21. September 2012: Ristorante Bianchi

The restaurant Bianchi has recently been awarded the “The Birra Moretti Best Emerging Italian Restaurant Award Europe (excluding Italy)” by “The World’s 50 Best Restaurant” (see press announcement).

The first course was an amuse bouche from the kitchen which was tasty, no question but also not really something surprising but the Crostini with olive spread were definitely good.

As a starter I decided to go for “Calamaretti e seppioline all’olio di oliva” (small squids grilled in olive oil; CHF 22.00). All in all, the dish was quite good but some squids were a bit chewy but most of them were great. The simple taste intensifier olive oil made the dish a good start for the dinner.

One might wonder why eating seafood only in “the best emerging Italian restaurant” – the answer is simple, the Ristorante Bianchi is basically an Italian fish restaurant. So I decided to go for “Tonno alla griglia nel mantello di pepe” (grilled tuna filet in a pepper crust; CHF 49.00). The tuna was delicious and the rather thick crust of red pepper gave it the special taste you wanted it to have.

I ordered parmesan risotto (CHF 7.00 as a side dish) and I must say it was perfect – subtle in taste, the grain was cooked to the right degree.

When I entered the restaurant, I had to wait about 3 minutes before anybody noticed me at the entrance – not so great. Then again, after that the service was good. The waiter was friendly, helpful, always smiling and provided us with the necessary within minutes.

The prices are definitely not low but on the other hand quite okay for Zurich and the quality of the food served – still, it is definitely not the cheap place you want to go to if yo uwant to save some money. A glass of white wine (Contest, 1 DL) accounts for CHF 11.50, a bottle of San Pellegrino (1L) for CHF 10.00 and a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino, Castello Banfi, 2008 for CHF 89.00. A double espresso is comparatively okay (price-wise) though – CHF 6.50.

The restaurant itself is nicely decorated and you actually do feel kind of like in a real Italian restaurant somewhere close to the sea (only that there is more a river than actual sea in Zurich of course). It is recommendable to book your table in advance though as the place was quite crowded on a Friday evening. Overall, the Ristorante Bianchi is definitely a great place to dine – if I would personally consider it the best emerging Italian restaurant outside of Italy – I am not a 100% convinced, I must admit.

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Contact Details:

Ristorante Bianchi

Limmatquai 82

8001 Zürich (CH)

Tel.: +41 44 262 98 44

Fax: +41 44 262 98 46

Homepage: http://www.ristorante-bianchi.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.