Japanese by The Chedi Andermatt, starred vertigoes

The fine dining of Swizz Dietmar Sawyere is rising. Little over one year after its opening, Japanese by The Chedi Andermatt, which the chef masterfully runs at 2,300 metres above sea level, got one Michelin star. The gourmet refuge on the Swiss Alps, dominating the Andermatt-Sedrun ski resort, thus becomes the highest starred Japanese restaurant in the world.

Located in the futuristic building next to the ski lifts on Mount Gütsch, it was designed by architect Christina Seilern, who gave a contemporary take to the Alpine traditional architecture, giving space and shape to the natural light that comes from large windows overlooking the Goddard mountains, while inside modern open fireplaces warm up skiers.

It seats 38 people inside, plus 34 outside on the terrace, where the view ranges on the ski slopes and the crown of the mountain tops. Seilern designed the entire project, which includes another gourmet restaurant run by Markus Neff: Gütsch, which the Red Guide awarded for its use of local ingredients and traditional dishes from the Canton and from Switzerland.

Chef Dietmar Sawyere

«This is the result of the work of all my team», Sawyere said right after receiving the prize from the Michelin Guide, «it's the result of our passion and our daily commitment, the desire to spread our idea of Japanese ars coquendi», for a decisively unusual break when skiing.

Born in a family of restaurant people, at 16 he was already at the Savoy Hotel in London, then at the Connaught Hotel under the the famous Michel Bourdin. At 19 he was Young Chef of the Year for the London Culinary Academy and twice Chef of the Year in New Zealand. His career took him with the Regent International Hotels to Hong Kong and Bangkok, then Melbourne and Sydney, Singapore. Today Sawyere brings to the mountain tops dishes that interpret the great classics of Japan, presented in a new, daring way, in harmony with colours and flavours, with great attention to the mise en place. But most of all his cuisine is made of neat and intense flavours, thanks to the highly selected raw materials, products of the highest quality coming from local producers and from the rest of the world, and enriched with herbs and spices.

The menu includes elegant dishes that convey the best of the centennial cuisine of Japan, through elegant menus such as the Shidashi Bentō or Omakase Kaiseki on top of the classic and never banal sushi and tempura. The menu also includes recipes with the finest wagyu beef, locally produced as it comes from the first farm in Switzerland that produces the precious beef, and is located in the very Andermatt – guests can also pay it a visit. During the winter, the restaurant is open from Monday to Sunday, from 11 am to 3 pm, depending on the weather.

Sawyere doubles his prize, after convincing the Michelin Guide with the elegant offer of The Japanese in 2017. The starred restaurant is inside The Chedi Andermatt five-star luxury hotel, part of the The Leading Hotels of The World and Swiss Deluxe Hotels brands. It is built next to the slopes of the Gemsstock, redesigning the standards of design and luxury hospitality of the Alps, with a lounge-hotel that welcomes both guests and visitors.

Designed by Jean Michel Gathy of Denniston International Ltd in Kuala Lumpur, it was recently awarded with the second place in Karl Wind's “Holiday Hotels” list, among the top 100 hotels in Switzerland. The F&B offer is curated by chef de cuisine Armin, who joins the gourmet traditions of the East and West. You can sleep in one of the 123 rooms and suites; relax in The Spa & Health Club with a scenic 35-metre indoor pool, a heated outdoor pool, 10 private Spa suites and a state-of-the-art gym.