We’ve been keeping close tabs on the December 2012 opening of The Alpina Gstaad, the first new five-star hotel built in Gstaad in 100 years. Here’s the latest news (sure to delight foodies): The exclusive alpine destination will be getting a Megu restaurant. Famous for its modern Japanese cuisine, the eatery got its start in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood in 2004. Today the brand also has outposts in Midtown Manhattan at the Trump World Tower (2006); Moscow (2010); Doha, Qatar (2011); and New Delhi (2012)-- with another in the works for Mumbai.
Megu at The Alpina Gstaad will have interiors inspired by both Switzerland’s mountain landscapes and Japan’s temple architecture. Designer Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance chose antique kimonos and Alpine fir wood to decorate the restaurant, with nature as the prominent theme. Screens depicting Japan’s iconic Mt. Fuji are juxtaposed with the dramatic views of the Alps outside the windows. The bar (pictured) is covered with gray sycamore shingles to resemble the church roof in Gstaad.
Authentic Japanese cuisine will be prepared with the finest ingredients, sourced from farmers, fisherman, and artisanal purveyors throughout Japan’s 47 prefectures. The chili paste, kanzuri, from the Niigata prefecture, is an example. Chili peppers are left on snow to “cure” for four days before being aged for three years. This spicy paste is used to season Crispy Kanzuri Shrimp and the Hamachi Carpaccio, two of the restaurant’s signature dishes. The wasabi will be flown in weekly from the Amagi district in Izu Peninsula in the Shizouka prefecture. And Satsuma beef will be sourced from Kyushu; smelts from the Mukawa River in Hokkaido; and hand-made tofu from the Saga prefecture. For more information, visit www.thealpinagstaad.ch.
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