The Omnia

A lightning start! Last year, «GaultMillau» honored André Kneubühler after just a few weeks at «The Omnia» as the «Discovery of the Year 2025». Now we’re adding another layer on top: Point 17 for the young chef. Because he has impressed us with tremendous talent and immense diligence. He is truly among the very best in Zermatt; that’s no small feat in a village packed with gourmet restaurants! It’s not exactly cozy in «The Omnia»; it leans more toward cool and crisp. Kneubühler’s young and wild brigade brings life to the place and warmth to the dining room. The team works magic, but what they plate is well-reasoned, thoroughly thought-out, and impressive in execution. Not surprising: Kneubühler was Tanja Grandits’ star pupil, spent seven years working at the executive chef level in the «Stucki»; head chef Marco Böhler remains his mentor, always available for phone advice. «The Omnia» is fundamentally a vegetable-centric kitchen, with fish and meat as accompaniments. Kneubühler has relaxed the house rules, especially in the tasting menu, where trout, Wagyu, and veal are also allowed; at a side table, a tomahawk steak with a massive bone was carved for Asian guests: 1.1 kilos for two people. The welcome was hearty: air bread with rouille sauce and rhubarb (!), bao bun with Swiss Wagyu, brioche with Eringer beef, tartelette with Swiss salmon, celery, and dill. Almost like a countdown to the evening’s signature course: André’s grand Swiss chard show! Swiss chard alongside Swiss Wagyu tartare. Swiss chard mayo. Swiss chard folded into airy pommes soufflées. Grated Buddha’s hand citron, ponzu, and a dash of XO sauce for power and freshness. Accompanied by a spoonful of luxury: Royal Belgian Osietra caviar! The chef explains: “I grew Swiss chard with my grandmother as a child. That inspired me to create this dish.” Equally striking afterward is the sauerkraut soup: well-balanced in portion, with farmhouse bacon in the base. Kneubühler (“I’m a fisherman”) paired the sauerkraut with the “royal cut” of eel. A melt-in-your-mouth smoked eel mousse was served alongside in a pumpernickel sandwich. “Surprise!” restaurant manager Leandro Sutter suddenly announced. It was quite a substantial surprise. The young chefs served a massive raviolo with an unusual filling: homemade fresh cheese and a confit egg yolk nestled in thin dough infused with wild garlic, while the season’s first asparagus were turned into a small salad. The fish course wasn’t quite as spectacular, but executed flawlessly: trout from the Val Lumnezia, smoked over Zermatt larch wood, served with black salsify, parsley, and capers. Curdin Capeder farms this delicate fish at 1,800 meters; Andreas Caminada discovered it, and Kneubühler had the opportunity to work with Curdin as an “Uccelin” scholarship recipient. Do young chefs get everything right? Mostly yes. But they could certainly reflect on proper portioning. The main course at the «Omnia» was brilliant. Three preparations of veal from Holzen in Ennetbürgen. Only question: Is that still manageable after five amuse-bouches in the fifth course? The veal parade: back fillet grilled on a Japanese grill. Veal cheeks braised for 48 hours and simply perfect. Sweetbreads wrapped in a massive brioche sphere. Morels and leeks. Exciting is the (truffle) sauce accompanying it; four to eight attempts are needed before the chef is finally satisfied. We reluctantly skipped the Andeer stone pine cheese, but not the convincing performance by pastry chef Serge Kaufmann: blood orange with cinnamon blossom and speculoos, baked apple with vanilla and caramel. «The Omnia» general manager Christian Eckert is delighted by increased demand and higher revenues, and knows how to reward chefs: the Kneubühler team received a completely new kitchen. Not a simple renovation: it couldn’t have been done without a helicopter.