Cheval Blanc - Basel
After our lunch, two hours before dinner
Rating: 19/20
Where: Basel, Switzerland
When: Lunch for 4 on 23 July 2025
Cost per Person: Tasting menu 320 Euro ($375), Wine pairing 145 Euro ($170)
Accolades: 3 Michelin Stars
Why: Modern French cuisine with huge flavors
Three-Michelin-starred “Cheval Blanc” in Basel's “Les Trois Rois” hotel has served us some of the best meals of our lives - one of the few restaurants in the world that I've ever considered rating a 20 out of 20. Our previous two visits both occurred at the beginning of December, so we were curious to see what a meal would be like in the middle of summer. When we settled in for our weekday lunch, it was nice to watch the Rhine river flowing past outside, with a few courageous swimmers braving the strong currents. Quite a contrast to the nighttime view of Basel's Christmas decorations that we had enjoyed during our previous dinners.
The service was as polished as we remembered it, with near perfect timings of wine pairing and food. We were even offered a ten minute break before our last savory course. Everything felt unhurried, even though we were the last party to be seated for lunch, and the dinner service would commence not long after we left.
Since we were a party of four, we had to order the tasting menu, but for smaller groups, an a la carte menu was available as well. Adjusting the tasting menu to dietary restrictions and changing the dessert course for some of us was no problem, though. A wine pairing came with quite generous pours (a half-pairing was offered, too). The wines by themselves were not earth-shattering, and but they all went quite well with the food. For the cheese course, I received no fewer than four (!) different wines, as the sommelier figured that my wide selection of cheeses required that many wines for a proper pairing. That was definitely the most thoughtful wine-to-cheese pairing I've ever seen in a restaurant. One should note that the pairing only begins after four initial bites, so ordering an aperitif might be a good idea.
Even before these first bites, we were offered a selection of breads: two baguettes - one plain and one seeded -, and two rolls - one with olives, the other seeded. All breads were served warm, and with a salted butter. The plain baguette was not very noteworthy, but the olive roll had a pronounced olive flavor and the seeded breads all had nicely nutty tastes 16.
The first dish was a mussel from Brittany that was served in its own shell with a lime fond. The mussel had been cut into pieces, and had the typical, slightly creamy consistency. The creamy sauce with a hint of acidity was a great match 18.
The next two bites were served at the same time. Marinated crab meat sat on top of a rice cracker seasoned with vadouvan spice. The crab was of good quality, the cracker delicate, and the dish overall had a light curry flavor 18. Red prawns were covered with a bright green habanero espuma. The fresh prawns were a bit sweet and went well with the flavorful espuma that, despite the addition of habaneros, had only a hint of spice 19.
Finally, a cumin macaroon was topped with a slice of watermelon and a little piece of sardine. This dish had an interesting taste progression: First, there was the sweetness of the macaroon, then a bit of spice, and finally the lightly fishy taste of the sardine. Very nicely done 19.
Moving on to the first real course of the tasting menu, we were served toro tuna tartare with cucumbers, a miso gel and ponzu. The fish was of great quality, the cucumber added freshness and crunch, and the ponzu was thickened and very intensely flavored. Definitely an strong start to our lunch. I felt that, in addition to the Japanese flavors, there was some Western brothy aroma in this dish 19.
A langoustine was served with a Madras curry that was seasoned with lemongrass and incorporated different presentations of Granny Smith apples: as a gel and sliced. The crustacean was juicy, the curry flavorful, and the apples added a bit of fruitiness 18.
Next, a filet of Atlantic turbot was served with a tarragon/mustard seed beurre blanc and a tomato concassé (i.e. chopped tomatoes without seeds or skin). The fish was cooked to a firm, but not too firm, texture, and the buttery - but not too heavy - sauce was a lovely addition. The tomatoes added a bit of fruit and a Mediterranean touch 19.
Following a brief break, we arrived at our main course: a filet of veal, served with different presentations of artichokes (their hearts, as a sauce, etc), leeks and a veal jus. The meat was tender, and the two sauces were a nice combination of meat flavors and creamy artichokes. Some greens added a bit of crunch 18. The pescatarian alternative to this dish was a filet of John Dory that was served with a red bell pepper beurre blanc and basil. On the side were some small potato slices. The fish was again nicely cooked, and went great with the amazing, intensely flavored sauce that somehow still managed to be light and a bit fruity - a great balance for a beurre blanc. The potatoes were just ok, but otherwise this was a superb dish 20.
The cheese cart offered many choices that mostly came from France, with a few odds and ends from elsewhere, such as hard cheeses from Switzerland and a blue cheese from England. My nine (!) selections were all quite good, and I appreciated that there seemed to be no limit on how many cheeses one could try. As I mentioned, the wine pairing had no fewer than four glasses here (presumably based on my actual cheese choices), albeit with somewhat smaller pours. The accompanying baguette was pretty generic, but maybe that was exactly the point, to avoid clashing with the cheeses.
The pre-dessert was a play on a piña colada cocktail, with several tropical flavors: pineapple sorbet, a lychee espuma and a coconut ice cream. Light and refreshing, with a surprisingly acidic pineapple 17.
We tried two of the four desserts offered by the restaurant. The standard choice on the tasting menu was a champagne ice cream with mint, raspberries, calamansi and pistachio crumbles. The ice cream was very creamy, and had at most a hint of a champagne flavor. The red gel reminded me of a German dessert called “Rote Grütze”. Berries and cream? No complaints 17. Our other choice had several preparations of apricot: poached, as an espuma, and raw, seasoned with chilies. There was also a sorbet of verbena, and a creme double ice cream. A fresh tasting dessert, with some creaminess and acidity. All quite pleasant, but nothing really jumped off the plate 17.
Several mignardises heralded the end of our dinner. A tonka bean mousse was covered with cherry jelly and a cherry blossom sponge. A creamy, but not very fruity bite 16. A spoon filled with a passion fruit/mango gel and an espuma of lemongrass was acidic and fruity 15. A calisson candy made with limes was quite nice: sugary, but with a bit of acidity, its texture reminded me of marzipan 17. A little snail of a marshmallow rolled up with raspberries and calamansi was lightly acidic 16. A millefeuille made with hazelnuts and nougat was crunchy and very hazelnutty - delicious 18. A meringue topped with a mix of coffee, mascarpone and Baileys jelly tasted mostly of the sweet liquor 16.
Finally, we tried a selection of four chocolates: milk chocolate with lime had a bit of a crunch 15. I couldn't taste any citrus fruit in the milk chocolate with yuzu 14. There was a non-descript dark chocolate 14, and a dark chocolate with Sichuan pepper that had only a very light amount of spice 14.
Overall: A very accomplished dinner of French cuisine full of very strong (and delicious) flavors. Together with an effortlessly excellent service, this is one of the best three-starred restaurants in the world. Whereas our last dinner was on the verge of rating a 20, this one was more solidly a 19, but either would be a strong recommendation for dining here 19.
