Posts from the ‘Brunch’ Category
Fork and Bottle, Allmendstrasse, Zurich
Eggs Benedict with Crab cakes and Hashbrown
Oat Soda
One of my beloved readers wanted to choose the next restaurant so together with my associate we joined her for brunch at this new restaurant Fork & Bottle. It is near Allmend Brunau where the ill-fated Casa Bonita used to be (in terms of music on the website Casa Bonita still leaves a lasting impression). We’re pleasantly surprised by the attractive and seducingly dressed lady, after all what better way to start a Sunday than being treated to brunch ? The menu features american classics of all kinds from pancakes to breakfast burritos down to eggs benedict. The “farm-raised” eggs were served on crab cakes, with home-made sauce hollandaise and advertised to be accompanied by hash browns. I’m all for honesty in menus and the dish was served with tasty roasted potatoes but not a hash brown roeschti like cake I was expecting. The crab cakes could have been a touch firmer and more delicate, but just getting crab cakes in Zurich is a treat. If they’d add Boston baked beans, that would be a great move. The second part of brunch turned out to be interesting as well, they have a large selection of artisanal beer advertised as being from Italy. Funny that roughly half of them on the menu are actually from Stabio in Ticino… Sampling through them I enjoyed the “Oat Soda” one modelled after the Big Lebowski. Don’t be fooled by that Disneylandish touch, a bitter strong and tasty beer emerges underneath. Fork & Bottle is certainly an upgrade from the joint it was before and I’m looking forward to warmer weather, where the beer garden will do great.
le Pain Quotidien, Römerhof, Zurich
Skandinavischer Brunch
One of the funniest commentaries I read on le Pain Quotidien, was a diner which missed the post office which used to be in the same spot at the Roemerhof… Ouch! I head over there and the first thing which did miff me a tad, was when I wasn’t given the WiFi password, since this was a place to make people calm down. Seems like a place my mother would enjoy… The clou at LPQ is really that they make fresh bread onsite which you can also buy just like if it was a small bakery. The corporate designers did a pretty decent job, the inside is full of lightly colored wood and gives it a comfortable-in-the-IKEA-kind-of-way feeling. I order the scandinavian brunch, which is assorted breads, salmon wrap, terrine, shrimp, meat, cheese and a poached egg. The serving is quite generous, just the bread basket alone carries a croissant, dark bread, Zopf and some baguette. After eating here I can safely say that it beats the culinary offering of the aforementioned post office. However in a place like this the star should be the bread and it wasn’t. The Zopf or especially with this name here the baguette should knock me off my feet. Crunchy, hard crust on the outside and an incredible fluffy and distinct tasting interior is what I’d be excpecting, possibly still slightly warm from the oven it was baked in. But it’s like a german industrial bakery with an attached Selbstbedienung shop, yes it’s bread, it’s just not very good. Other gripes included the mealy shrimp, underwhelming non-runny Reblochon, the advertised wrap was actually two small slices and the egg was hard instead of runny on the inside. Keeping in mind all the food issues there was one last touch which struck me odd. Looking and listening around the dining room, the crowd is rather international (not much swiss german spoken), hence a place like this could also have been in Singapore, Dresden or Seattle, it just felt a tad soulless. Prices:
Rechnung
Limmathof, Limmatstrasse, Zurich
Spiegelei mit Speck
Zmorge
I headed for a quick brunch at the Limmathof. The first thing I noticed was that the waiter seemed a little quirky. I order off the a la carte menu and lean back with my newspaper. Standard breakfast, some eggs, bacon and the mandatory Ovomaltine (Ovaltine). Nothing to complain and nothing to get excited about, decent breakfast, decent prices. Only when the waiter drops off the bill together with a pamphlet that the place offers jobs for mentally challenged youths did I understand my initial feeling. But to be fair service was friendly, quick and attentive. Prices:
Rechnung
SBB Passagio Speisewagen, Zurich, Bad Ragaz
Gourmetfrühstück
I really like dining in the train and I’m happy that the SBB still keeps the dining cars around. But the quality of the food is debatable. It’s not expensive but it lacks love, attention to detail and excitement looking at the gourmet breakfast in front of you. If you disregard the food, eating breakfast on a sunday while the countryside rushes past you is unbeatable, making it worth spending the 20 or so francs – not convinced that the “gourmet” is worth the extra few bucks:
