Our experience dining at restaurant les Jardins de la Tour in Rossinière
We dined at restaurant les Jardins de la Tour in Rossinière the night before the finale hike on the Via Alpina to Rochers de Naye in July 2020. This was – totally unexpected – one of the best dining experiences on our hike. We ate the “Découverte” set menu and were blown away by the warm hospitality of the owners and the delicious 3-course set menu with 2 amuse-bouches. Read more about our dining experience at restaurant les Jardins de la Tour in Rossinière below.
The dining room: a cozy living room like setup
The hostess greeted us warmly, took our jackets and led us to our table. There were only 5 tables in the room. The atmosphere was intimate and warm. We felt like we were sitting in someone’s living room. An old stove stood in the corner; on it copper pans and candles. Les Jardins de la Tour keeps the balance between tradition and modern well. From our table we could see the beautiful herb and flower garden of the restaurant.
Hike&Dine: Via Alpina from Rossinère to Rochers-de-Naye
“Spoil yourself with a fine dining meal at restaurant les Jardins de la Tour in Rossinière before tackling the final leg of the Via Alpina from Rossinière to Rochers-de-Naye. Join us on the challenging hike from Rossinière to Rochers-de-Naye and get the most amazing view over lake Geneva.”
A Restaurant les Jardins de la Tour special: Wine pairing according to your mood
For the aperitif we decided to have a homemade elderberry spritz based on Prosecco. In the wine list we could find many regional wines. An original offer of open wines invites guests to taste a range of different wines or to put together a “wine pairing” themselves based on their mood. How cool is that! We recommend you to order the wine by glass and ask the helpful hostess to assist you in putting together the wine pairing to your liking.
Most ingredients are sourced from lake Geneva to Pays-d’Enhaut
With the spritz we were served the first amuse bouche: a fish mousse of a fish from the nearby Lake Geneva, lovingly arranged with herbs and flowers from the Chef’s garden. The second amuse bouche followed immediately, it was a Sérac, a soft cheese typically from the Pays-d’Enhaut region, made by the owners’ son. It was served fried on a variety of old tomatos from the garden. The amuse bouche was lavishly garnished with a petal, a dill branch and a light green mousse of contrasting colours. Mmmm, it tasted so good!
Flowers from the garden of restaurant les Jardins de la Tour decorate the dishes
As a starter we chose a lobster from Brittany (the only non Swiss food on the menu) served with an artichoke on a bed of mediterranean vegetables and garnished with two varieties of nettles: a sauce and fried nettles. The zucchini flower with its orange colour contributed to the artistic appearance of the colourful plate, which almost resembled a still life. With it, we drank a glass of Chardonnay-Pinot Gris 2018 by Jacques Germanier from Conthey.
Exclusive fine dining at restaurant les Jardins de la Tour
Of the three main courses to choose from, we ordered the Angus beef fillet on a fine garlic sauce, seasoned with pepper from the Maggia Valley in Ticino. It was served with colourful vegetables and a flower from the garden. The accompanying full-bodied La Colombe Rouge Réserve 2014 by Raymond Paccot from Fechy was a perfect match. This is fine dining at its best.
For dessert we decided on two different options: Matthias was more in the mood for something salty and ordered the cheese variation with the melodious name “Les Créations de nos alpages”. I decided on something sweet, namely hot cherries from Morges, boiled down with cherry schnaps and almonds, garnished with brittle, fresh mint and a homemade “Bretzeli”. We drank another glass of the above-mentioned assemblage, which went very well with both cheese and cherries.
Conclusion: Restaurant les Jardins de la Tour is the best kept secret in Rossinère
We were really not expecting to find a restaurant with such an outstanding quality in Rossinière. It’s the best kept secret in Rossinière and maybe even in Switzerland. Every dish is an artwork carefully created by the Chef. We loved the flowers on the dishes which did not only look nice but also added to the taste. This is authentic fine dining at its best and one of the best restaurants in Switzerland. We can’t thank the owners enough for making this last night of our hike on the Via Alpina such a memorable moment.
