Gasthaus Löwen

A traditional family-run establishment with a modern hotel and restaurant. The cuisine fits into this modern image: smoked salmon and baked falafel, goat cheese with wasabi foam, beetroot risotto...

A plate rarely comes alone here. Young restaurateur Franco Körperich is a generous host and can hardly restrain his many ideas. That a true fireworks display emerges from the «Löwen» kitchen is actually remarkable: Körperich stands alone at the stove, at least supported by his wife Tanja, who is also professionally trained and slips into a commis chef role before service begins, just before she greets the first guests. "Solo Chef of the Year"? Körperich would be a serious contender. The oldest, carefully renovated inn in the canton of Zug also houses a bakery. Silserknöpfli, focaccia, brioche, sourdough rye rolls, and spelt paillasse are all house-made. Also coming straight from the oven is the best starter: flammkuchen, baked twice (!), with robust Black Forest ham. The other amuse-bouches: a "Brätzeli sandwich" with Comté cream. Premium ham from woolly pigs. Buñuelo with river crayfish. Radish tartlets with horseradish foam. An Oriental chickpea ball with dukkah – and a tribute to Sylt: North Sea shrimp, eel, pickled cucumber, accompanied by Oscietra Imperial caviar from Kaviari. The starters are prepared well in advance and reach the guest in top quality. The chef also carries the plates himself, completely relaxed and stress-free. It’s spring, so white and green asparagus grace the plate. The refinement lies in the details: an elegant cold hollandaise sauce as a base, tiny brioche croutons, and Swiss lardo on top. There’s also applause for the complete package when it comes to the precisely pan-seared turbot (it doesn’t always have to be turbot, after all): cockles, monkfish beard, and a magnificent scampi bisque! In the next round, we were more than satisfied with the giant morel stuffed with quail forcemeat, the Armagnac velouté, and the first-rate Australian black truffle. But Körperich has another idea up his sleeve: warm veal head with truffle. Excellent! The chef only serves the next course to guests whose preferences he knows exactly: farmed frog legs from Vallorbe in the Jura region with Café de Paris sauce and mashed potatoes. Then he proves he’s also a gifted grill master: BBQ secreto from a black Alpine pig he purchased from a neighbor, served with a stuffed zucchini blossom and, above all, a rich jus. The fun is far from over. Tanja Körperich is proud of her excellently stocked cheese trolley, while Franco Körperich can also work as a pastry chef: strawberry tarts with elderflower, wild berry sorbet, and buttermilk ice. The highlight on the plate: a rare, enormous Mieze Schindler strawberry, picked at the "Buuregarte" of the Boog family in Hünenberg, ZG.