FOOD FOR THOUGHT: THE MOST INTERESTING HOTEL RESTAURANT CONCEPTS AROUND THE WORLD

August 2024: Some hotels play it safe when it comes to their food offerings, but the most memorable hotels tend to be the ones that have restaurants that think outside the box and push boundaries. Food trends like farm-to-fork, hyper-regionality and sustainable kitchens continue to flourish this year and hotels are keen to join the foodie bandwagon.

From zero-waste dining in the heart of Puglia to Japanese-Peruvian cuisine with a Mediterranean twist in Mallorca, the below restaurants are located within some of Europe’s top hotels and have must-try food concepts that aren’t typically what you’d expect.

The dining concept at Masseria Le Carrube is one that pays homage to local tradition. Chef Massimo Santoro celebrates the concept that invites his guests to discover the flavours of the Earth through his “agricultural cuisine” which recounts the tradition of ancient farms in Puglia where self-production was the basis of every kitchen.

A zero-waste restaurant where almost everything is self-produced, Le Carrube is a largely vegetarian culinary experience rooted in the love for Puglia and its gastronomic tradition. The menu changes daily depending entirely on the produce that the land (and the hotel’s kitchen garden and very own orchard) provides for Massimo. If eggs or milk are used, they’re sourced locally from farms nearby. The ‘menu’ is decided daily by the chef, meaning that there are no dishes to choose from, and everything served is a surprise. This concept gives shape to a menu that reinterprets the raw materials of the territory with a modern twist, selected according to quality and seasonality.

Rates for Masseria Le Carrube start from 169 euros (approx. £144). For further information please visit https://masserialecarrubeostuni.it/en.

Best for innovative high-end cuisine: FORESTIS, Dolomites

FORESTIS, a five-star luxury mountain retreat located in the South Tyrolean Alps, invites guests to reconnect with nature, sustainability and well-being at the heart of its ethos. Roland Lamprecht, a native of South Tyrol, is the head chef at FORESTIS and shows his love of his homeland and passion for natural cuisine through his produce selection. The focus is on local products from nearby suppliers as well as additional ingredients that can only be found in Italy.

The ‘Forest Cuisine’ dining experience means guests will have a new 7-course menu every day, alongside a choice of Italian favourites. A kitchen garden was created at FORESTIS where herbs, vegetables and edible flowers grow and are then incorporated into the dishes. Roland also takes inspiration from the nearby forest in the creation of the cuisine; for example, the spruce sprouts with their subtle citrus notes, the wide variety of local mushrooms and the aromatic wild herbs with their health benefits.

For Roland, ‘clean eating’ does not only mean cooking healthy fresh dishes, but also paying attention to packaging waste, water pollution and food waste. All in all, FORESTIS operates a no-waste principle.

Rates for FORESTIS start from 800 euros per night (approx. £676), incl. Breakfast. For more information about FORESTIS, please visit: https://www.forestis.it.

Best for fusion gastronomy: De Tokio a Lima, Valldemossa

Not only is Mallorca home to some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe; it is also home to a thriving gastronomy scene. De Tokio a Lima – located within two of the It Mallorca hotels, Can Alomar and Hotel Valldemossa – is a trendy gourmet restaurant offering a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian flavours with a Mediterranean twist.

De Tokio a Lima had barely opened its doors before word had already spread about the restaurant’s exciting fusion cuisine and now has a waiting list for bookings throughout the summer months. Taking inspiration from Asian, South-American and Mediterranean kitchens, the flavours and techniques wow both local and visiting foodies alike. The innovative dishes include Iberian pork tacos topped with roasted guacamole and classic steak tartare paired with a Bombay curry-flavoured aioli.

Room-only rates for Hotel Valldemossa start from €330 (approx. £290) per room per night during low season. Price based on a Deluxe Terrace Room. Breakfast is €35 (approx. £30) per person. Further information for De Tokio a Lima can be found here:  https://detokioalima.com/.

