AuGust in Zurich old town (revisited)

Posted on November 17, 2020 by sybillesbeenthere

Zurich – Meat restaurant in the heart of Zurich.

It has been an unbelievable 5 years since I was last inAuGust (Blog). Why it took so long, I don’t know. I was longing for a place to have traditional “Metzgete” and then I remembered AuGust. So I made a reservation for my hubby and me. We enjoyed the dinner a lot – it was simply super delicious.
I had blood and liver sausage with sauerkraut and Rösti (hash brown, very crispy on the outside and juicy inside, as it has to be). Hubby chose “Züri Gschnätzlets” (sliced veal and kidneys in cream sauce) with Rösti.
If you’re a meat lover, you absolutely must visit this restaurant in Zurich.
Before or after your visit to the restaurant, it’s worth having a cocktail in the adjacent bar of the Hotel Widder. There is often live piano music.
Make sure to reserve your table.

https://www.widderhotel.com/de/restaurants-bars/boucherie-august

Ooki – Japanese Izakaya – Authentic throwback to Tokyo

Posted on November 13, 2020 by sybillesbeenthere

Zurich –

At the moment it is difficult to travel because of corona. Since I miss Japan and the food there very much, I wanted to enjoy some authentic Japanese “pub” cuisine again. In Zurich, I like the Ooki very much. I have been there three times in the last two years and every time the food and the sake was very good. Unfortunately, I never took the time to write a blog entry until today 🙂
For the start we had a breaded pork schnitzel “Tonkatsu” with spicy Tonkatsu sauce with thin sliced white cabbage. We also had the Taki no Tatsuta age, fried octopus with homemade Yuzu mayonnaise, and to add up a bit more, we also took the crispy fried Gyozas….very yummy.

As a main course my hubby enjoyed a spicy ramen soup with extra pork and I had an udon noodle soup, with extra seaweed and pork. I rarely got a soup in another place where I had to look for the broth – the ingredients were a lot! So the soup would not stain our shirt or trousers, we got a bib 🙂

As usual in Japan, we got the matching sake in a glass, which is kept in an additional container (here a little bowl), and the sake is poured over the edge of the glass, that’s how it has to be.
It was a really great evening. Make sure to reserve in advance.

https://ooki.tokyo/

L’Antica Trattoria – like a set of a movie classic

Posted on October 11, 2020 by sybillesbeenthere

Sorrento, Italy

Sorrento was a revelation for me. A mid-size city directly by the sea, situated on a spectacular cliff, nearby the famous Amalfi coast. A shopping tour before dinner is recommended especially for hand made leather sandals – I bought mine for example at: www.sandalisiniscalchi.it/en/ you can have them made individually with every imaginable leather, coral or crystal…
The region is also known for its delicious lemons, which can be seen in every shop as fresh fruit, cuddly toys, soap, perfume or even decorated cups and household goods. After the shopping you can relax at the big main piazza which is ideal for an nice “Aperitivo” (in Italy pre-dinner drinks are always accompanied by small bites).

The dinner at the Antica Trattoria was spectacular: An interior could hardly be more kitschy and seemed like a scene from an Italian film from the 60s where Sofia Loren or Gina Lollobrigida would enjoy an extended dinner. The waiters wore traditional uniforms and the walls were decorated with painted tiles, framed pictures and plants hung from the ceiling in the cozy pergola.

The food was local and traditional. We shared some starter of Calamari, Fior di Zucca and Melanzane. As main course I had Tagliolini al limone….not just a plate of long noodles with lemon sauce, but homemade fresh pasta with fresh lemon sauce, part of the portion neatly rolled into a hollowed out lemon half. It was simply DELICIOUS! My hubby had the Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe. A special thanks to Vincenzo, the mandolin player, who entertained the guests in the restaurant with his passionate play and made our evening even more special: Grazie mille Vincenzo. www.lanticatrattoria.com

Baccanti in the caves

Posted on October 11, 2020 by sybillesbeenthere

Matera

Matera is the European Capital of Culture 2019 and rightly so. We made a stop in Matera on our road trip through Italy and could not stop being amazed. (read more about the history of Matera, 3rd oldest town)
The place is really very special, because the old part consists of caves – so-called Sassi. The people lived there with their animals until the 1950s, when the mayor of Matera had everything cleared for hygiene reasons.
In the 1990s the Sassi were rediscovered and prepared for flats, hotels, restaurants and shops.

Food and recipe project: www.mammamiaaa.it

We stayed in a beautiful cave hotel – the Sextantio – , which was a very nice and extraordinary experience.

