8. October 2011: Caduff’s Wine Loft

Dining at Caduff’s Wine Loft started with a greeting from the kitchen which was a three elements dish with “venison sausage on lentiles in a mustard sauce” which was strong in taste and flavourful, “venison jerky on rucola” where the meat was tasty but the rucola did not have any other purpose than being decoration, and “chestnut pheasant soup” which was creamy, rich in taste – overwhelming! The start was a success!

The second course of the menu were two different kinds of terrines: “deer truffle terrine” which was again rich in taste with a very decent hint of truffles (luckily) and a “vegetable pheasant terrine” which was not bad either but not really outstanding.

As a third course, two different kinds of soup were brought to our table: “essence from game animals refined with Bordeaux and vegetable cubes” and “cream of pumpkin”. While both soups were good the somehow lacked the refinement of the two previously served courses. Frankly, they were good, so nothing to complain about with regards to that, but they just did not reach the level of the courses before which made them a small disappointment.

The third course of the menu was “grey partridge on creamy sauerkraut”. While the partridge was good and also strongly tasted like partridge, the creamy sauerkraut was even a bit better. Overall, the fit of the two elements was great.

The main course was a dream: “roast saddle of venison in mountain cranberry sauce with caramelized red cabbage, and spaetzle”. The roast saddle of venison was absolutely tasteful, extremly tender, and melted like butter in your mouth. The mountain cranberry sauce was good but the caramlized red cabbage was even better and while the spaetzle were quite buttery, they ware absolutely tasty. Overall, the main course was really just a dream come true!

While the picture does not look to impressive, let me tell you, the cheese selection is impressive. On the plate you only get to see the ones I chose but you can choose them from a cheese fridge which contains roughly 50 different sorts of cheese. If you like cheese for desert, then Caduff’s Wine Loft is definitely the place to go. I have never seen such a generous selection of cheese before – truly amazing. What was not completely perfect though was the advisory of the cheese responsible (while he was still quite young and probably in his apprenticeship, better advisory would be desirable).

Overall, the surprise game animals menu (CHF 130.00) was great. While there were a few things which were just not on the same extraordinary level as others (but still very, very good), overall, the quality of the dishes was amazing. No dish has had any elements which I would have considered poor in quality or taste. From my point of view, dining at Caduff’s Wine Loft is definitely recommendable!

As the name of the restaurant already gives away, Caduff’s Wine Loft is not only about dining but also about wine. If you decide to have a bottle of wine, you can go down to the wine cellar where you find yourself in a cellar with a large selection of different wines.

After some discussion, we decided to have a bottle of the “Terra do Zambujeiro, 2006” (about CHF 100.00 per bottle) as it would fit to the game animals’ meat, would have the right proportion of heaviness, and would also be drinkable for the ladies. And well, let me tell you, this wine is absolutely amazingly good and it perfectly fit our requests!

While the wine cellar itself is a highlight, one also has to have a look at the restaurant itself and to be frank, the restaurant itself is definitely modernly furnished, probably used to be a factory, and has found the perfect balance between coziness, modernism, and style. In my taste, the place is very appealing.

The service overall was very good. The waiters and waitresses were friendly, our glasses have always been refilled in due time, the dishes were well explained, and the service was quick. There were just a few little things which could be improved: While there were always enough waiters and waitresses at the table to take off all the dishes at once, one should make sure that they take them off from the correct side. Additionally, when we’ve ordered camomile tea, we were brought mint tea (which was a mistake by the waitress which she corrected within due time and a high level of friendliness) but it just should not happen. Also, as mentioned before, the cheese advisory has room for improvement.

Overall, I can highly recommend to dine at Caduff’s Wine Loft. The atmosphere is nice, the wine cellar and cheese fridge are two highlights one should enjoy to their fullest, the atmosphere in the restaurant is nice, the service is overall very proficient, the dishes are truly great and amazing, and the prices are pretty decent too for what you get.

And if you’re looking for another restaurant in the vicinity of Caduff’s Wine Loft, there are quite a few good ones: Restaurant Café Boy, Restaurant Schmuklerski, Ristorante Segantini, Restaurant Don Leone, or the Restaurant La Côte.

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Contact Details:

Caduff’s Wine Loft

Kanzleistrasse 126

8004 Zurich (CH)

Tel.: +41 44 240 22 55

Fax: +41 44 240 22 56

E-Mail: caduff@wineloft.ch

Homepage: http://www.wineloft.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.