Restaurant Review – Meta’s Kutscherhalle

What happens when a Swiss TV cook opens up her first restaurant in Zurich?  Well, it certainly creates a bit of a buzz. Meta Hildebrand, the Swiss version of Jamie Oliver opened her first restaurant in 2011. In the meantime much has been written about her and her restaurant.

Ambiance

The small restaurant can host approximately 25 guests. The restaurant’s interior design is a mix of modern, minimalistic style with black and white pictures on the wall and bright light. Should you be planning on a romantic dinner with your partner, this would probably not be your best choice. It is loud and busy, tables are relatively small with little distance to  other tables

The menu

The menu offer reasonable selection of starters and main courses. Dishes can be ordered individually or as a menu. We opt for individual dishes. The celery – kohlrabi salad with Tommes cheese is interesting however represents a slightly odd combination of flavors. The tartar of beef with sour crème and rucola is, hands-down  the best tartar we have ever had in Zurich.  The beetroot gnocchi in a sauce of white wine and vanilla is sweet enough to pass for desert (not the intention we believe). The trilogy of Swiss pork coated with Serrano ham is excellent.

The service

The service is attentive and friendly however a bit slow (our neighbor table asked for the bill since desert was apparently simply taking too long).

Conclusion

All in all, Meta’s Kutscherhalle offers interesting cuisine. We didn’t like everything but want to give credit to Meta’s playful and innovative cuisine (something that can be hard to find in Zurich’s “play it safe” gastro scene). Prices are reasonable (which makes it easier to be more forgiving).

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