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The Japanese Restaurant
Andermatt, Switzerland
Chocolate-box chalets peek out from beneath
Göschenen mountain, a string of gondolas
rocks overhead and snow settles at our feet. At
first glance, Andermatt carries all the hallmarks
of a quaint Swiss town. Until you follow the
lanterns to The Japanese Restaurant at The
Chedi, where the granite-clad, dark-wood and
rice-papered walls turn the Heidi cliché on its
head. Showing less restraint than Eddie the
Eagle, we select 10 dishes to try from the
Kaiseki menu. Each carries distinctive Japanese
flavours – wasabi cashews, aubergine
marinated in saké and Koji cucumber paired
with freshwater Swiss shrimp sashimi. Wagyu
nigiri arrives topped with gratings of goose liver,
while chunky udon noodles are tossed in a
creamy truffle sauce in an Asia-meets-the-Alps
take on the humble carbonara. Not quite the
indulgent raclette or rösti typical of this part of
the world, but a meal that certainly carries a bit
of heft. Still, the sustenance provides welcome
padding ahead of any tumbles on the slopes.
Words by Fleur Rollet-Manus. 00 41 888 7488. thechediandermatt.com