If you are looking for thoroughly wholesome dishes, Thomas Pollet is your man. He and his partner Martina Odermatt have been running the "Magdi-Beiz" eatery in Lucerne for a good three years. The restaurant is on the narrow Eisengasse on the first floor. The interior: a combination of rustic and urban. And the cuisine is exactly the same. "Our cooking is very down-to-earth," says Thomas. The 39-year-old does not use tweezers to plate up. Nevertheless, the plates are lovingly presented and the dishes have an exciting depth to them.
At the "Magdi", guests enjoy "Le Petit Bonheur" menu, which is designed to share at the table. They leave the choice of dishes to the chef. "I'm often asked what kind of cuisine I prepare. But I'm not very keen on that question," says Pollet. Nevertheless, the influences of French cuisine are clearly recognizable and can be traced back to his family's roots. "My parents are from Geneva. My grandparents regularly ate offal and pâté en croûte," Thomas explains. The chef inherited his passion for pâté from his grandfather. He also serves it regularly, with a different filling every time. "Sometimes I use poultry, pork, or, in the autumn, game. I don't have a recipe, I cook by instinct," says Pollet.
Thomas Pollet learnt his metier at the Restaurant Aarhof in Wildegg. He was still making packet soup in the first year of his apprenticeship, but in the second year, everything changed. "The concept changed. The Aarhof was the first restaurant in Canton Aargau to be certified as organic. From then on, we cooked everything ourselves from scratch." After completing his apprenticeship, Pollet moved to Canton Lucerne. He has worked at the Hotel Kastanienbaum, Tropenhaus Wolhusen, Park Hotel Weggis, Millefeuille and, most recently, the "Drei Könige". The opportunity then suddenly arose to take over the "Magdalena". "My predecessor, Carlos, is a legend. He always worked barefoot. He didn't want to sell his restaurant to a chain, but rather to someone who would manage it personally." Thomas Pollet and Martina Odermatt opened the historic restaurant in the old town of Lucerne after the second Covid lockdown in 2021. Today, you can still drink Carajillo on the ground floor, but upstairs a lot has changed. The people of Lucerne love this cosy eatery, which features on the "GaultMillau Pop" list.
Das Konzept änderte. Der Aarhof war das erste bio-zertifizierte Restaurant im Kanton Aargau. Von da an haben wir alles von Grund auf selber gekocht
The chef uses almost exclusively Swiss products in his cuisine. "I've always done it like this. We have so many good products in the region and supporting local producers just makes sense," says Pollet. For him, it is the most natural thing in the world. "To be honest, when a New York chef raves about having fresh fish from Tokyo, I don't understand. He has the ocean on his doorstep." Pollet also buys his groceries on his doorstep. The trout for the starter comes from Fischhuus Mühlethal, the sour cream in which the fish marinates overnight is from the dairy, Molki Stans. He gets kid goat from Toni Odermatt, braises the leg and breast, plucks the meat and presses it between two baking trays. It is served with chimichurri from carrot greens, bread dumplings and ratatouille. Thomas buys his vegetables at the weekly market in Lucerne. Celeriac for celeriac pastrami, for example. Vegetarians are catered for at the "Magdi" as well.
The environmental footprint we leave behind matters to Pollet. When Pollet talks about sustainability, there is nothing rigid or doctrinaire about it. "We can't use 100% Swiss products. But we are using less and less lemon juice, for example, and more verjuice instead. It's not the same thing, but it works just as well for adding acidity." Food waste is also a key issue at the "Magdi". Pollet has not been peeling carrots for ages. Potatoes, only if really necessary. And he cuts the cauliflower leaves into a delicious chiffonade, which is then mixed together with the florets to make a salad. "We don't serve huge portions either. It's enough to fill you up. But if anyone wants more, we'll happily oblige." No one has starved at the "Magdi" yet.
Text: Kathia Baltisberger, Photos: Olivia Pulver, Date: 09.09.2024
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