This year’s ski trip to Laax in Switzerland was as ‘anti-alpine’ affair – we stayed in an urban boutique hotel, joined in the freestyle movement and ate Japanese food.
A huge and very welcome departure from our usual rustic resorts, we craved a momentary return to the chintz.
Il Tschaler is a traditional Swiss fondue restaurant at the spectacular Waldhaus Flims Mountain Resort & Spa in the neighbouring resort of Flims.
Built in 1877, the five-star Waldhaus Flims is an elegant grand hotel, nestled among greenery atop a hill in a quiet area of Flims. It is a very private spa retreat, accessed by a steep, winding path and out of sight.
The Waldhaus Flims accomodation is spread across the historical Grand Hotel Waldhaus and a scattering of more contemporary villas and chalets.
Guests and visitors are spoilt for choice at Waldhaus Flims, as international tastes are catered for at Ristorante Pomodoro Little China, Swiss restaurant Curler, the Lounge Bistro, il Tschaler and a number of fine dining options.
Waldhaus Flims is like a maze to navigate and an underground tunnel runs through the entire hotel, so you don’t even need to leave the comfort of the hotel.
Il Tschaler is a delightfully rustic, quaint fondue restaurant complete with red gingham table cloths, wood panelling and vintage skis on the wall.
Service is warm and informal and our waitress really took care of us, regaling us with stories between each course.
We started with a delicious Lentil Soup with Bacon Strips and chunky croutons (10CHF). It was warming, smooth, well-seasoned and as comforting as home-made soup.
Then it was onto the fondue. I’m always intrigued when a restaurant talks of a ‘secret recipe’ and often order the dish to see if it lives up to the hype. The menu is full of gourmet fondues with posh ingredients such as Champagne, black truffle, wasabi or Remy Martin cognac.
It was also the first time I’d heard of Fondue Double (28.50CHF) – two different cheese fondues in the same Caquelon.
We ordered Fondue Double with il Tschaler (the secret one) and Moitié-Moitié (our usual fondue benchmark), which came with bowls of torn baguette and new potatoes.
The waitress asked us to guess which one was the il Tschaler speciality. I guessed right (thank god!) and actually preferred the house recipe, as it had more flavour and character than the Moitié-Moitié.
We washed it down with a glass of lovely local Pinot Noir and a shot of Kirsch, which our waitress recommended we dip our fondue and bread into, making it the most boozy fondue ever.
Full to the brim with fondue, we opted out of the Chocolate Fondue and went for something a bit lighter. We shared the Chämeribodebad–Meringue (13CHF) with Vanilla Ice Cream, as we were told it was just the right size for sharing.
It was a very tasty white meringue with whipped cream, caramel sauce and white chocolate chips, topped with fruit. I can’t help thinking that fruit and cream is a particularly 80s combination, but if you can’t indulge in a retro pudding at il Tschaler, then where?!
Il Tschaler at Waldhaus Flims is an absolute must if you’re visiting LAAX and need some serious cheese therapy after a long day on the slopes. If you guess the secret recipe, let me know!
For more info and booking, visit: www.waldhaus-flims.ch
Waldhaus Flims Mountain Resort & Spa is a member of Leading Hotels of the World. To see the worldwide collection, visit: www.lhw.com
Chérie City was a guest of Tschaler, Waldhaus Hotel.
