Palatable Pleasures

’ve been on the job for over 30 years now and haven’t missed a day of work,’ says Peter Knogl with a modest dose of pride. Un-like many of his contemporaries, he is a hands-on chef and actively cooks in every service. Two windows allow guests to peek into Knogl’s kitchen, awarded three Michelin stars and 19 Gault&Millau points, as he cracks lobsters, fillets red mullets and prepares his legendary sauces. The native Bavarian is known in the business as the king of all sauces, and anyone lucky enough to have tried his Madeira sauce with sole understands why. It’s a true work of gastronomic art made of poultry stock, Madeira, butter and cream, dashed with plenty of truffle jus. ‘Nothing comes from nothing,’ says the 54-year-old with a playful wink. ‘And, more importantly,’ he adds, ‘the sauce must never cook for too long, otherwise it will lose its elegance.’

Guests at the Cheval Blanc experience Knogl’s art of sauce-making in a setting that turns a restaurant visit into a fully immersive experience. Everything is just right here. From the utterly elegant room that takes you away from everyday life immediately upon entering it, to the thoughtful service under the auspices of Maître Giuseppe Giliberti, who strikes a winning balance of always being good-humoured and extremely cordial. The phenomenal wine list with around 1'000 labels is looked after by Christoph Kokemoor, who seems to have every single aroma profile at the tip of his tongue. And finally, the charming vistas of the Rhine! Excellent produce and ingredients, the very best craftsmanship and a subtly modern take on French-based cuisine, plus the odd Asian influence are the cornerstones of a culinary offering that has secured Knogl a steady string of devotees in Basel. Around 50% of guests come from the city and the surrounding area and like to visit regularly.

They look forward to Knogl’s menu, which sets the tone with finely nuanced amuse-bouches – from marinated rock crab with vadouvan to jalapeño froth on red prawns. The menu starts with a soft terrine of duck foie gras with cassis jelly and fig confit. Knogl’s Beurre Blanc with bergamot for his lobster underlines how precisely the chef sets his culinary accents: the subtly balanced sauce, cooked based on a stock prepared from only the best fish, owes its finespun citrus notes to the grating of bergamot. Of course, the lobster, of excellent Breton quality, was pulled to a perfect bite at 70 degrees, somewhere between raw and cooked, to that elusive point where it is closest to its ideal structure. Other highlights include hand-fished sole with Périgord truffle and roast beef of Kagoshima wagyu with okra and aubergine.