We stopped at Fluhalp, which is a hut / restaurant up in the hills above Zermatt, for lunch towards the end of our hike today. The quickest way to get here is to take a combination of the funicular to Sonnega, combined with the gondola up to Blauherd, and then walk the ~45 minutes from there to the hut. That saves you most of the trouble of getting there; we hiked all the way up from Zermatt, so we most definitely welcomed the respite of the terrace when we reached it. The folks at the hut speak quite good English and are very pleasant, and if it's a nice day, you have to sit outdoors...there is nothing like taking in a frontal view of Matterhorn on a gorgeous, sunny day. The drink menu is pretty solid; my wife's hot chcolate was topped generously with whipped cream and was delicious, while the regional sauvignon blanc was very drinkable and pretty refreshing after a grueling journey.
I can't say enough about the food, though. There's a very broad selection that cuts across pretty much all of the sensibilities that Switzerland encompasses, so you will undoubtedly find something you want. For our starters, I went with the house potato soup, which was larded (pun intended) generously with bacon bits and topped with just the right amount of cream - enough to give it a little more depth but not too much to make it dense. That was excellent, but my wife's beef carpaccio, topped with thinly-sliced parmesan cheese and black truffles was even better. After dripping a little lemon juice on it, the beef combined with the cheese and mushrooms was light yet so full of deliciousness. Our mains were just as good; we stuck with Italian here and went the pasta route. I went with the spaghetti bolognese, which was simple but so well-executed - a rich meat sauce and noodles cooked perfectly. My wife's dish was tagliatelle served with a light cream sauce, dressed lightly with herbs and dressed with a hefty portion of chanterelle mushrooms. I would have preferred just a little more sauce, but it was a fantastic dish nonetheless. We finished off with the house chocolate cake, which is a must-have - the texture is almost akin to coconut flakes, but the cake is moist and airy, and the whipped cream it is served with fills those pockets and complements the oversized brownie-like slice very well.
It is a bit of a trek to make it here, but if you're here to see the great outdoors, you should make sure one of your hikes includes a stop here to eat a meal. I would endure the strenuous hike up (or take transportation most of the way) to enjoy a phenomenal meal here in a picture-perfect alpine setting. read more
