Still an absolutely exquisite experience: Restaurant Maison Manesse (9. March 2017)

It is a bit more than a year ago since I’ve paid the Maison Manesse a visit – and not much has changed since. The “Tasting Menu, 6 Courses” (CHF 155.00) still starts with a “sezchuan flower head” to trigger your palate – definitely an interesting experience as your mouth goes through a variety of taste experiences within a few minutes.

Second in row is quite an interesting with a straw – basically they serve all the different flavours you can taste on your tongue – “bitter, sour, salty, sweet, and umami”. They don’t let you know which is which though and you have to figure yourself – but figuring it really isn’t tricky.

The first starter was a “marinaded sea bass served with a granny smith foam, yuzu and ponzu sauce, caviar from Lake Zurich”. You wouldn’t taste much of the fish itself but the foam and sauce are quite intense and go well with the fish.

Being a huge meat fine, it is not easy to impress me when it comes to a beef tartare but believe me the “fresh Irish beef filet tartar served with egg yolk, salt, and pepper in a bowl” …

… to be mixed with pickled cucumbers, sweet mustard …

… as well as Jalapeño sauce and smoked salmon liquid. It was a truly delicious and outstanding beef tartar – one of the best I have tried in a long time. Really kind of the perfect mixture of texture and flavours! And interestingly enough, in the end it is a dish you prepare yourself which makes it even more interesting.

Next in line was a dish they have had on their menu since I’ve first paid the Maison Manesse a visit – the “boiled down savoy cabbage, onzen egg, parsley espuma, rice crackers, and fermented savoy cabbage with spelt”. I do admit, it was a very good dish but the versions I have tried before at the Maison Manesse were more to my gusto.

Usually, you get a sorbet as an “in-between dish” – but they decided to go for “passion fruit air”. You wonder why air when it is served as it looks pretty solid – but once you’ve taken the first bite, you do realize why – when you try to take a ‘bite’, there is absolutely nothing in your mouth. It really kind of disappears right away – definitely an interesting experience I haven’t had like that yet.

The first main was a “sous vide prepared codfish served on Juno potato mash with mint leaves”. The fish was incredibly tender and basically fell apart the moment your tongue touched it. The balance with the mint leaves and the sauce was just perfect.

The second main course was a “sous vide prepared veal shoulder, cooked 45 hours at 54°, served on a hash brown, with a sauerkraut breading laying in potato reduction, veal juice reduction”. The meat was nicely crunchy on the outside but incredibly tender inside – and while I was expecting that the potato reduction was somewhat boring, it actually added quite a bit to the overall dish.

Although not part of the actual menu, we decided to go for some cheese before dessert – and it turned out to be a good choice. It was served with a “nut chutney, and a grape chutney” …

… and the selection was “Reblochon, Schwarzenbergerli, Lait di Vals, Blue Cheese” – while at first, I thought it was going to be tasting quite boring, it actually went rather well all together.

Before the actual dessert, “frozen apricot macaroons” were served – and you had to eat them quite quickly as they would melt away. The slight but clear hint of apricot was lovely to prepare your palate for sweetness after the rather intense blue cheese which I have had as a last bite.

The dessert did not only look good – it also tasted great. “Pineapple with almond cake with pineapple junks, pine needle yogurt and apple sorbet”. The combination of the spongy cake with the freshness of the apple sorbet was outstanding.

The Friandise were “lime ginger chili and blackcurrent jelly” – while the lime ginger chili contained a lot of liquid inside and basically burst in your mouth, the jelly was rather standard.

Something rather funny marked the end of our dinner – “cappuccino marshmallow”. Frankly, in Switzerland you won’t find marshmallows that often as they are just not a thing here …

… but who would have thought that they would be served at your table in a restaurant …

… where you prepare them on your table. Well, for me, this was definitely an interesting ending of a great dinner.

And it is not only the dishes which are served – I mean, that is one part, definitely – but it is also the wine pairing (CHF 90.00) which fits quite well with the dishes – at least the majority. We agreed that the wine which was served to the beef tartar could easily have been a bit stronger but besides that, the pairing was good.

The service is attentive and always there for you if you need something – which is somewhat impressive considering we spent a total of five hours in the restaurant and there wasn’t really a moment where you would feel like the guy wasn’t there to attend you. Besides that, I still like the atmosphere – it is modern, yet somewhat histper-ish without actually being hipstery. Even after not having visited for more than a year, I can still absolutely recommend the Maison Manesse for a great evening out – great food experience, good wines, good service, lovely atmosphere! Make sure to book your table well in advance though!

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Maison Manesse

Hopfenstrasse 2

8045 Zürich (CH)

Tel.: +41 44 462 01 01

E-Mail: info@maisonmanesse.ch

Homepage: http://www.maisonmanesse.ch

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.