Vreni Gigers Chuchitisch, Jaegerhof, St. Gallen

I’ve always wanted to go to the Jaegerhof and try out something rather special, the Chuchitisch. Essentially it’s a Chef’s table tucked into a corner of the kitchen. It’s fascinating to see how the very clean and spotless restaurant, continues through to the Chuchitisch, which itself is in the middle of a working kitchen, also spotless but not quite as pristine white as the dining area. You as the guest (table seats four easily) are in the middle of everything, you can observe every movement, conversation, smell and even mishap. It’s the ultimate level of intimacy and openess that can be achieved in cooking. You could literally touch the chefs if you extended your arms.

While you sit idly and take in the action around you, Ms. Giger saunters over, introduces herself and asks for the usual allergies and dislikes. From now on part of the fun is guessing which dish that is being prepared by the crew is going to be yours. The crew is rather young I might say, I was surprised to find out that the gentlemen acting as sous-chef (the regular one had his day off), was under the age of 25 and already leading the brigade with swagger. The other highlight was the young woman on desserts and cold appetizers, but more to that later.

The first dish, some marinated root vegetables reminded me slightly of a dish I had at the Noma some time ago. Whimsical vegetables with a vinegary, fruity broth and dabs (of personally not so well liked) of goat cheese. The presentation of the Saibling dish was lovely, three small dishes served on a wooden tray, reminded me of an old time tea house. Frankly the soup preparation with saffron was the best, the small tower combined with some potato wasn’t quite elegant enough.

The seafood combination (scallop and mussels) stood out against the claim of regional produce and the thin slices of scallop had an unpleasant texture. One of the next highlights was an egg with a bit of truffled mashed potatoes. I tend to be skeptical with truffles, but here it elavated the dish. Two meat courses a braised pork cheek and a bit of lamb wellington (wrapped in a herb omelette) finished the savoury progression.

The Caramelchöpfli was a nice touch for the desserts, well-cooked and very swiss, something that’s very fitting for a restaurant of this calibre. The true highlight for me was the final dessert a play of different citrus fruits. Different mandarine preparations all expertly layered over the slight bitterness of the orange, this was one of the best desserts in a long time. It was designed and prepared by the young female chef mentioned earlier and quite frankly she’s going to go places with a skill set like this. In terms of talent I truly believe Ms Giger has a rockstar slumbering in her crew.

Looking back this is truly an exciting and thrilling way to spend a lunch. It’s like a dinner show at a fancy resort, but the food is Michelin star quality and the entertainment is from a whole different planet. Just ignore the price (it includes drinks) and savour the moment. It’s a great place to be.