Davos.
If you google, the first thing that comes up? The World Economic Forum, which is I suppose a pretty big thing and it makes sense it's held somewhere so remote, this town is really one way in up the hill, one way out down the hill!
We visited Davos with our host's siblings on Easter Friday, since it is big enough and slightly touristy enough to have people, there was bound to be something open for lunch (and it's a pretty place).
Davos is also well known for ski resorts, it's 1500m above sea level (where we were staying in Schiers was 800m above sea level). There was still quite a bit of snow on the mountains, but not in Davos itself, so it was quite bizarre to see people, on a blue sunny sky type of day, to be in full skiing gear, walking around in their ski boots!
Our host's initially wanted to take us to one place, but it ended up being closed, so we ended up at Schneider's which belonged to one of their friends, and we later discovered that it is quite a well known bakery with a couple of specialities.
We were initially going to sit outside, but the sun was quite strong and we didn't really want to contend with the smokers. This was of course, not an issue, as inside was absolutely charming. And yellow.
I was pleasantly surprised they had an English menu, although it did bring on a couple of laughs with the Engrish. A serve of diabetes for anyone...?
When I ordered apple cider, I wasn't quite expecting such a large bottle! I easily got 3 or 4 glasses out of it and had to share it around with my parents as I was getting a little bit tipsy (being Asian I can be a lightweight...at times. Body's a bit funny like that).
It was lovely though, in comparison to the Australian apple ciders, it was not as sweet and definitely not as gassy, which made it easy to drink, hence me getting tipsy. Makes sense right?
My brother and dad ordered the meal of the day, which came with this lovely green salad to start. I'm not sure what most of you call this salad leaf, but my mum and I always refer to it as lamb's ear (because of the shape, not the taste you weirdo's!), which is something I came across quite often in Switzerland (it's not as easy to find in Melbourne). With a bit of mayo, a bit of egg and some tasty, crisp Swiss cheese it was quite delicious and delicate. I was suitably impressed.
Their salad's were then followed with this. Ehm. Where'd the refined touch go?! Although to be fair, both my dad and brother ordered it because of the 'wasabi potatoes' that were served next to a fish, our host's weren't able to find an English word for it (if it exists) as it was a local fish.
The fish itself was lovely, sweet and well cooked, but the wasabi potatoes, other than looking radically nuclear in all their neon green glory, had no hint of wasabi in them at all, which would have otherwise been awesome. (If you ask me anyway)
Feeling a tiny bit bloated from all the chocolate I had the day before, I opted for a soup and was recommended this one as it was something local from Davos. On the menu it was called 'homemade Grissons barley soup with Viennese sausages'. Grissons? No idea.
Delicious though? Absolutely. It was an extremely hearty soup. I absolutely loved the barley in it and the sausages added a delicious amount of savoury. It's supposedly well known for it's nutrition level, being filled with barley and vegetables and what not. Normally I am more of a fan of creamy blended soups, but the chunkiness provided by the barley made a very appropriate alternative.
So while I might have been a bit bloated from chocolate....when I saw this on the menu I knew I had to have it. And just as well, I haven't come across it since, since apparently it's coming out of the season to have Mont Blanc's. It's typically a winter dessert since it's a bit 'heavier'. But yes. I love my sweet pureed chestnut like nothing else. I'm so sad this isn't seen around in Melbourne more often and I really don't remember the last time I had this (probably sometime in Tokyo...).
For those not in the know, it's basically 'vermicelli', which is pureed chestnut...noodles would be the best description, with a bit of cream and with this one, they put crunchy crunchy meringues underneath the chestnut.
All in all? Perfection. I was happy. My tastebuds were dancing.
I didn't understand why they added a few grapes to it though...
Dad got a variation of the Mont Blanc with ice-cream instead.
And my brother got a 'Mini' Banana Split. How the heck is that mini sized?!?!
After our lovely meal, we popped (or rolled) into the bakery next door to look at their delicacies. I forgot to take pictures (bad me), but they do a fruit bread, which is almost like christmas pudding with pears that they're famous for. They're about 30 centimetres in length and weight like a kilogram. It's ridiculous.
They're also very well known in Davos for their 'Bunder Nusstorte' (imagine the 'u' in Bunder has two dots over it), I'm not sure how to describe it, but there's a light flaky, biscuity pastry all around it. Upon cutting into it inside, it's pretty much just caramel and nuts. It's delicious.
After walking around a little bit to aid in lunch digestion, we drove down the windy roads again and drank in more beautiful scenery. In the pictures above is where the wealthy buy their holiday homes to go skiing in the winter or hiking in the summer.
Prince Charles is apparently at this hotel every year when he comes up to go skiing.
All in all, a lovely lunch and whilst I may not suggest staying overnight in Davos (unless you're important enough for the World Economic Forum or like skiing), it's definitely a lovely drive up and down. And Schneider's ain't bad either.
Mmmm Nusstorte.
Promenade 68 · CH-7270 Davos Platz
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