ZURICH - In Your Pocket

28 RESTAURANTS
Cheese restaurants
The Swiss cheese specialities fondue and raclette,
originally come from the French speaking areas of
Switzerland. Fondue is basically a mix of melted cheese
and white wine bubbling over a small burner which you dip
bread cubes into, while raclette is pure melted cheese
which is poured over boiled potatoes. For the Swiss
these are essentially winter dishes, so now’s the time
to try them - the listed restaurants below are specialists.
Chäsalp Tobelhofstrasse 236, 8Tobelhof (Bus
751), tel. +41 44 260 75 75, www.chaesalp.ch.
The Chäsalp is a former farm on top of Zürichberg,
where fondue and raclette are now served in the old
stable. This gives you a kind of alpine-hut experience,
which makes the extra bit of travel up the hill well worth
while. It’s usually very busy with tourists and locals,
also on Saturdays and Sundays, when they do a good
brunch. While there are 16 different kinds of fondues on
offer, we recommend sticking to the house blend or the
classic moitié-moité - we very much liked both. They have
meat and Swiss style pasta too - but remember, it’s the
cheese alp not the steak hut. Q Open 11:30 - 14:00,
17:30 - 24:00, Sat & Sun 10:00 - 24:00. (26 - 56Sfr). A
Fribourger Fonduestübli C-3, Rotwandstrasse 38,
8Staufffacher, tel. +41 44 241 90 76, www.fribourger
-fondue-stuebli.ch. Fondue is considered a Swiss
national dish, but some regions have more of a tradition
than others. The canton of Fribourg prides itself on making
some of the best fondues, and here you can choose
between two different Fribourger cheese blends. One,
moitié-moitié, is a half-half blend of gruyère and vacherin
fribourgeois, two excellent cheeses which both come
from Fribourg. Have a glass of white wine with your meal,
but be careful not to lose the piece of bread while dipping
it in the melted cheese. Real Swiss chase it with a glass
of kirsch at the end to ease digestion - we suggest you
just do the same. Q Open 11:30 - 14:00, 18:00 - 24:00.
Kitchen open until 22:00. (28Sfr). A
Le Dézaley F-4, Römergasse 7/9, 8Helmhaus,
tel. +41 44 251 61 29, www.le-dezaley.ch. Since
1974 Pascal Ruhlé and his team have been cooking
dishes from the canton Vaud, situated in western
Switzerland. The fondue prepared according to an old
family recipe is definitely very tasty and also comes in
a version with morels (mushrooms). Or get one of the
fondue deals including a starter (like air-dried meat) and
a dessert. Try one of the different sausages of the region,
be it stuffed with cabbage or just served plain with French
beans or leek or go for one of the other Swiss dishes. The
old part of the restaurant is more charming, so try to get a
seat there. QOpen 11:30 - 14:30, 18:00 - 24:00. Closed
Sun. Kitchen open until 23:00. (22 - 50Sfr). JAB
©iStockphoto.com/Colin Soutar
Turm F-3, Obere Zäune 19, 8Rathaus, tel. +41
43 268 39 40, www.bei-tony.ch. If you are not good
at decisions, you will have a hard time choosing at the
Caribbean restaurant Turm: the vast menu reads almost
like a zoo: crocodile, kangaroo, bison, beef, soups, salads
and quesadillas. The place is heavily decorated with plants
and palms, contrasting with the old house it’s located in.
Food is good and service fast - usually. The Turm is hidden
in the upper part of Niederdorf. But it’s well known: just ask
for directions. QOpen 10:00 - 24:00. Non-stop kitchen until
23:30. (30 - 66Sfr). JAB
Italian
Bindella E-4, In Gassen 6, 8Paradeplatz, tel. +41 44 221
25 46, www.bindella.ch. Bindella is dedicated to Venetian
cuisine and it’s not just the Neo-Baroque interior: fish and
seafood rule the menu. Meat lovers get their money‘s worth
as well. Try spaghetti with clams (alle vongole) as a starter,
continue with the chopped calf‘s liver with risotto and finish
off with some Italian cheese. But no matter what you choose,
if you like Italian food, we‘re convinced you will be more than
pleased with what you get. The service is good, waiters are
smart and friendly and the atmosphere is not exactly quiet but
all the more Italian. QOpen 11:30 - 23:30, Sun 17:30 - 23:00.
