Game season in Swiss gastronomy

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Intro

Autumn is game season in Swiss gastronomy. From village inns to gourmet restaurants, you’ll find game is served everywhere, ranging from deer and wild boar to chamois and partridge, and sometimes even ibex and snipe. Hunting seasons are regulated differently in different cantons – for example, small game hunting in the canton of Graubünden lasts until 30 November. However, some game served by Swiss kitchens comes from the forests of Austria. If the information on the menu is not sufficient, you should always ask. If offal is listed anywhere on the menu, the restaurant owner is often a hunter himself. If that’s the case, you definitely should order a game dish!

Alter Tobelhof Restaurant, Zurich

If you’re smart and want to make sure you can have your favourite game, you can pre-order dishes at Tobelhof. This is a particularly good idea for large joints like saddle of venison, which are not available in unlimited quantities. This country restaurant has made a name for itself for game and also offers starters that use offal – quite a rarity. It is hardly surprising that the former farm, whose history can be traced back to the 14th century, has won many regular customers.

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Restaurant Adler, Fläsch

During the season you’ll almost always find game on the menu at the Adler restaurant in Fläsch. After all, if your business is located in the Bündner Herrschaft, you’re bound to have the best contacts to the hunting community. But when head chef Siggi Tschurtschenthaler extends an invitation to the legendary game evenings, things get even more intense. Originally from South Tyrol, the owner is also a wine connoisseur and has collected an amazing number of good bottles – from Graubünden, South Tyrol and Champagne.

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Restaurant de la Croix d'Ouchy, Lausanne

Even though the restaurant is located in the heart of Lausanne, it has all the charm of a country inn. When game is not in season, this fine restaurant is popular among locals for its pasta and French specialities. However, as soon as the huntsmen deliver their bounty, usually from the end of September, the Croix d’Ouchy is transformed into a game restaurant par excellence. The home-made game terrine and game menus are classics of their kind.

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Hotel Alpenblick: Bistrorestaurant, Wilderswil

If anyone knows about game, it’s Richard Stöckli. As head chef in Wilderswil, recognised by many restaurant guides for his skills, he has a reputation for rich gourmet cuisine. Things are a little more elaborate in the restaurant than in the bistro, but game – chamois, roe deer, stag – is perfectly prepared in both. Stöckli’s terrines are known throughout the canton, while the Alpine cheese comes from his own herd. And then there’s the wine list!

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Restaurant Jägerstübli, Anwil

When a restaurant bears a name like Jägerstübli (literally the “Hunter’s Parlour”), you know what to expect. In this case, the village inn in Anwil run by Gabriela and Jürg Mohler takes its mission particularly seriously. In season, the kitchen offers its guests a demonstration of just what can be done with game. As well as braising or pan-frying, it can also be served as a terrine or game sausage. The rustic ambience and the surroundings, half an hour’s drive from Basel, are perfect for a weekend getaway.

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Gasthaus zum Gupf, Rehetobel

The view is indescribable and the wine list sensational, while the whole property has long since become a legend. You would be well advised to ask what game specialities are currently on the menu when you make your reservation (it is almost impossible to get a table without booking ahead). Walter Klose, who has been head chef here for many years, changes the menu frequently. You can choose the matching wines for yourself: there is a walk-in cellar with thousands of varieties and even more bottles, causing some guests to linger a little longer than planned.

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Restaurant les Curiades, Lully

Belgian Pascal Cloetens honed his skills under Philippe Chevrier (Domaine de Châteauvieux) and likes to serve a four-course game menu during the season. Where else would you find a first-class talented chef at amazingly affordable, almost rural prices? Of course, you should pair your meal with Geneva red wines, preferably those from the local Domaine des Curiades. The desserts exude French charm, demonstrating the hallowed art of the pastry chef (try the Paris-Brest, for example).

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Hotel - Restaurant Nest- und Bietschhorn, Blatten

During the game season, head chef Laurent Huber opens his recipe book to reveal the diversity of his handling of fresh ingredients in his autumn menu. The game supplied by the local hunt in the Lötschental valley includes deer, chamois and young boar – his speciality is game terrine. Matching wines are selected with plenty of passion and emotion, with a consistent focus on Valais wines.

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Gasthof Ochsen, Rothenburg

If you’re a hunter yourself, like owner René Adler, you’re not only helping to control the game population in Rothenburg and the surrounding area, but also providing a treat for your guests’ taste buds. Ochsen’s head chef Adrian Hostettler transforms the game delivered into classically inspired dishes that let creativity shine through. Swiss red wines, from as far apart as Vaud and Graubünden, have been selected as suitable accompaniments to the game.

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