McGees, Bahnhof Wiedikon, Zurich
Hash Brown and Eggs Benedict
Sunday looking for a not so healthy brunch – McGees next to the train station in Wiedikon fits the bill. Looking at the brunch menu I ordered Eggs Benedict with hash brown. Fresh Orange Juice was no longer available, but at least the waiter was nice enough to point that out. Still this was one of the worst breakfast I ever had. The eggs were cold, the sauce hollandaise some kind of just-add-water-to-prepare concoction, the bacon limp and the hash brown like a mediocre roeschti. The key to happiness at McGees is to stick to the Guiness. Prices:
Rechnung
Gartenhof, Birmensdorferstrasse, Zürich
Brunch at the Gartenhof
Sportsman Club is gone again just like the World Cup. At the Gartenhof the remains can still be seen, but that adds to the charm of the place. I was there for brunch on a Sunday. The breakfast consisted of bread, Zopf, croissant, Birchermüesli, orange juice, jam, honey, butter, egg, bacon, cherries, salmon, ham, roast beef and cheese. Now I wasn’t to thrilled with all of the components, the Birchermüesli and the fresh cherries really stood out. The croissant was a bit dry, the 3 minute egg could have been a bit firmer and the roast beef didn’t feel like roast beef. The staff were extremly friendly, very attentive and it was very pleasant dining and reading the newspaper here. I was even offered a glas of prosecco which make the breakfast at 25 CHF a good deal:
Rechnung
Piazza, Idaplatz, Zurich
Grosser Brunch
Pancake
The Piazza at the Idaplatz has great outdoor seating and makes you feel like somewhere else than Zurich. The place is obviously packed on a Sunday morning, so showing up before 10:30 gives you a competitive advantage. The big brunch includes bread, jams, orange juice, a coffee, scrambled eggs with bacon, birchermuesli, cheese and a bit of mystery meat (probably turkey ham or comparable). The birchermuesli stood out while the scrambled eggs were average, but then again that doesn’t really matter in this location. Not bad was the pancake, to give it the real american touch, more maple syrup would have been necessary. A large brunch costs 24 CHF, the pancake 8 CHF.
The Berkeley, Hyde Park, London
Full english breakfast
As a man of simple taste, I opted for a plain and unpretentious hotel in London. Located south of Hyde Park, The Berkeley was my temporary domicile. After a long evening of work and a short night, I didn’t feel like going to the dining room and ordered breakfast to my room. Porridge, toast, marmelade, honey, tomatoes, double espresso, sausages, scrambled eggs and other small tibits were served. The espresso was surprisingly good, but I’ll never get to like the sausages. I’ve no idea what is actually in there, but it’s certainly preprocessed and probably worse than your average Chicken Nugget. Dining in your room sets you back 29 GBP. But hey, just swiping the little glass containers of honey, mustard, ketchup and marmelade will make a great gift for your significant other and is well worth it.
Hubertus Temporary, Hubertus, Zurich
Zmorge
Screw fancy brunch places Hubertus Temporary just moved up to my number one spot. The food is simple and plain (Omlette at Nordbrücke is still the best) but the place with its atmosphere and ambiente is unbeatable. The event is called Tiffany’s & Hubertus and essentially is eat while a trendy looking lady spins the turntables. Reading the newspaper, sitting in old, days-gone-by sofas, listening to Motown, Johnny Cash and other long and tried classics – is there a better way to start a Sunday ? Pay 20 CHF to become a member, since this is a “private” venue and 10 CHF for the breakfast.
Nordbrücke, Dammstrasse, Zurich
Omelette mit Käse und Schinken
Kleines Zmorge
Next to the Bahnhof Wipkingen Nordbruecke is a small cafe / bar, which is mainly geared at Wipkinger locals. Sunday noon the place was packed, but a sofa with a coffee table was free. Briefly looking at the menu a couple of different sized breakfasts, omelettes, muesli and scrambled eggs were available. The small breakfast and an omelette with cheese and ham, were selected as the breakfast items of this sunday. After having read two sunday papers and having had a double espresso, the waiting time did seem a bit long for an omelette and the inclination to complain grew. Just before reaching for the third sunday paper, finally the food arrived. It was absolutey worth the wait. The small breakfast was okay, but the omelette was fantastic. Just a little cheese and a little ham on the inside, the batter was filled with basil and other herbs, panfried in a bit of butter. This gave it a great deal of aroma, a nice balance and essentially making this one of the best breakfast omelettes in Zurich. Priced at CHF 12.50, this is a great way to spend a rainy sunday noon.
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