A delicious experience with absolutely outstanding service: Restaurant IGNIV by Andreas Caminada (23. June 2020)
Since the IGNIV in Zurich opened about 3 to 4 months ago, I was determined to give it a try. And finally, it was time. I went for the “IGNIV 4 course Sharing Experience” (CHF 158.00) and took the “3 additional IGNIV Surprise components” (+ CHF 40.00). While you’re seated outside and get to read the menu, you’re served a couple of nuts to eat …
… and enjoy them with one of their signature drinks like the “Mexican POM Squad (Mezcal, Tequila, Red Beetroot, Lime, Pomegranate, Salt)” (CHF 20.00) which was actually very refreshing although I had somehow expected it to be more ‘spicy’ but it luckily wasn’t.
Once, you’ve decided, what you want to order, the starters are served …
You are starting with “egg royale, kimchi, bacon, and butter milk” which was very smooth and and rich in terms of flavor.
The next bite was “radish and char” and was refreshing as it had a certain acidity.
The “tomato and mojo” bite, on the other hand, was interesting due to the combination of the mellow tomato flavour and the gelatine on top of it.
Lastly, the “air bread with lentils and tarragon” was actually my favourite bite of the starters.
To start the evening with the wine pairing, we were served a glass of the “Manzoni blanc, Fontanasanta” (CHF 11.50) which was absolutely enjoyable. The bread which was served with some butter was fresh and actually delicious.
The actual starters were served once you’ve been placed inside and it was a feast.
There is a specific order in which you are supposed to enjoy your dishes, starting with “langoustine and cucumber” which was intense and flavorful while not being chewy as it often is.
The “pikeperch, rhubarb, ceviche, celery” was incredibly refreshing and a good balance to the langoustine.
The “duck 3 times, Sauternes, brioche” was a tasty combination of different consistencies and textures of duck – all in one little bite which went perfectly with the brioche served (see next picture).
The combination of “cos, egg yolk and chicken skin” was simple yet interesting – the cos itself wasn’t really that interesting but in combination with the creamy egg yolk and the crunchy chicken skin, it made for a very delicious dish.
Next was the “IGNIV vegetable salad” which was quite tasty but again rather simple.
The “white asparagus with truffle” and the sauce was tasty in terms of flavours. However, I would have prefered green asparagus as the white one is often a bit hard and while this wasn’t entirely the case, some parts were a bit too hard to bite for my personal gusto.
The “fritter with beef tartare” turned out to be very good – not easy to eat as you had to have the whole ball in one bite as else it would fall apart, but it was great in terms of taste.
Finally, the main courses were “green, green, green”, “potato and tartelette”, “pork, BBQ, chilli” and “beef, onions, leek”. The dish which I liked the most of all of these was the potato and tartelette and we even got a second round of this dish. Personally, the beef was a bit of a disappointment in terms of intensity of the flavour but the pork, on the other side, was actually exquisite.
The first surprise dish was something like an Asian dumpling which was messy to eat but also rather tasty all in all.
The second surprise dish was a soup which was aromatic and had a ‘raviolo’ in the middle (which you can’t see in the picture) and which was actually exquisite.
Last but not least, the last surprise dish was a “fish dish” which was absolutely tasty but given the bowl in which it was served, rather difficult to eat!
Once the savoury dishes were over, the sweet courses started. And it all started with a little bite.
Then, it was time for the actual dessert courses …
The first one was “egg royale, milk, chocolate” which was smooth, sweet, and playing with your taste buds.
The second one was a kind of a tartelette which was surprisingly delicious and not as dry as they often are.
The next course was something with apricots and was quite enjoyable.
And last but not least, the final dessert course was kind of a mystery. There is this thing which has cotton candy on top of it. And while we were enjoying the other courses, the cotton candy had disappeared. Like, it was literally just gone and nowhere to be found. Luckily, our waitress, who did an absolutely marvellous job, brought us a new one so we were able to enjoy the dessert properly. Still, one of the most confusing things I have experienced when dining out – it was literally just gone, completely disappeared, and didn’t resurface!
Ultimately, there was another small dessert which was mainly icecream and apricots below – good, tasty, lovely overall.
Last but not least, it was time to get something from the “candy store” and our waitress had made a selection we both liked. The only thing which was a bit confusing was the fact that there was only one of each. And given this was a dinner among friends and not with your partner, I found it a bit confusing to ‘share’ those. So we asked for a second selection and were helped with that right away.
After an exquisite dinner which – unfortunately – didn’t have any true surprises in terms of taste and flavour, we headed to the bar to finish the evening with a “Jamaican Me Hot (Rum2, Maple, Strawberry, Lemon, Chili)” (CHF 20.00), another signature drink of theirs which turned out to be spicier than I had expected.
All in all, I liked the experience at the IGNIV Zurich quite a lot, as the place is absolutely great, the food is delicious but lacks that element of surprise to me, the waitresses were amazing, and the price is okay, although at the upper end for a Tuesday evening. I can definitely recommend you to go and try the IGNIV – just make sure to book your table way in advance!
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Contact Details:
Restaurant IGNIV by Andreas Caminada
Marktgasse Hotel
Marktgasse 17
8001 Zürich (CH)
Tel.: +41 44 266 10 10
E-Mail: culinary@marktgassehotel.ch
Homepage: http://www.igniv.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. 