Nonstop kitchen until 22:00, Sun 21:30 (29 - 68Sfr). JAB
NEW
Don Leone C-3, Bäckerstrasse 31, 8Stauffacher, tel.
+41 44 241 01 01, www.donleone.ch. This is a real Italian
ristorante: it’s chatty, cramped and bustling - but that gives
the place its genuine atmosphere. You’ll most probably be
seated at one of their big wooden tables among others. Food
is good: we can really recommend their crunchy pizza. Unlike
most pizzerias they also have pizze bianche - pizza without
tomato topping like it’s eaten around Naples. But you’ll also
find meat specialities like costolette d’agnello (lamb chops)
on the menu. Q Open 10:00 - 14:30, 17:00 - 24:00, Mon &
Sat 17:00 - 24:00, Sun closed. AB
Italia C-2, Zeughausstrasse 61, 8Helvetiaplatz, tel.
+41 43 233 88 44, www.ristorante-italia.ch. Simple,
unspectacular, but nevertheless outstanding Italian cooking.
Start with a misto salumi, a selection of the almost twenty
Italian sausages in stock, then continue with some pasta (we
recommend linguine nere con gamberi, panna e pomodori -
black pasta with shrimps, cream and tomatoes) as a first dish
and then choose the galeton al diavolo (chicken on hot sauce)
- or skip the pasta and leave some space for sweets. The Italia
is a wine lovers paradise: there are 24 different wines served
by the glass. The futuristic wine tasting machine makes sure
the wines don’t oxidise and the quality stays perfect. Q Open
11:30 - 14:00, 18:00 - 24:00, Sat & Sun 18:00 - 24:00. Kitchen
open until 22:00, Thu-Sat until 22:30 (17 - 34 Sfr). AB
NEW
Tschingg F-4, Oberdorfstrasse 2, 8Bellevue, tel. +41
43 210 38 07, www.tschingg.eu. This is a simple, cheap
and tasty pasta experience. Order one of the six different
vegetarian sugos on offer (9.50 - 13.50Sfr), and take a
seat. The pasta is served to your table within minutes. Our
pasta came really al dente and the tomato sugo Tschingg
we chose was very flavoursome - a tit bit hot, as we like it.
Unfortunately, we only spotted one single one of the capers
the sauce was meant to have in it. Tschingg, by the way, is
what the Swiss disparagingly called the Italian immigrants in
the 1960s. Nowadays their descendants are proud enough
of their heritage to open a restaurant with the same name.
Nice move. Take away 2.50 cheaper. Q Open 08:00 - 22:00,
Fri 08:00 - 23:00, Sat 09:00 - 23:00, Sun closed.
Zurich In Your Pocket zurich.inyourpocket.com
Japanese
Ginger G-6, Seefeldstrasse 62, 8Kreuzstrasse, tel.
+41 44 422 95 09, www.ginger-restaurant.ch. A fancy
but excellent sushi restaurant in the Seefeld district with a
modern, plain interior. At the small bar a conveyor belt supplies
you with never-ending sushi creations. At the tables in the
back you can not only enjoy the cold Japanese dishes but
fried fish and dozens of warm Japanese treats as well. The
food at Ginger’s is not only delicious, but pricey too. But you
can dine with a good conscience: all their fish is caught using
sustainable methods. QOpen 11:45 - 14:30, 17:00 - 24:00,
Sat 17:00 - 24:00. Closed Sun. A
Sala of Tokyo D-1, Limmatstrasse 29, 8Sihlquai/
Hauptbahnhof, tel. +41 44 271 52 90, www.sala-of
-tokyo.ch. It calls itself ‘Japan‘s Food Embassy N°1’ - and
that‘s what Sala of Tokyo is, at least in Zurich. The Sala‘s
meals with 9 courses (130Sfr) will convince you that there‘s
more to Japanese kitchen than sushi or sashimi. Surprises
are included as the menu says no more than ‘something from
the sea’ or ‘something fried’. In the sankaiyaki part of the
restaurant the dishes are grilled at your table. If you want to
go for the extravagant try the celebrated Wagyu beef from
Kobe cattle (180Sfr).QOpen 11:45 - 14:00, 18:00 - 22:45,
Sat 18:00 - 22:45. Closed Sun & Mon. Kitchen open until
21:30 (33 - 72Sfr). JAB
Yooji’s Bellevue F-5, St. Urbangasse 8, 8Bellevue, tel.
