Magdalena x Bros’ | Restaurant Magdalena

The Restaurant “Magdalena” has had all eyes on it since it opened in 2020 - Dominik Hartmann immediately received two stars from Michelin for his vegetable-focused cuisine, the Discovery of the Year award from Gault & Millau and 15 points. What an achievement!

We put the restaurant on our "to-do" list for quite some time and were super excited to be there for their special event - the 4 Hands Dinner with top chef Isabella Poti from Lecce, Italy.

Dominik Hartmann and Isabella Poti - a culinary match made in heaven. Both young, talented, determined and very successful. Isabella, who was born in 1995, works as the head chef of Lecce’s Michelin-starred Bros’. She has made a name for herself as a starred chef not only in Italy but globally and already made it on the Forbes "30 under 30" list and furthermore appeared as a guest judge on Masterchef Italia. Dominik, on the other hand, started as a Commis at Schloss Schauenstein with Andreas Caminada and was promoted to Chef Patissier after one year. The global pandemic couldn't get him down or stop him, with his first restaurant Magdalena he catapulted straight into starry heaven - and got 2 of them right away.

Entering the restaurant already is an experience. Everything has its place, the modern interior and the view into the distance captivates. The concept is well thought through, the team is young, innovative and convinced with their casual interaction and warm hospitality. You wouldn't necessarily expect such a chic and modern restaurant in rural Rickenbach near Schwyz, but it's exactly what was missing. You can see from the license plates in the garage that people come here from all over just to experience Magdalena's culinary highlights.

Upon seeing the menu for the special event, we were very excited. The two chefs' cuisines are very contrasting, but still complement each other well. Dominik focuses more on vegetables and intense flavors while Isabella focuses on ancient tastes mixed with modernity.

Dominik's courses blew us away. We knew he was known for his creative combinations and his talent for the interplay of flavors, but we didn't expect his dishes to cause such a pleasing flavor explosion - Wow! As meat lovers, we didn't miss it in his dishes at all. With so much umami, there's definitely no need for meat. His homemade sourdough bread is literally a dream and hard to top. We look forward to being able to buy it soon at his new "Magdalena Bakery” (Pop-Up Bakery at Bistro Bären (Herrengasse 12) in Schwyz from Saturday 27 November).

Isabella's dishes were extremely exciting. As lovers of Italian cuisine it was a highlight to experience her modern, innovative dishes. Especially her signature dish "Spaghetto with rancid fat" convinced us completely. Even if her cuisine may take some getting used to at the beginning, precisely because she partially reinterprets classic dishes, you should just get involved and learn to appreciate and love the intense flavors combinations and amazing products she provides you with.

An evening full of exciting, new creations, young, motivated chefs and a successful interplay. This was definitely not the last time we visited Magdalena and the restaurant Bros' in Lecce is surely at the top of our list for our next trip to Puglia.

Prices:

$$ (moderate for a ** Michelin Restaurant!)

Address:

Restaurant Magdalena Rickenbachstrasse 127 6432 Rickenbach SZ

Phone: +41 41 810 06 06

E-Mail: kontakt@restaurant-magdalena.ch

Website: https://www.restaurant-magdalena.ch/