Best for health and nutrition: Lanserhof Energy Cuisine, Sylt / Tegernsee / Lans

Lanserhof has been setting standards in modern medicine and longevity for 40 years and is the institution worldwide for prevention and health regeneration. Lanserhof Energy Cuisine is Lanserhof’s nutritional concept which was designed for the modern, health-conscious person to improve well-being by supplying the body with the antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and trace elements it needs, thus ensuring the health of the digestive system.

When selecting food, Lanserhof attaches great importance to regional, organic and fresh products as their main principle to preserve the meal’s highest possible vital substance content. Lanserhof’s nutritional concept uses only sun-ripened ingredients, such as seasonal fruit and vegetables from organic cultivation, which are prepared fresh.

One of their therapy principles is chewing training, which is taught to guests at the beginning of their stay. Chewing and good insalivation make it easier for the intestines to digest, avoiding bloating. Proper chewing is an essential part of Lanserhof’s therapy, motivating guests to chew each bite between 30 to 40 times.

Rates at Lanserhof start from 5,900 euros (approx. £4975) for a 7-night Lanserhof Cure Classic. For more information visit  https://lanserhof.com/en/lanserhof-sylt/.

Best for estate-to-plate: SCHLOSS Roxburghe, Scottish Borders

SCHLOSS Roxburghe, a five-star historic manor house located in 300 acres of picturesque grounds, is the perfect getaway to explore the beauty of the Scottish countryside  – including 2.5 miles of the River Teviot, Trout Loch, parkland and Estate gardens. With so much greenery on the doorstep, it’s natural that the hotel should make the most of local ingredients for its culinary offering.

SCHLOSS Roxburghe’s expansive kitchen garden and fishing grounds give the hotel ample opportunity to create a sustainable ‘estate-to-plate’ menu that diners will love, with ingredients that cannot be grown or caught on site sourced from local Scottish producers wherever possible.

Dishes on the latest tasting menu range from Scottish venison with black truffle, white turnip, kale, and the Chef’s pineapple weed gin jus grown on the Estate, to Native Lobster caught off the West Coast of Scotland served with Heritage Squash, Orange, and Bisque. Guests can even catch their own fish on the Estate and have the chef cook them up for the ultimate ‘estate-to-plate’ experience.

Rates at SCHLOSS Roxburghe start from £215 per night. For further information please visit https://schlosshotel-roxburghe.com/en.

Best for babies: Martinhal Family Hotels & Resorts, Portugal

Martinhal Family Hotels & Resorts has been renowned for providing high-end family holidays since the opening of its first resort in 2010. Founders Chitra and Roman Stern have always said that their aim is to provide a family holiday where parents can ‘enjoy their cappuccino with the foam still on it.’ To that end, each of the four resorts – Martinhal Lisbon Oriente,  Martinhal Quinta, Martinhal Sagres and Martinhal Chiado – is designed with family comfort in mind and keeping even the youngest of guests entertained.

Each of Martinhal’s restaurants comes with a dedicated children’s menu, with young dining favourites including fresh pastas, burgers and pizza, as well as a purée menu for babies aged six months and up. Each purée is freshly prepared with fruit and vegetables, meaning parents can rest assured that their young families are well catered for during their Portuguese stay.

Rates at Martinhal Family Hotels & Resorts start from £175 a night. For further information please visit https://www.martinhal.com/.

Best for Michelin star dining: PIC Restaurant, Lausanne

After 15 years of celebrating her love of Swiss cuisine in Lausanne’s Hotel Beau-Rivage Palace, decorated chef Anne-Sophie Pic (who currently holds 10 Michelin stars) is re-opening her eponymous restaurant PIC this September.

Inspired by Pic’s memories of warm family gatherings in Switzerland’s Vaud region, the menu at PIC promises to feature bold yet delicate dishes with the chef’s signature twist. Head Chef Jordan Theurrillat will add his culinary mastery to the kitchen, while Sommelier Dominique Peretti of Valence’s Maison Pic will work his magic on the wine pairings. The result promises to be one of Lausanne’s finest dining offerings.

PIC Restaurant will be open from 5th September 2024, with three-course lunch menus starting at 160 CHF (approx. £138) and 6- and 8-course Tasting Menus costing 310 CHF (approx. £268) and 390 CHF (approx. £336) respectively.

For more information please visit https://www.brp.ch/.