The Sens restaurant on Lake Lucerne is a ‘MUST’ for all connoisseurs and gourmets among us. I therefore recommend adding it to your 2025 summer bucket list right away.
Text: Malin Müller
Pictures: Malin Müller, Thomas Müller, Faulhaber Marketing
The summer residence of the star chefs
This summer, the Vitznauerhof gourmet restaurant became the summer residence of the star chefs for the first time. The new concept is to be continued in 2025, which pleases guests and the team at the Vitznauerhof. ‘It brings a certain variety and guests come to the Sens several times for dinner, as the chef changes every month and there is a new menu,’ says Raphael Herzog, host of the Vitznauerhof, delighted with the new concept. We are also looking forward to continuing the pop-up concept next year!
The Sens Restaurant
With its location directly on the shores of Lake Lucerne, the Sens is probably one of the most beautifully situated restaurants in the region. It also plays in the top culinary league. Even before the Sens became the summer residence of the star chefs, Jeroen Achtien cooked at the Sens (18 GaultMillau points). This summer, three star chefs ‘visited’ the Sens and enchanted guests with their creations.
The star chefs at Sens
From mid-June to the end of July, Matteo Morbini took guests at the Sens on a culinary journey to Italy. The star chef has already cooked in Sydney, London and New York and opened his own restaurant in Lucca, his home town. In 2022, he was named the best chef under 30 in central Italy. Marcel Koolen returned to the Sens in July and August. It was more or less a home game for him, as he used to cook alongside Jeroen Achtien as sous chef. Since 2020, he has been cooking at ‘7132 Silver’ (2 Michelin stars, 16 GaultMillau points) in Vals. The third star chef at Sens was Flo Neubauer. He was at Sens from 5 to 29 September, which also marked the restaurant’s summer closing. Flo is known from the After Seven (1 Michelin star, 17 GaultMillau points) in the Backstage Hotel Vernissage Zermatt. In addition to his passion as a chef, Flo also enjoys DJing in clubs after cooking, including the Diner’s Club at the Backstage Hotel Vernissage. Flo spoilt the guests at Sens with a creative and extremely sophisticated fish menu.
A spectacular sunset on the shores of Lake Lucerne
We were at the Sens at the end of September on a beautiful late summer evening. However, it was a little too chilly for dinner outside, so we enjoyed our aperitif outside in the lounge right by the lake. The sunset was spectacular. It really was! The atmosphere right by the water, with the mountains in the background and the changing colours from yellow to gold, orange and a dark, fiery red that stretched across the sky and were reflected in the lake. After the natural spectacle on Lake Lucerne, our culinary evening began.
Neubauer fishes
Flo finally spoilt us with a 6-course fish menu. Each course was a highlight in itself. From the ‘Snack Attack’ to start to the ‘Coco Jumbo’, the sweet finale. The wine pairing also went perfectly with the individual dishes that Flo conjured up. My personal favourites of the evening included the ceviche with mango and chilli from the ‘Snack Attack’ and the ‘Ying & Yang’ salmon trout with seaweed leaves, yoghurt and Tabasco. And everyone who knows Flo knows that every plate is also a visual work of art.
We hope to see Flo at the Sens again next summer.
Visit the website of Restaurant Sens.
www.vitznauerhof.ch
