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In times gone by, a trip to the airport was worth it to visit the restaurant alone. How many families used to trek to Zurich Kloten to grab a window seat and watch the huge birds come and go? The airport restaurant was a place to breathe in the air of the great (and largely unknown) wider world beyond. You learnt to distinguish a Caravelle from a DC-3; and you had your first encounters with exotic concoctions such as prawn cocktails and riz casimir.
The elegant airport restaurant is, like the splendid railway station buffets of old, little more than a childhood memory now. It has long been usurped by gastro concepts and fast-food outlets – anonymous venues where the visitors can quell their hunger and fritter their time. The fascination of flying has largely evaporated, too, and the food on offer today is hardly worth a detour, let alone a dedicated expedition.
The restaurant at Engadin Airport in Samedan, however, is one of the few exceptions. This is a place people still love to come to – not just because they have to eat somewhere, but for the sheer pleasure of it. The “Kerosinstübli”, it’s called: and it’s as small and cosy as any Swiss Stube should be, with its simple wood tables, antler lamps hanging from the ceiling and cowhide-decorated walls.
The restaurant stands at the end of the runway, and its large glass frontage, offering an unimpeded view of the activities outside, is an ideal observation spot for any aviation fan. “Big birds” are rare visitors, but there are plenty of Learjets and Falcons, along with the occasional Cessna or rustic PC-7. More spectator sport is provided by the customs point in front of the restaurant, where numerous VIPs can be spotted in high season: politicians and captains of industry, Russian oligarchs and oil sheikhs and celebs such as Brad Pitt, Naomi Campbell and Christina Onassis all have to pass the “Kerosinstübli” to get to the car park where their black limos await.
Engadin Airport is a place where flying is still exclusive. The airport is used solely by private jets, the charters of Air Engiadina, sporting aircraft and gliders. “Kerosene is the perfume of the rich,” says chef de cuisine Franz Wagner. At the “Kerosinstübli” you can smell it for free. A glass of champagne is an appropriate accompaniment; and the excellent food, too, is worthy of a luxury hotel. “It’s just a little simpler, with less of the embellishment,” Wagner adds. He should know:
he used to cook at a five-star hotel.
In addition to the restaurant, Franz Wagner also organises the catering for the airport’s aircraft visitors. Canapés with caviar, tartar and truffles, Canadian lobster, lemon grass soup with scampi and beef fillets with vodka are his daily bread. For his guests at the “Kerosinstübli” and the “Intersection” (the airport’s second restaurant), he offers more down-to-earth fare. But every meal is a splendid blend of sound cooking basics and culinary skill. As well as barley soup and the “airport kebab”, Wagner cooks a superb Bergell-style saddle of lamb in mountain hay. Hay and kerosene: two excellent scents of Europe’s highest-elevation airport.
The prices are also very reasonable for the area: a dish of the day (soup and main meal) for 16.50 Swiss francs. Needless to say, the “Kerosinstübli” is a popular haunt of the locals, too.
Andreas Heller is editor at NZZ-Folio.
Recipe: Saddle of Lamb in Mountain Hay
By Franz Wagner, Kerosinstübli Restaurant, Samedan
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 kilo lamb saddle (with bones, but with sinews and fat removed)
1 tablespoon thyme, marjoram and rosemary (mixed)
2 garlic cloves, pressed
½ dl white wine
1 dl gravy or bouillon
2 tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
A few butter flakes, cooled
Salt and pepper
Rub lamb saddle with herbs, garlic, pepper and olive oil. Steep for one hour. Roast the meat gently on all sides in a roasting pan, adding salt. Fill a Römertopf® clay casserole dish two-thirds with hay. Press down firmly and lay the lamb saddle over. Pour over tomatoes, white wine, gravy/bouillon and butter flakes (and a little olive oil if desired). Cover with hay. Close casserole dish and put into an oven pre-heated to 190°C (375°F). Cook for 35-40 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes. Strain the sauce and boil briefly. Season the sauce to taste if desired with Madeira or balsamic vinegar. Carve the lamb saddle and pour the sauce over. Serve with roast/mashed potatoes or polenta.