Regina Montium
Get off the Rigi-Bahn railway at Staffelhöhe and head to Kräuterhotel Edelweiss. Similar to Hotel Alpenblick, this humble inn has a stellar restaurant that champions Swiss bounty: Regina Montium. The restaurant serves exceptional terroir cuisine rooted in its natural surroundings and a deep respect for the land.
The owner, Gregor Vörös, is a passionate horticulturalist who describes himself as a “druid”; tall, slender and with wild curly hair, he could pass as such. He spends most of his time in the hotel’s garden, where he grows more than 400 varieties of herbs and vegetables. He took us on a tour, picking from his crops for us to smell and taste: shiso, thyme, a breed of sorrel that tastes like lemon-flavoured candy, and southernwood, a flowering plant that tastes like Coca Cola. During our tour, we pass one of his farmhands who’s gathering petals from a Persian rose bush. “This is the most beautiful job in the world,” she tells us. “I smell roses, and I say hello to the bees.”
Where possible, Regina Montium uses ingredients from the farm in its dishes—like fish from Lake Zug cured with koji, a mould used in Japanese cuisine and sake-making, served with fennel, cicely, pineappleweed and a lemon verbena sauce; or a nasturtium sorbet with bell pepper salad and puffed barley malt. Guests can also opt for a five- or nine-course “herb surprise” menu, which highlights the farm’s diverse bounty. They don’t skimp when it comes to sourced ingredients either, choosing only to work with Swiss producers and farmers whose methods align with their values.
Make time to wander the hotel lobby, where you’ll find tucked-away rooms and corners housing Vörös’ creations—a mix of dried goods and soaring shelves of colourful infusions and ferments. His gin workshops, where he introduces unique infusions using different herbs and fruits, are especially popular.