Curry at High Altitude
January 24, 2011
Did you know that you can have a curry at high altitude? Well, now you do! The Gletschergarten restaurant on the Zugspitze Glacier in Garmisch is perhaps the only place in the Alps to serve curry (with a modern twist) and wow, it’s worth it.
I recently ate there at lunchtime whilst cruising the glacier. The chef, Akram, who has lived in Germany for 13 years but originates from Punjab, offers a tantalising fusion of Italian, French, Spanish, Arabic and Punjabi cuisine.
This leads to an unusual and delicious selection of mountain fare such as corn poularde breast with basmati rice and thai vegetables, salad bouquet with falafel and yoghurt dressing, and fish served with noodles and vegetables. It’s keenly priced, too, with a three-course set menu costing 25 Euros and a pint of beer in town at 3.80 Euros. Beat that Val d’Isere!!
At the end of the day we took the train from the glacier, getting off after about half an hour to have a final ski down through the trees to the base of the cable car. Remember Akram next time you’re on a Garmisch-Partenkirchen ski holiday if you’re looking for an unusual way to spend the afternoon…
There is an awesome Bavarian dining room in Garmisch too – the Gasthof Fraundorfer, which serves proper Bavarian nosh, to an accompaniment of dirndl-dressed waitresses and happy-slappy-lederhosen-clad dancers. Everyone who comes here on a Germany ski holiday seems to love it – and the fact you can eat yourself to a complete standstill for under a tenner helps the atmosphere no end.
Garmisch is only 90 minutes from Munich and a typical ski weekend costs from £395 to include scheduled flights, car hire and 3 nights B&B in a centrally location 3* hotel. A great place for short break with quite a unique dining experience.