magazin nummer22 sommer_v2

Die chinesische und asiati- sche Küche wird im GAO's europäisch interpretiert.

GAO’s adds a European twist to Chinese and other Asian dishes.

GAO’s brings a taste of Asia to Engelberg. The restaurant represents an appealing addition to the culinary diversity in our Alpine village. GAO’s is the restaurant of f ive-star hotel Titlis Pa lace, currently undergoing construc- tion. It is just 500 metres f rom the hotel, in the same building as the hotel ’s wine bar Chez Rada. Investor Yunfeng Gao is expec ted to open his new hotel in late 2019, but GAO’s Restau- rant a lready opened this December. Thomas Dit trich, managing direc tor of Han’s Europe, was pleased with the resonance: “The guests

city of si x million in the nor theast of China, he explored the many varieties of Chinese cuisine. In 2000 he moved to Lucerne and at tended the Business & Hotel Management School. “But learning to write in German was too much of a cha llenge,” smiles Kun Yi, in his charming mi x of English and German. Instead of gradu- ating, Kun Yi embarked on a career as a chef in Switzerland. He learned the techniques, tastes and philosophies of European food prepara- tion – and began to add to them: “I embellish European cuisine with elements f rom Japanese,

love it. Some families came three evenings in a row.” Hotel and restaurant are both in historic loca- tions. In the late 19th cen- tur y, Eduard Cat tani built the Grand Hotel on the site

Thai and Vietnamese cooking, and incorporate that into my Chinese dishes.” The dishes are prepared f rom seasona l regiona l produce, with sauces and seasonings impor ted f rom the Far East. A typica lly

GAO’s restaurant serves up a Euro- pean interpretation of traditional Chinese and other Asian dishes.

of the Pa lace – a v isionar y step by a mayor who championed ef for ts to open up Engelberg and its mountains to tourism. At the same time, Eugen Hess opened a Pension where GAO’s restaurant stands today. Eugen built the f irst hydroelec tric power station in the municipa lity, and the Eugenisee that powers it is named af ter him. Eduard and Eugen were largely responsible for the introduc tion of elec tricity and telephone lines in Engelberg. Continuing the tradition of bold indi- v idua ls who dare to do something new is GAO’s head chef An Kun Yi. His persona l philosophy makes him a per fec t f it for Engelberg: “L ife is shor t, so I want to keep tr y ing out new, excit- ing things. And I relish hard work.” Growing up in 1980s China, Kun Yi wasn’ t given much choice when it came to his career. His father was a v iolinist and young Kun Yi wanted to follow in his footsteps, but the Communist Par ty had other ideas, and so Kun Yi trained as a cook. In his home town of Da lian, a por t

European feature of GAO’s is that the dishes are ser ved one af ter another rather than a ll at the same time, as is customar y in China. It is a common misconception that wine shou ld not be drunk with Asian food. Dismiss- ing that idea as a fa llacy, Thomas Dit trich has put together a diverse wine list that includes recommendations for pairing. And this is a lovely place to enjoy a glass of wine. The authentic Asian interior of the restaurant is enhanced by black-and-white pic tures of China and the Engelberg va lley in the 1950s. From his days working in China, Kun Yi reca lls that spring rolls were a lways popu- lar with European diners – perhaps because they cou ldn’ t read the menu and didn’ t know any thing else. But in China, spring rolls are on ly available in spring – as the name sug- gests. They are specia lly prepared for Chi- nese New Year. But never fear: in Engelberg you can order spring rolls – under the name “GAO’s Rolls” – at any time of the year!

30

31

g astronomie | food+drink

gastronomie | food+drink