At the time of this writing, the web site of Rasthaus Timmelsjoch, https://www.rasthaustimmelsjoch.at/, displays a very unprofessional “Not found” message, which, I think, summarizes this location very well. I knew that ordering a Brettljause there – ordering anything really – was a bad idea. As a kind of a “rest place” at the Italian-Austrian border, the only purpose the Rasthaus serves is to provide a short pause for the tourists from both countries, while letting them appreciate a fabulous alpine landscape. Most of the tourists arrive on motorbikes, the few sportier ones managing it on e-bikes or mountain bikes from Meran or Sölden, while the other, less sportier ones like me reach the place with a bus.
It’s not much of a restaurant, really, more an appendix to the toilet, which certainly serves a much more crucial purpose. People usually order nothing more than a beer here, or a cappuccino with an apple strudel, but the Jause was on the menu, and having failed to find anything earlier in the day, I went for it.
It was basic, as expected. With South Tyrol so near, it was essentially a Marende, containing Speck, Bergkäse and Kaminwurz. Owing to its Austrian origins, however, the Jause also featured some Grammelschmalz and Liptauer.
It would have been better if it had not. Both spreads tasted not only industrial, but very old, as if they had spent their last couple of months in a fridge. Even the way they were squeezed into their glass containers suggested that whoever was responsible for the dish’s preparation (calling him/her a cook would be doing too much of a favor) wanted to get rid of them more than make a customer happy. The Speck was dry, the Kaminurz too small, and the “decoration” nearly non-existent (the tiny dry Pfefferoni looked awfully sad). I enjoyed the mountain cheese, but could have easily found a thick slice of a similar quality at any supermarket.
I understand I cannot be too tough on Rasthaus Timmelsjoch, for it never meant to be a quality restaurant. I don’t even dare giving it a rating lower than “slightly below average.” If you get to Timmelsjoch, you’ll understand my kindness – it’s a beautiful place, and it’s a blessing they serve anything there.
Having said that, I had ordered an espresso reasoning that the closeness to Italy could make it good. I was terribly, terribly wrong.
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