OZ

A Garden Counter in a Medieval Village

Fürstenau is easy to miss. The village in Graubünden canton is barely a few hundred metres of cobbled lanes, an old castle, and the kind of silence that makes city visitors slightly nervous. That remoteness is, in part, the point. The Schloss Schauenstein estate has made Fürstenau a deliberate destination rather than an accident of geography, and OZ — the plant-based restaurant that shares the estate — operates on that same logic: you arrive with intention, or you do not arrive at all.

The name is Rhaeto-Romanic for "today", which signals the kitchen's orientation more precisely than any menu descriptor could. In a region where Romansh linguistic traditions survive in place names and architecture alike, the choice of the word carries local weight. It also sets an expectation: what is served tonight reflects what the permaculture garden and the estate's long-standing supplier network made available today, not what was scheduled last week.

The Seasonal Logic at the Centre

Plant-based fine dining at this level depends entirely on a kitchen's relationship with its growing calendar, and OZ's structural answer to that challenge is a nine-course set menu that changes with the seasons. The permaculture garden attached to the estate is not decorative. It is the engine of the menu, supplying ingredients whose variety and ripeness determine what chef Simeon Nikolov actually cooks. When the garden dictates, the kitchen follows , a discipline that looks simple from the outside and is considerably harder to sustain at the precision required for a Michelin one-star service.

Switzerland's alpine growing season compresses what a garden in, say, Burgundy or Catalonia might produce over nine months into a shorter, more intense cycle. Spring brings alliums, early herbs, and the first brassica shoots. High summer produces the fuller vegetable vocabulary: courgettes, tomatoes, beans, and the aromatic herbs that Graubünden's elevation and dry climate develop with unusual intensity. Autumn is the transition that matters most for vegetable cookery , the moment when root vegetables, squash, and wild mushrooms arrive together and the kitchen's palette shifts from bright acidic notes toward depth and earthiness. Winter service at altitude requires the most ingenuity: fermentation, preservation, and the careful use of stored roots sit alongside whatever the kitchen sources from trusted regional partners.

The award record reflects that seasonal discipline. We're Smart, the Antwerp-based authority on vegetable gastronomy, awarded OZ five Radishes , its leading rating , and named it Discovery of the Year for Switzerland in 2022. On the Opinionated About Dining European ranking, OZ moved from a recommended new restaurant in 2023 to number 397 in 2024 and then to number 298 in 2025, a three-year trajectory that tracks consistent kitchen development rather than a single breakout moment. Michelin added a star in 2024. These are not decorative signals: they indicate a kitchen that has earned recognition from the critics most serious about vegetable-focused cooking specifically.

Counter Seating and Kitchen Transparency

The dining format at OZ places guests at a U-shaped counter facing the kitchen. In a nine-course vegetarian menu, that proximity matters. The structural challenge of cooking without meat or fish at this level is one of texture contrast and flavour depth , qualities that are more legible when you can watch how a dish is assembled and finished. Counter seating at this standard does not mean informality; it means a different kind of attention, one where the sequence and rhythm of the kitchen become part of the experience.

One documented example from the menu record illustrates the kitchen's approach: sautéed local mushrooms with roasted notes, arranged on freshly baked puff pastry, decorated with deep-fried celeriac straws and finished with aromatic mushroom foam. The construction moves through three textures , flaky pastry, yielding mushroom, crisp celeriac , and layers a single principal flavour at different intensities. That kind of structural thinking is characteristic of cooking that has learned from classical European technique without being constrained by it. The mushrooms are sourced locally, the celeriac from the estate's broader supply network, and the timing of the dish on the menu places it in the autumn window when both ingredients are at their peak.

A detail that is easy to overlook: every menu price includes a two Swiss Franc donation to the next generation of chefs. It is a small sum embedded in a €€€€ price point, but it signals something about the estate's relationship to the profession it occupies.

The Caminada Estate Context

OZ operates within the Schloss Schauenstein estate, which means it shares a location and a broader culinary context with Schloss Schauenstein itself, one of Switzerland's most recognised fine dining addresses, and with Casa Caminada, the estate's more rustic Swiss cooking counterpart. Andreas Caminada's name appears across the project's foundation, with Nikolov running the OZ kitchen daily. That structure , a senior figure setting the architectural conditions, a working chef executing with autonomy , is common in multi-restaurant estates across Europe and does not diminish the cooking. What it does mean is that OZ operates with the supply infrastructure, producer relationships, and professional standards of a mature hospitality group rather than a standalone restaurant finding its footing.

For context within Switzerland's fine dining tier, OZ sits alongside addresses like Memories in Bad Ragaz, Cheval Blanc by Peter Knogl in Basel, and Hotel de Ville Crissier in Crissier , all operating at €€€€ and recognised by Michelin , but occupies a distinct position within that tier as the only one centred exclusively on plant-based cookery. Further afield, Caminada's IGNIV Zürich and addresses like focus ATELIER in Vitznau and 7132 Silver in Vals complete the Swiss alpine fine dining picture. For readers interested in vegetable-centred fine dining internationally, Fu He Hui in Shanghai and Lamdre in Beijing occupy comparable territory in Asia.

OZ's position on the OAD European ranking , number 298 in 2025 against a field that includes French three-stars and established Scandinavian tasting menu restaurants , places it in a peer set well beyond Switzerland's domestic fine dining scene.

Planning a Visit

Fürstenau sits in the Domleschg valley in Graubünden, reachable by train to Thusis followed by a short onward transfer, or by road from Chur in under thirty minutes. The estate's remoteness is part of its operating logic: guests who make the journey are there specifically for the cooking, which simplifies what a kitchen needs to do in terms of converting the uncommitted. Given OZ's recognition trajectory since its 2022 We're Smart discovery award and its 2024 Michelin star, booking well in advance is advisable; demand at this price tier in the Swiss alpine corridor has increased in line with recognition. The nine-course format means an evening commitment, and the estate's accommodation options make an overnight stay practical for those travelling from Zurich, Basel, or beyond Switzerland's borders. Our full guides to Fürstenau restaurants, Fürstenau hotels, Fürstenau bars, Fürstenau wineries, and Fürstenau experiences cover the broader estate and surrounding area. Additional Swiss fine dining references in the region include Einstein Gourmet in Sankt Gallen, Colonnade in Lucerne, and Da Vittorio in St. Moritz for those building a broader Swiss itinerary.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the signature dish at OZ?

OZ does not publish a fixed signature dish, which is consistent with its seasonal kitchen philosophy , "oz" means "today" in Rhaeto-Romanic precisely because the menu reflects what the garden and the estate's supply network provide. The most documented preparation from the kitchen is sautéed local mushrooms on freshly baked puff pastry with deep-fried celeriac straws and mushroom foam, a dish that appears in the Michelin record and illustrates the kitchen's approach to layering a single principal flavour across contrasting textures. It is an autumn preparation and not available year-round. The nine-course set menu format means that across the table, seasonal produce drives each course rather than any fixed preparation anchoring the experience.

What makes OZ worth seeking out?

OZ earned five Radishes from We're Smart , the specialist vegetable gastronomy authority , and the Discovery of the Year award for Switzerland in 2022. Michelin added a star in 2024. On the Opinionated About Dining European ranking, it reached number 298 in 2025 from an unranked position just two years earlier. That trajectory across three independent critical frameworks is unusual for any restaurant at this age, and particularly for a plant-based kitchen outside the major European capitals. The estate context in Fürstenau means that a visit pairs with the three-Michelin-starred Schloss Schauenstein and the country cooking of Casa Caminada, making the journey to a remote alpine village a coherent multi-day eating proposition rather than a single destination.