La Brezza

Excellent cooking

Executive Chef Salvatore Frequente is a proud Sicilian. It's no wonder that specialties from his island turn out exceptionally well in his hands. Take the Spaghettone, for example, served on an elegant red prawn carpaccio and enlivened with sea urchin roe. The prawns are properly sourced from Mazara del Vallo, as are the sea urchins. The Spaghettone are cooked perfectly al dente; not a given with such thick noodles. The second pasta course is also spot on: Ravioli del plin with braised Iberico secreto. An unusual filling, an unusual presentation: smoked paprika and Jersey Blue cheese make their way onto the plate. A classic must not be missing from the menu: Linguine di Gragnano with clams, bottarga, and black garlic. And before that? We started on the large terrace with two refreshing appetizers from the Moving Mountain program: white peach gazpacho with Ticino tomatoes, carrots in three consistencies, and in a first-rate carrot broth. The Lostallo salmon was served cured, cut into cubes, with sour cream. Main courses? We highly recommend the Brisket di vitello; Chef Salvatore braises the veal brisket for 30 hours until it's melt-in-your-mouth tender! But there's still a second menu waiting, one that is part of the DNA of Ristorante Eden Roc: Flambé! That's where the experienced maîtres come in. Scampi with lobster sauce, beef fillet Stroganoff, or even Spaghettoni di Gragnano with cherry tomatoes are prepared tableside with great flair. The flames also hiss into the night sky during dessert: Crêpe Suzette with vanilla ice cream is the house bestseller.

Indulge where the «Eden Roc» is at its most beautiful: in the small, historic «Casetta» overlooking Lake Maggiore. The program? Pasta and seafood, prepared to perfection. That’s really all you need for culinary holiday bliss. Chef Marco Campanella, rated 19 points, sends a top-tier chef down to the water into what is likely Switzerland’s smallest kitchen: Nicola Montalti works the stove and grill on the idyllic terrace. Nicola and pasta? We love his linguine alle vongole with bottarga. The pasta comes from a small artisanal producer in Gragnano, and the clams are small and delicate. Spaghetti with tomato sauce is also popular at a five-star resort, but the chef elevates the classic with burrata. The risotto is also first-rate, cooked all’onda and served with a carpaccio of red shrimp from Mazara del Vallo. Nicola knows how to give such dishes a summer-style tweak: a few drops of lemon over both the linguine and the risotto. Nicola and seafood? Guests admire what lies on ice in the fish display case: lobster, scampi, black tiger prawns, mazzancolle (prawns), branzino, monkfish, and plenty of turbot. The waiting time passes easily enough. You can start with a carpaccio of amberjack (ricciola) and kohlrabi, lovingly shaped into a rose. Here too, there’s a summer twist: ponzu and passion fruit. The farewell is friendly and Sicilian: a cannolo prepared right at the table.