Quite interesting vegetarian dishes with a very poor pairing option: Restaurant Anoah (21. June 2024)
I had read and heard about the Anoah various times already, so, I was quite interested in trying out their concept at fine dining, especially, given the place offers vegetarian cuisine only. We went for the “five colours menu with 6 courses” (CHF 135.00). Yeah, five colours, but six courses … and opted for the “mixed pairing” (CHF 62.00 per person). Let me be very clear, the pairing is not the reason you come to this place. The ‘juices’ or ‘teas’ or whatever are really not something you should be looking forward to here. Sure, the food is actually overall quite enjoyable, but the pairing, and that is somewhat also true for the wines, is a disappointment.
Once you have placed your order, you’re served “bread with olives and olive oil” and that is definitely a good start.
The first course, where you get a little surprise from the kitchen, is the “vegan oyster”, which is actually a surprisingly nice resemblance of an oyster, and, given I am not a big fan of oysters, actually an upgrade compared to regular oysters.
The first actual course of the evening was “Green (broccoli, fermented romanesco, leek gel, pine nuts, parsley mayo)”, which turned out to be a good bite. Sure, not like something you would be absolutely be blown away by, but overall decent.
The “Brown (braised radish, braised vegetable puree, Dulse algae, chick peas, miso foam)” turned out to be interesting, especially since you had that additional sweetness through the raspberries.
What I enjoyed quite a lot was “Red (grilled bell pepper, Jollof rice, smoked tofu cream, tomato espuma, pickled strawberries)” because there was not only a good combination of interesting flavours, but there was much more an additional texture layer through the rice. And it worked together perfectly.
Apparently, “Purple (“Purple Rain”: red cabbage risotto, kimchi, soy yogurt, caramelized hazelnuts, Parmivegano)” is their signature dish, and part of me gets why. I actually enjoyed this bite quite a bit, since it was an interesting combination of flavours and textures.
Then, it was time for “White (fennel, cauliflower puree, pickled Jerusalem artichoke, beurre blanc, mustard seeds)”, which was listed on the menu with white asparagus, but since the official end of the asparagus season had been the night before, they had changed it to fennel. In any case, the dish was good, since you had a bunch of texture and flavours to play with.
The pre-dessert this evening was “cornflakes ice cream”, which didn’t sound like it was going to be too good, however, given there was a strong caramel flavour to it, I ended up quite enjoying the pre-dessert.
Last but not least, it was time for “Yellow (lemon cream, lemon crumble, saffron crème fraîche, ginger gel, gummies)”, which was prepared in an interesting way on a piece of baking paper right in front of you – piece by piece, step by step. It takes a bit of time to get to the final result, so I was happy there weren’t more additions to the dish than those shown in the picture, but it did turn out to be a great dessert.
What I found very cool was the poster on your way to the loo – ‘Gans Geil’!
What was ‘not Gans so geil’ was the price performance overall. The food is good, no question, I dare say, it has quite interesting elements. But the pricing for the super disappointing mixed pairing (on top of that, the two open whites are the first two wines of the pairing) is just ridiculous! So, I might come here again, but definitely only to eat, not to drink.
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Anoah
Rigiplatz 1
8006 Zürich (CH)
Tel.: +41 44 865 88 88
E-Mail: info@anoah.ch
Homepage: http://www.anoah.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. 
