Restaurant of the Month - September 2014

Brasserie Lipp, Uraniastrasse 9, 8001 Zurich

http://www.brasserie-lipp.ch/wp_lipp/

In September, the season changes to Autumn and it's time to enjoy the new menus in our Zurich restaurants. When there's an r in the month, we can expect to find oysters on the menu at Brasserie Lipp, the local branch of the famous chic Paris eaterie. So on the last Tuesday of September, 13 members of ZIWA's Dining Around the World Group went French!

Top choice for many were the mussels - a steaming bowlful of moules with a portion of frites, to share or enjoy by oneself. Others plumped for a dish of oysters, one of the house specialities. Others chose the menu of the day, be it fish, meat or vegi, including a soup or salad starter. Prices ranged from CHF 30 to 50 per person. Not bad for a special lunchtime treat.



The Lipp has a huge range of dishes to choose from, including salads, smoked salmon, prawns, sausages, grilled meats and duck for example. The meat dishes are priced starting at around CHF45. You can also push the boat out with a whole lobster or a fisherman's stew, all of which are accompanied by the vegetables of the season. And you might like to start off with a glass of champagne to set the mood. Most of us opted for water, however.

For a taste of French cuisine or for a handy lunch meeting point for two in style, try the Brasserie Lipp in Zurich. And Autumn is a good time to do it.

Bon appetit!

Swiss cheeses

These cheeses were featured in a tasting at the ZIWA Kick-Off on 23 September 2014

Tilsiter Mild

Tilsiter cheese is a light yellow semi-hard cheese, created in the mid-19th century by Prussian-Swiss settlers, the Westphal family, from the Emmental valley. The same ingredients to make the cheese were not available as in their home country and the cheese became colonized by different moulds, yeasts, and bacteria in the humid climate. The result was a cheese that was more intense and full flavoured. The settlers named the cheese after Tilsit, the Prussian town in which they had settled.

Tilsiter has a medium-firm texture with irregular holes or cracks. Commercially produced Tilsiter is made from pasteurized cow's milk, ranges from 30 to 60 percent milk fat and has a dark yellow rind. After the main part of its production, the cheese needs to rest for an additional 2 months.

Nowadays it’s manufactured in more than one location and the milk comes from north and east Switzerland.

Using the re-imported recipe, Tilsiter has been manufactured in Switzerland since 1893. Swiss Tilsiter is mainly produced in 3 varieties. A mild version (green label) is made from pasteurized milk, a more strongly flavoured one from fresh, unpasteurized milk (red label), and the yellow-labeled "Rahm-Tilsiter" is produced from pasteurized milk with added cream.

Appenzeller Surchoix

Appenzeller cheese is a hard cow's-milk cheese produced in the Appenzell region of northeast Switzerland. A herbal brine, sometimes incorporating wine or cider, is applied to the wheels of cheese while they cure, which flavors and preserves the cheese while promoting the formation of a rind.

Appenzeller has a documented history of at least 700 years. 

Today, about 75 dairies produce it, each with a different recipe for their brine wash. Most of the recipes are trade secrets.

The cheese is straw-colored, with tiny holes and a golden rind. It has a strong smell and a nutty or fruity flavor, which can range from mild to tangy, depending on how long it is aged. Three types are sold:

• "Classic". Aged three to four months. The wheels are wrapped in a silver label.
• "Surchoix". Aged four to six months. Gold label.
• "Extra". Aged six months or longer. Black label.

Gstaader Mutschli

From the Berner Oberland Saanen region of south-east Switzerland. You can visit the cheese factory there: http://www.molkerei-gstaad.ch/

Mutschli is a 'HalbhartKäse' or Half hard (semi hard) cheese produced in the Canton of Bern.

Mutschli is the Bernese version of the common 'Hirtenkäse' or Herdsman's cheese. These cheeses were traditionally made for the direct consumption by the farmers, rather than for sale. As such they are softer so that they do not need to be aged as long, often being eaten after a few weeks of ageing. Historically speaking, these are probably the oldest cheese type, the longer aged alpine cheeses being adapted from them by adjusting the recipe so that they store better, being more suited to transport across long distances.

