Christine Syrad (1987)

When my friend first told me the name of the restaurant she wanted to check out together, I knew the chances of me falling in love with it were high. There are few things in life that I enjoy more than reading and eating. The quality of the material is tantamount in both cases.

The food is in line with the Italian atmosphere of the place – but not at all in the pasta & pizza overload sense – no, here you get the refined version of Italian cuisine. It’s no surprise really, the walls are plastered with cooking books and only those that have won prestigious awards, so with that sort of inspiration inundating the place there’s absolutely no way the chef could go astray.

One of the many things I like about this place is that the portions aren’t overwhelming so you can quite comfortably have a three course meal and since the prices are scaled down accordingly (compared to other higher-than-average-end Swiss restaurants), the heart attack often endured upon requesting the bill in Zurich is somewhat diminished.

For those impressed with the food, the owner provides some of his secrets in his own cook book. I haven’t bought mine yet, so that means I have to pay another visit – I think it’s fairly obviously that this is my carefully calculated way of creating an excuse to visit Cucina e Libri again soon.

I know that the photo I’ve included may serve as a deterrent rather than as an enticement, but that’s precisely the point I want to make here. There is nothing about the outer decor that screams “give me a whirl”, but once you step inside and smell the food you’ll realize the exterior is merely a camouflage technique. If Beyond was so deliberately welcoming from the outside, they wouldn’t be able to serve all the people flooding in – it’s already teeming with people on most days as it is!

I stepped in out of curiosity, incidentally while intending to head to Chiang Mai (check out the Chiang Mai Thai Shop article). My friend and I decided it was a bit over zealous to want to eat outside in February so we stepped into Beyond instead.

I had been bemoaning the lack of proper Chinese food in Zurich for a long time but my incessant whining has now been silenced. I fell in love with the aubergine all over again after tasting the impossible to pronounce delicacy that I had here. True to Chinese style cuisine, this place is best visited with a posse of tasty food seekers in tow as each dish is pretty huge. You’ll definitely get the best of the experience if you order lots of dishes and share them.

If you’re looking for pizza that emerges from the oven and retains its freshly bakedness until it reaches your stomach, then you need to head to Rosso (at least if a pit stop in Naples, Italy, is not on your itinerary). There are a few intriguing things about this restaurant:

a) It’s hard to find because there is no sign outside stating you have indeed arrived at Rosso (which also means it’s virtually impossible to stumble upon accidentally)

b) It’s very minimalist in design as it’s located in an old warehouse but still manages to look modern and chic.

c) Despite it being hidden in the depths of Hardbruecke’s hipsterness, it is always packed! So much so that it used to be closed on Saturdays, which I am pretty sure is unheard of in most other cities. It’s now open on Saturdays, due to popular demand, I presume.

I’ve tried a few things on the menu but I have to say, the best choice for anyone in need of really tasty comfort food is the pizza. Actually, even in the summer I tend to opt for pizza. The list is short but most definitely sweet with Bufala featuring in the most-eaten-by-yours-truly ones. I have to admit the pizza chefs look more like college students than pizza experts; don’t let that fool you, they know how to use their wood oven and will take that smirk of your face within minutes – that of course being one of the joys of real wood ovens!

On a Sunday morning if my bagel and egg Benedict craving is one of my waking thoughts then I know I’ll be trekking across the city to Bohemia where, in my opinion, the American brunch experience is more than worth the journey.

If you like the sound of brunch without the limited company of gipfelis, zopf and bircher museli, go check out Bohemia. Especially if you like the idea of carrying out your weekend gluttony in a newly renovated chic and tasteful vintage American diner style restaurant.

The bagels aren’t the only bread-substance to have received my seal of approval, the pancakes are also divine with a generous helping of toppings. For the carb averse brunchers there are healthier options but I can’t say I’ve tried them yet – simply because I’m hooked on the bages…Just know that you’ve got to be ready to give into temptation when you set foot in here.

Bohemia is conveniently located at Kreuzplatz,  so you have two choices for your post-feast walk – the funicular up to the Dolder is just a stone’s throw away so you can venture up the hill and go for a wander in the forests or you can go for a stroll along the lakeside. Trust me, you’ll need to walk off your feeding frenzy if you’re to make room for dinner later!

This restaurant is one I think a tourist would tend to walk past unless they know what they would find awaiting them inside. My inability to take a fantastic picture of the place probably exemplifies this statement. The locals are clued in though, clearly, as booking a table there requires organizational skills only the Swiss seem able to master with ease. I, on the other hand, have been known to beg for tables on occasion and this is one place worth losing face for.

The food is European/Swiss an I highly recommend the Cordon Bleu – it’s by no means a unique dish as you may have noticed while dining your way around Zurich, however, I’m convinced that of the dozen or so places in which I’ve ordered it, Bederhof offers the juiciest and crispiest ones.

Although I’m a fan of the food, my favourite part about this place is actually the bar. It reminds you of being in a very upmarket pub in England. That’s not to say it has a snobby feel to it, it simply emanates good taste and cocoons you in cosiness.

If you happen to have been shopping in Sihl City, rather than shoveling down one of the many fast food options there, just take a two minute stroll over to Bederhof for a post-shop drink.