Review of Restaurant Arthaus, Davos, Switzerland
Eat & art in small restaurant with inventive cuisine:
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An artist, Diegodo Clavadetscher, and his wife run Restaurant arthaus together with the arthaus Hotel and this shows. There is artwork everywhere you look. Also the restaurant is under the motto of art, the menus are called small and big art and the dishes served are also works of art.
Location/Ambiance
The restaurant is centrally located in Davos Dorf, not far from the Promenade, Davos’s shopping mile. As mentioned, it is part of a hotel run by a couple with an affinity to art. Arthaus is open to hotel guests but also for diners not staying at the hotel.
The restaurant was renovated two years ago and presents itself in a cozy modern style. The ambiance of arthaus, only consisting of a few tables, is welcoming and delightful.
The restaurant was renovated two years ago and presents itself in a cozy modern style. The ambiance of arthaus, only consisting of a few tables, is welcoming and delightful.
Food Concept
Local specialties, modernly interpreted, and other creative dishes are on offer here. There are several menus available comprised either of four, five or six courses, which do not vary always from each other. Throughout the season menus are slightly adapted but otherwise stay more or less unchanged. Sometimes, a main course or a soup are replaced but that is it.
On the positive side it can be said that the range of options is quite wide. As already stated, the dishes are works of arts. They are well composed, beautifully arranged and the chef’s technique is noteworthy. Having said that, there are two points that need to be improved. First, the pace how courses are served is too slow. There is a lot of waiting between courses. I am afraid but dining as we experienced it is only suitable for diners who really are fond of a non-rushed environment. Second, one course we got was not served hot enough. While two of us did not complain, one of us returned the plate. While this incident was handled well (see under service), such a thing must not happen.
Sampled Dishes
Our party of six went for the menu called “small art” with four courses. You can make your selection out of two starters, two soups, three mains and three deserts. The visual highlight of the evening was for me following starter:
graved salmon beetroot Campari, fennel salad and orange. The dark red of the fish together with its accompaniment resulted in a great picture. Unfortunately, I had not chosen this dish but I was allowed to have a try. The salmon, probably marinated with the vegetable and the liquor, tasted heavenly and made in union with the salad and the citrus fruit an awesome combination. Another great dish was the main course:
deer fillet with celery puree, radicchio and oranges. The meat was flavorful and tender and blended perfectly with the sauce and the accompanying vegetables. The only imperfection here was the fact that it was not hot enough. Also a memorable dish was the crema catalana,
which was made just right: a thin layer of caramelized sugar above delicious, NOT warm cream. In many establishments, you get them too warm, which is a no-no. Here at this restaurant, the chef knows how to do it immaculately.
Service/Pricing
Generally, service was friendly and hospitable albeit – as already stated – slow. We felt that the kitchen might be understaffed. The place did not seem overly busy to us, as from the second starter there were only two tables with six persons each left.
The above-mentioned incident with the returned plate that was not hot enough was quickly settled. The waitress was very apologetic, took the plate with her without hesitation and exchanged the dish in due time. She even offered a drink as compensation. Nonetheless, the whole affair had a disruptive impact on our round table.
In terms of pricing, you get sound value for money. It is no bargain, but this cannot be expected in such an establishment serving sophisticated cuisine.
Overall
The small restaurant arthaus is part of the hotel with the same name and art – as you could
expect – has a major role here. Not only is it abundant everywhere you glance, but you find it also on the plates. Dishes are skillfully arranged, but that is not all. The cuisine is inventive, well prepared and full of taste. However when I was here, there was a lot of waiting between courses and the main course was not served hot enough. When these deficiencies could be settled, restaurant arthouse has the potential to become a must do for lovers of fine food in Davos.
· Costs: 4 courses 78 SFR, 5 courses 88 SFR, 6 courses 98 SFR
· Cuisine: fine dining, creative cooking
· Award: listed Michelin (2016)
· Good to know: allow enough time
· Address: Platzstrasse 5, 7270 Davos, Tel. +41 81 410 05 10, E-Mail info@arthausrestaurant.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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