All cheeses from Switzerland

·                     Sbrinz

·                     Emmentaler

·                     Swiss cheese

·                     Gruyère/Greyerzer

·                     Berner Alpkäse

·                     Schabziger

·                     Appenzeller

·                     Bündner Bergkäse

·                     Mutschli

·                     Raclette

·                     Tête de Moine

·                     Vacherin Fribourgeois

·                     Tilsiter

·                     Vacherin Mont d'Or

·                     Formaggini

·                     Gala

·                     Büsciun da cavra

·                     L'Etivaz

·                     Tomme vaudoise

Visit the Bern Cheese Festival - 25 October 2014: Bern cheese festival

Julia Newton, 23 September 2014

Restaurant of the Month - August 2014

Drei Stuben, Beckenhofstrasse 5, 8006 Zurich

http://dreistuben.ch/

On a late summer's day, a garden restaurant is ideal. However, with a summer like this past one, a cosy indoor salon is a better bet. Drei Stuben catered to both alternatives: yesterday the rain won the day. Fourteen discerning ladies from ZIWA's Dining Around the World group gathered for lunch in the traditional wood-panelled interior of this typically Swiss place only two tram stops away from Zurich's main station. There was no shortage of conversation and good food.



We all opted for the set menu choices - salad or potato soup followed by Rotbarsch with potatoes, cucumber salad and a remoulade sauce or rolled veal with jus and pasta. The food is nicely presented and tasty. And the price is very reasonable - under CHF 40 for a two-course meal with water and coffee. On sunnier days, the outdoor experience is to be savoured.



The restaurant offers a selection of classic dishes done with modern flair. They also offer a five-course set menu for a special occasion. And the dessert card is impressive too. Chef Michael Bollinger and his team have refreshed the menu selection with dishes to appeal to all the senses. But the traditional setting remains familiar.

So for a taste of old-fashioned Switzerland  with a modern twist, you might like to try Drei Stuben in the university quarter of Zurich.

Enjoy your lunch!

Restaurant of the Month - July 2014

Seerestaurant Quai 61, Mythenquai 61, 8002 Zurich

http://www.quai61.ch/en/lakeside-restaurant/

In July, we took a chance on the weather and booked a table by the lake of Zurich, but under cover at Quai 61. This proved to be the perfect compromise - a waterside view without the risk of rain. Twelve people came along to enjoy the ambiance and the midday menu choices.

Service at lunchtime is quick, and the restaurant caters to business workers wishing for a chic place to eat, close to the financial centre, where you can also show off to a client or companion. For members of ZIWA's Dining Around the World group, our aim is a congenial location with great value food and attentive service. This was easily achieved on this rather overcast summer's day.

There was a choice of set menus at a reasonable price - fish or beef with delicious accompaniments, all served promptly. A glass of wine went down nicely alongside the main event. As usual the conversation predominated over the eating, though.



Quai 61 has a great a la carte selection, as well as a cocktail bar and a sundeck for really warm days. You do need to reserve though, as the place is always busy.

They also serve Sunday brunch and cater for special events. So if you're looking for somewhere special within walking distance of tram, bus and boat stops, with a wonderful lake view, give Quai 61 a call.

Zum wohl mitenand!

Restaurant of the Month - June 2014

Ristorante Italia, Zeughausstrasse 61, 8004 Zurich

http://www.ristorante-italia.ch/

Ideally one should experience this homely Italian place on a sunny day, when the shady garden provides a welcoming ambiance. We happened to choose the first rainy day of the month for our June visit. But we had a table for twelve inside a spacious side dining room designed for groups, and our welcome couldn't have been warmer. Another great lunchtime get-together for ZIWA's friendly Dining Around the World group.

