A new vegetarian restaurant in Lugano – with room for improvement: bee. bar e ristorante veg (10. March 2016)

It is ages ago since I had paid a visit to a vegetarian restaurant and being a big meat lover, I probably would not have paid the place a visit if it wasn’t for the wine pairing which was organized by InterNations.org. When I had entered the premise, I was positively surprised as the restaurant has a modern and nice vibe. The wine “pairing” started with a “ZAN Prosecco Fratelli Bartolin, Glera, Valdobbiadene, Italia” which was light and good in taste.

The menu started with “involtino di verza con ripieno di tofu e topinambur”. To set the scene straight: my expectations were none. And I was positively surprised as the first dish was actually quite okay. A dash of red could have helped for optical reasons but it was fine. The “Fossil 2012, Vale da Capucha, Arinto, Gouveio Fernao Pires, Lisboa, Portugal” which was served with it was okay but not entirely to my liking as it lacked a bit of strength.

And it continued positively, the “polpette di melanzana su coulis di pomodoro” did not only look nice but it was also fine in flavour. Which came with a “Vale de Capucha Alvarinho, 100% Alvarinho, Lisboa, Portugal” which had a nice intense taste.

The third course, a “falafel su letto di rucula con salsa agrodolce”, did not leave a clear impression. The falafel was very dry. The agrodolce sauce on the other hand was actually quite nice in taste and helped making the falafel less dry. The red wine, a “Vale de Capucha Tinto, Touriga Nacional, Aragonês, Lisboa, Portugal”, was a bit dull.

Well, the main course. When you look at the picture, what do you think? I was like “Uuh, okay, what is that?”. I mean, it does not look appealing at all! The “medaglioni di seitan e sedano rapa panato su letto di polenta rossa ticinese con salsa al radicchio rosso” was a disappointment and made it clear to me why I am not vegetarian. Not hating, just stating.

The dessert was a surprise and it was supposed to be a “crème brûlée” but it wasn’t. It was a vanilla flavoured something which the consistency of pudding (but not really) and the caramel crust you would expect from a crème brûlée – but it was none.

When it comes to the wines, I want to be fair – besides the ones listed above, which were the ones “on the menu”, the sommelier brought a couple of other wines ranging from sweet wine (lovely!!!) to some Italian wines. And I must admit, I liked them more.

The whole evening cost CHF 55.00 including the wines, the menu, double espresso and sparkling water. Which is a very fair price but the service was not up to the task – at all.

There were three or four waiters and there were like 20 to 30 people maybe. So yeah, it is quite a bunch but actually it was just three large tables. But they still did not manage to come regularly to our table and ask for water, which run out every time after 5 minutes after they had brought one more tiny bottle of water. One waiter managed to drop a fork on my jacket – way to go! I mean, this can happen, no doubt but he was just like “uhm, sorry”. Yeah, well, I am!

In any case, I figured once more why I do not like to go to vegetarian restaurants. However, the place has potential – for vegetarians obviously – if the service improves, they work on the optics of the food and make the main course different.

I briefly chatted with the owner after the dinner, and he seems to take it seriously – so let’s see how the whole thing will look in a couple of months again.

Rating:

Atmosphere:
Service:
Dishes:
Price-Performance Ratio:
Overall Rating:

Contact Details:

bee. bar e ristorante veg

Viale Carlo Cattaneo 21

6900 Lugano (CH)

Tel.: +41 91 923 41 41

Homepage: http://www.beelugano.com

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.