Month: April 2016

A friend of mine had told me that the best Kaiserschmarrn she ever had was at a little ski hut on the Dienten section of Hochkönig. Since then, I needed to try this place out.

After Easter weekend, I was in the area, catching the last few days of ski season at Hochkönig. The snow wasn’t too great, but the Kaiserschmarrn was calling, and so skiing was the only option for me to taste the acclaimed dish.

We must have been one of the only ones in the hut, but it was really nice – cosy and small (a total contrast to the large rooms that many huts on the main ski pistes have), and tucked away behind the forest. It felt like you had stumbled upon a little hidden house!

By this point I was eager and very curious to try this Kaiserschmarrn, wondering whether it would live up to the expectation, and asking myself whether it was worth the slightly slushy detour.

The Kaiserschmarrn came really speedily …and was so good!

As you can see, it is a slightly different approach, mixing the sauce in with the pancake. This creates a very, very moist Kaiserschmarrn with bursts of fruit and juice. It was blackberry instead of plum, which gave it a more strong taste, and a lot of icing sugar ensured it was very sweet. The sugar had slightly crystalised with the heat, and formed delicate crunchy patches – which contrasted really well with the juicy-ness.

The texture was exquisite, the batter delightful, and of course the bright purple colour made the dish look very tasty!

If you are in Hochkönig it is definitely worthwhile to plan your day around this hut!

It is situated right next to the Gabühelbahn – see the website here.

Spring has come! And to celebrate a beautiful sunny day a few of us drove 30mins in the car to Königsee in Berchtesgaden. This place is amazingly close to Salzburg, so if you are here for more than just the weekend, I’d recommend getting out to this majestic lake surrounded with astoundingly high mountains.

We took the round loop (see map here) which took us to some stunning views, was quite easy hike and didn’t take too long either. Perfect for a short afternoon. But of course, we had to taste the Kaiserschmarrn in the huts that were at the bottom of the Jennerbahn ski lift.

The hut looks very picturesque, lovely old wood and decorations – particularly if you go inside and sit in the back room where every inch of the wall is covered in some sort of old fashioned tool.

We enjoyed a table outside in the sun, and watched the skiers, who were clinging onto the winter season, ski down the grassy snow and come for a sunny après ski meal.

Ordering coffee and Kaiserschmarrn, we were happy with the rather big portions, coming in a baking tray dish. The apple sauce was a very generous portion too, making this dish perfect for even 2 hungry hikers to share. The raisins were sporadic, and there were almond flakes included in – something I’d never seen before – and really loved. They added a brittle crunch to the texture (the pancake texture was really beautiful) and the almond taste was complementary to the sweet pancake batter.

Overall, really great Kaiserschmarrn, and great value! Will be sure to stop here for more when in the Berchtesgaden area.

See their website here.

Kuglhof is one the most quaint places to reside for a meal, especially during the quiet hours of Friday lunch time. It is on the outskirts of town (near the Hangar-7), so good location for days which you are transferring to the airport.

It it situated in the middle of fields, the backdrop grandeur of the Untersberg mountains behind, make this feel even more cosy. The decorations are tastefully seasonal, and the menu is quite extensive, presenting traditional dishes in slightly more fancy manor.

On this particular Friday afternoon, this dish was on the daily lunch menu. It was Topfenschmarrn, which is very similar in look and taste to Kaiserschmarrn, but it uses Topfen (Quark) instead. This gives it a more flan-like texture, and in this particular case, didn’t pick up the butter crispiness in the same way. It was served with cherry jam – a lovely change from the usual puree, and the sour and sweet dual flavour that came out of this complimented the plain taste of the pancake. The added fruit and icing sugar was a great touch, giving this dish overall variation and combinations of great flavours.

Although I would opt for the original Kaiserscharrn over Topfenschmarrn, I truly liked Kuglhof’s take on the dish, and would happily embrace a Friday Topfenschmarrn afternoon again!

See the website here.