On the menu at lunch-time - four or five dishes of traditional Italian home cooking. We could choose from involtini di pollo with risotto, penne with a spicy tomato sauce, scrambled eggs with broad beans and cottage cheese or two other tasty dishes. Each option cost under CHF30 and was accompanied by a mixed salad. On other days, the midday choice includes veal or beef, which are priced a bit higher. Everyone found the food delicious, and the service was quick and attentive. We could also have chosen a lemon granita to finish the meal, but most people were too busy chatting and went straight onto the coffee.


The a la carte menu has many more Italian specialities such as wild boar, spicy sausage, linguini with prawns, home-made gnocchi and many more meat and pasta dishes.There is also an impressive list of desserts, cheeses, wines and grappa to choose from.

Located near Zurich Helvetiaplatz and 10 minutes' walk from Stauffacher, the Ristoranti Italia offers cucina alla mama to office workers, groups, families and couples. It's down to earth, but the cuisine is excellent. If you're in the area, why not give it a try?

Buon appetito!

Restaurant of the Month - May 2014

Brasserie Louis, Niederdorfstrasse 10, 8801 Zurich

http://www.brasserie-louis.ch/

For a taste of French ambience in the heart of Zurich's Niederdorf district, you might like to try Brasserie Louis. Its size is deceptive and there is ample seating on the terrace outdoors on a sunny day. On Tuesday lunchtime last week, 15 members of ZIWA's Dining Around the World group gathered at two tables indoors. We had a very pleasant and authentically French experience.

On the day's special lunch menu there was a choice of veal with vegetables and sauce or penne with broccoli. We could also choose from the May specials menu of seasonal dishes, or splash out on a typically French dish from the extensive a la carte selection. The day's menu came with soup, potato as it turned out, or salad. The tender veal was many people's first choice, although some opted for bouillabaisse, a tasty fish soup. A choice of French and other fine wines accompanied the meal for anyone in a relaxed mood.



Service was rather slow on this occasion, but the staff were as helpful as possible and dealt with our staggered arrivals and departures calmly. Prices for the set lunches varied from 20 to 30 francs. We could also have chosen the classic entrecote cafe de Paris or the moules frites in season. The restaurant seats 80 and has a bar upstairs too. It's also a good place to have an after-movie coffee, as the Frosch cinema is just around the corner. I have also enjoyed delicious lamb here in the evening, and the red wines are very acceptable.


For an authentic taste of French je ne sais quoi right in the middle of the Zurich Altstadt, Brasserie Louis could be the place for you.

Bon appetit!

Restaurant of the Month - April 2014

Restaurant Delicato, Uraniastrasse 40, 8001 Zurich

http://www.delicato.ch/

 On weekday lunchtimes, this small Greek restaurant in the centre of Zurich offers a buffet selection of starters and main course dishes at a reasonable price. So the ZIWA Dining Around the World group enjoyed their April rendezvous and tried out all the typical Greek salads, soup, dips and main course options. And went back for more!


We sat upstairs on the balcony of the blue-and-white painted restaurant and enjoyed the view. Service was excellent but there was a rather steep climb down to the ground floor buffet to select our choices from aubergine dip, pittas, Greek salad, feta, yogurt and soup. Then down again to pick a typical meat dish - today it was bifteki, a beef meatball dish, and / or chicken, rice, green beans and fried potatoes. The dishes kept being replenished during our lunch visit. No one went hungry.

Afterwards we could also sample the sticky baclava and enjoy a coffee. The buffet cost CHF 26.50 and drinks were extra. The waiter was very attentive and even brought us separate bills when some ladies had to leave rather early.

There is also a full a la carte menu at lunchtimes and in the evening, when typical Greek dishes such as dolmades, spanakopita, barbounia and kalamari are on the menu. The choices vary with the seasons. There is also a good selection of Greek wines to try out.

For an authentic Greek experience and for a 'real Greek taste' 10 minutes walk from the main Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich, head for this small place painted in the colours of the Greek flag - Delicato.

Yassoo!