late in the night. But of course you cannot blame the hotel for that. My advice here, opt for room with view of Lake Constance!
Not so good news has just reached me, the Minikus couple will end their lease of Mammertsberg at the end of April 2022. As it seems, for reasons of age. So plan a stay and dinner here while you still can!
Date of stay: July 2021
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