+41 44 253 11 11, www.yoojis.ch. No matter if you prefer
your sushi as a proper dinner at a table, a quick eat at the bar
or to take away: the three Yooji’s in Zurich are a safe bet for
Japanese food. This one at Bellevue has a gallery where you
can sit at tables above the bar, maybe a good place to order
some of the more daring sushi creations. You can pick the
traditional ones from the conveyor belt while sitting at the bar.
By the way: over 80% of the fish is from sustainable sources.
There is another Yooji’s in the Seefeld district (Seefeldstrasse
115) and one close to Langstrasse (Josefstrasse 112).Q
Open 11:00 - 23:00, kitchen open until 22:00. JAB
Mediterranean
Clouds K-6, Maagplatz 5, 8Schiffbau, tel. +41 44
404 30 00, www.clouds.ch. Well, this is what we call a
view! On the top floor of the newly opened Prime Tower you
can overlook the whole city while having dinner or sipping
on a cocktail. By choosing the restaurant, the bistro bar or
the lounge section of the Clouds, you also choose the part
of the city you’ll be able to gaze onto. In the bistro you can
always get something nice to eat, no matter what the time
of the day. In the restaurant fine dining classics like beef filet
are the ace in the hole. As the restaurant has just opened
zurich.inyourpocket.com
RESTAURANTS
The aptly named restaurant at the top of the Prime Tower:
Clouds. PD
last winter, reservation seems to be compulsory. Q Open
07:30 - 24:00, Fri 07:30 - 02:00, Sat 09:00 - 02:00, Sun
09:00 - 24:00. (Restaurant only open for lunch and dinner,
lounge only in the evening). A
Les Halles K-6, Pfingstweidtsrasse 6, 8Escher-Wyss
Platz, tel. +41 44 273 11 25, www.les-halles.ch. This
garage-style restaurant offers mostly organic food from
around the Mediterranean with a particularly French touch.
The ever fresh moules et frites (mussels with French fries)
are what a lot of people come here for, or the tasty beef tartar.
The restaurant works like a market hall: you place your order
at the kitchen corner and it‘s served to your table. It’s always
very busy and loud - so come here rather for the outstanding
fresh food and the industrial style than for a quiet evening
with your significant other. There is also a delicatessen in
the back. Q Open 11:00 - 24:00, Thu 11:00 - 01:00, Fri &
Sat 11:00 - 02:00, Sun 17:00 - 24:00. Kitchen open 11:45 -
13:45, 18:30 - 21:45. (19 - 35Sfr). B
Zum Grünen Glas F-4, Untere Zäune 15, 8Neumarkt,
tel. +41 44 251 65 04, www.gruenesglas.ch. A little bit
off the beaten track on the upper edge of Niederdorf, the
zum Grünen Glas offers notable Mediterranean-style cuisine
in the noble atmosphere of an old guild house. The classic
here is the beef tartar - it’s served either with basil and olives
or Asian-style with wasabi and mango chutney. And yes, it’s
very tasty. You will find fish, meat and some typical Zurich
dishes like geschnetzeltes and bratwurst on the menu as
well. QOpen 11:00 - 23:30, Sat 17:30 - 23:30. Closed Sun.
Kitchen open until 22:00 (28 - 45Sfr). JAB
Mediterranean bar/restaurant/market hall, located at the heart of the culture and
night-life district of Zurich West. Reservations: 044-273 11 25 or www.les-halles.ch
October - November 2012
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