EAT > Endlich, St Anton (18/20)

Heading to the far end of Dorfstraße, away from the bars and restaurants at the base of the lifts and past the always busy Murrmel Bar you will find Endlich Restaurant.

The one thing you should do now is stop reading this make a reservation and then come back to read about why this is such a great place to eat in St Anton.

The one thing you should do now is stop reading this make a reservation and then come back to read about why this is such a great place to eat in St Anton. Endlich offers a culinary experience that perfectly complements the alpine charm of its surroundings, hosts Henrik and Henriette are both Danish and have spent time running restaurants in Denmark and Greece before settling in St Anton. When I asked why here, Henrik explained he had been coming to St Anton for forty years he loves it and it is place that is part of him and a perfect place to run the restaurant, which by the way they describe as an extension of their home.

You are probably (correctly) picking up that this is not your usual alpine fare, sure there is a connection to Alps and a deep connection to Austria in the food and the wine but more than that, restaurant Endlich offers an experience where you go along for a meal but in the process you make new friends, you try new foods and explore new wines. It is in my opinion the perfect holiday fine dining experience.

DRINK >

It starts with a drink at the bar and the wine bar is open to non diners up until 7pm so you can just pop in and have a glass and Henrik and Henriette will both be there for a chat as Henrik prepares the meal for the evening.

Did I mention that it is just the two of them in the restaurant? (This is much the same as the amazing restaurant JULIA in Tokyo was when we first visited). Henrik is the chef and Henriette the sommelier and they share the service.

Guests for dinner start in the bar lounge area and are encouraged to mingle. Henrik and Henriette make the time to talk to each group and make them feel very welcome.

FOOD >

The menu changes daily as Henrik finds the freshest produce and is inspired to build his three course menu. On the day we ate he had driven to Insbruck to collect the perfect Turbot (a lovely white flesh fish) that is much like a sweet cod.

beurre meal started with an amuse bouche which was a playful interpretation of the Austrian classic the Weiner Schnitzel but was served in a form closer to an arancini! Then the Turbot in a creamy beurre blanc sauce served with pea shoots for crunch and flavour. Main course was a perfect veal served with hollandaise, green beans, carrots, small beetroot cubes and perfect potato rosti.

To finish the desert was a lovely chewy torte with raspberry and an olive oil icecream and fresh basil.

Nothing brings people together like good food and stories. The idea of our social restaurant was inspired by travelling the world, meeting people through new culinary experiences. For us, this is what makes life the best; enjoying heart-warming food and wine in great company

MORE ABOUT THE DRINKS >

Through some stuff up (entirely on my part) we arrived at 6pm rather than 7pm. Which gave us the opportunity to enjoy a cocktail to start (I have an excellent Negroni and Ange had a Gin and Tonic, they make their own gin over summer and have a range of options that are worth trying.

They only stock Austrian wine and the experience of learning about the wine was really fascinating Henriette is both knowledgeable and passionate about the vineyards and wines she has collected.

I had a glass of Chardonnay to start (Weingut Kirchknopf Chardonnay Kalk & Schiefer 2023) which was very good. I then chose the wine pairing which involved very generous pours!

First wine served with the entree was an excellent Austrian Riesling (Weingut Weixelbaum
Riesling Ried Gaisberg 1ÖTW Reserve Kamptal DAC 2021) which went down a treat (I definitely had seconds). Then for the main course there was a red wine, it was a merlot but my memory is clearly poor as I have no notes and no photo’s of the bottle (trust me it was excellent) and finally an Austrian Ice Wine (Johanneshof Reinisch Roter Eiswein 2021) which was the perfect sticky to accompany the desert.

CONCLUSION >

We left the restaurant making friends with the diners at the table next to us Jim and Jill from Vail, Colorado who were really lovely people and great dinner companions and with Henrik and Henriette who are the real deal – fabulous hosts and provide an excellent evening of hospitality, it was hugs all around as we stumbled back up to grab a taxi to our accomodation at Arpuria.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Image Credit | Endlich & Almanak

---

STAY > Aux Terrasses, Tournus, Bourgogne (19/20)