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| Location (photo credit by restaurant) |
Well-made rustic food in a beautiful Davos house
This
restaurant in a beautiful Davos house a bit away from Davos’ center has been
known as a popular excursion restaurant for many years. Only recently, a young
couple took over and since then you get seriously good food, mostly local
classics and some contemporary dishes, at Gasthaus Islen.
Location/Ambiance
The
restaurant is located – as mentioned – slightly outside the main town. It can
be reached by a nice walk along the river. The beauty of a house – built in
local style – is comprised of several “stueblis” (rooms) and does also have a
nice outdoor area. The main “stuebli” where you get the standard offer – cheese
fondue is served in another room –, is nicely decorated in a cozy yet casual
elegant style.
Food Concept
The chef,
Roger Luethi, worked at different restaurants and hotel restaurants in the near
and wider surroundings, but always in the Alps because this is his homeland and
he likes living in the mountains. This also shows when having a look at the
menu. You find traditional dishes of the area there, but also some more modern
dishes such as Asian inspired ones. The choice is limited, but well thought
through. You can either have three or four courses from a degustation menu or
choose from an a la carte menu.
Sampled Food
Everyone of
our party of six opted for two to three dishes from the a la carte menu. When it
came to starters, the fanciest one was probably the duo of graved salmon – as a
tatar and in slices – with mustard-dill sauce that not only was nicely
arranged, but also was a tasty creation.
As for
mains, I had a traditional dish from Graubuenden canton, where Davos is part
of, named capuns. These are chard-wrapped dumplings made from spaetzle dough
with dried beef, butter and cream. It was expertly prepared and full of taste.
Other dishes from fellow diners included roesti (hashbrowns) with roasted beef
fillet and morel cream sauce
or seabass
fillet on pea puree and pak choi, which to my eye were both just right in terms
of composition. Having said that, the vegetables with the fish dish (pak choi)
seemed a bit predominant.
Regarding the size of portions, they were quite
generous. You do not have to leave the restaurant hungry, even if you should
decide to skip dessert, as I did not, of course. Having a
sweet tooth no meal is complete for me without a sweet end, however at Gasthaus
Islen I restricted myself to a mini dessert, a delicious chocolate mousse.
Another
good choice was a slice of cream cake. I can claim that without reservation as
I had one of those later on when we went for lunch at this gem of a place. The
pastry was crispy and the cream was smooth and big on flavor. And you can order
this treat by centimeter, 3 centimeters should do it for an average eater.
Service/Pricing
Staff is
welcoming, helpful and attentive. The chef pops in after dinner to say hello
and to answer questions that may arise.
Prices are
competitive compared to other similar restaurants in the area and given the
quality you get here.
Overall
If you feel
like having rustic food with a twist now and then, well made and tasty, then
Gasthaus Islen is your choice. The young chef does solid work, no unnecessary
show on the plates, just very down to earth dishes. Together with a pleasant
ambiance and a motivated service team this makes a good combination.
· Costs: menu: 3 courses 52/59.80 SFR,
4 courses 74 SFR, a la carte: starters 8.50 – 24.80 SFR, mains 17.50 – 59 SFR,
desserts 4.50 – 14.50 SFR
· Cuisine: mid-range, mostly local
classics & some more modern dishes Asian inspired
· Address: Friedhofstrasse 1, 7270 Davos
Platz, Tel +41 81 413 13 10, E-Mail info@rogerluethi.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!
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