Inside the cave Hotel Sextantio, Matera, Italy

It was also astonishing to discover that in this relatively small village there are two restaurants with Michelin stars. But we relied on the recommendation of our hotel – it was worth it.
The restaurant Baccanti with local cuisine is embedded in a cave and although it was still 30 degrees outside, it was pleasantly cool inside.
As starter I had animelle (sweetbread on artichoke cream, hazelnuts and black truffle), my hubby chose the “probably” best cheese flan in the world (Podolico cheese flan with pork sausage) and as main course I went for calzoncelli (filled pasta) with black garlic and tomatoes. Of course our stomachs were already full but we still had to try the Tiramisu and the Ricotta dessert. Everything was excellent and I can warmly recommend the restaurant. Reading the menu back home now, I am dreaming of going back to the Baccanti for a great dinner tonight.

www.baccantiristorante.it/it/home/

Osteria Antiche Sere

Posted on September 26, 2020 by sybillesbeenthere

Torino – In 2013 I was already in the Osteria Antiche Sere and I still remembered the great food.

That is why I wanted to include this Osteria in our Italy culinary road trip. I was not disappointed and the diversion via Torino back home was worth it. Actually, I shouldn’t write about it here, because I think it is still an insider tip among the people of Torino 😉
The crew welcomed us extremely friendly and patiently explained the food and wine list. We decided on a Vitello Tonnato – excellent – as a starter. As primi I chose homemade taglierini with porcini mushrooms. As main course I absolutely wanted to try the guinea fowl with grapes. Everything was incredibly good. I can’t wait to come back to Turin to dine there again.

https://osteria-antiche-sere.eatbu.com/
Via Cenischia 9
Tel: +39 011 385 43 47

Sora Maria e Arcangelo – Heavenly good

Posted on September 26, 2020 by sybillesbeenthere

Olevano Romano – Have you ever heard of Olevano Romano? Me neither – before I visited this lovely town in the heart of Italy.

This year, we finally did our road trip through Italy. The way was the goal and in order to plan this trip in a culinary optimal way, we also kept to the list of the awarded “Trattorie” in Italy: https://premiatetrattorieitaliane.eu/ I made it already to 6 of the 13 locations.
I would really like to emphasize the Trattoria “Sora Maria e Arcangelo” in Olevano Romano. Our expectations were exceeded. The restaurant is homely and the service very friendly and helpful in choosing the dishes and wines. Unfortunately, this also led to the fact that we totally overeaten ourselves, especially with 2 (!) desserts. Luckily we were there for lunch, so we could digest in the afternoon and evening with a walk through the beautifully decorated village.

As a greeting from the kitchen came a fried piece of mozzarella, very tasty. Then we chose fried stuffed courgette flowers (fior di zucca), which is very typical for this region. A plate of raw ham Prosciutto di Bassiano (http://www.prosciuttodibassiano.it/prosciutto-di-bassiano/prosciuttodibassianoriserva), figs and Falia di Pupillo (bread between pizza and normal bread). Simply delicious!
For primi, I chose the house specialty Cannelloni and my hubby the pasta with mushrooms, mountain mint (mentuccia) and parmesan. I think one of the best pasta dishes I ever tasted. It sounds very simple, but sometimes the simple things are the most difficult.

We have discovered a new grape variety for us; the Cesanese. It is cultivated in the region around Rome. The wine from Abbia Nova https://www.abbianova.com/ was a perfect match for the meal. For dessert we chose blackberry (called “more” in Italian) with whipped cream and cat’s tongue biscuits and as a second dessert a millefeuille with ice cream.

Be sure to reserve a table early enough in this wonderful restaurant. I would love to go there again today.

http://www.soramariaearcangelo.com/

Osteria Santo Brevitore….pasta con amore!

Posted on September 1, 2020 by sybillesbeenthere

Zurich

In this Corona summer I have not yet been abroad….as many other people around the world too I guess. So I thought I need at least some culinary short trip to Italy. Santo Brevitore in Zurich is the right choice for this.
The restaurant is located in the middle of Zurich Wiedikon. The menu card will treat every taste but will melt the heart of every pasta lover. So I just HAD to order the “Tris di pasta” three kinds of pasta on one plate. I can only say that the portion was huge but every gram was worth it. One pasta with mussels, one with minced meat and truffle, the third with some kind of Italian cream cheese….mouthwatering still when I think about it now. The appetizers and the wines are also worth the visit. The atmosphere is very relaxed, in summer you can also sit outside on the troittoir. On our Saturday evening out, an alphorn player (no joke) passed by and gave a short performance – in the middle of Zurich.

Reservation is required. Check out also the first restaurant of Massimo, La Baracca: https://www.osteria-santobevitore.ch/#la-baracca-ristorante

Website Santo Brevitore: https://www.osteria-santobevitore.ch/

Gasthaus am Brunnen – Hotel and Restaurant

Posted on June 22, 2020 by sybillesbeenthere

Valdenas Rhine gorge – The hotel “Gasthaus am Brunnen” in a 500 year old building is exceptional. It is far away from tourism and crowds of people. It has only 7 rooms and all of them are very different, simply furnished. The house is almost only made of wood and so the room smells wonderfully of wood, one can relax very well in this place.

Restaurant and Dinner

The restaurant in this hidden place is really fantastic. Meat, vegetables and dairy products are from the surroundings/region. The jam for breakfast and homemade and just very delicious. The great thing is that you can simply eat a main course or a whole menu with various delicacies, you always get full. In the afternoon you can drink coffee by the wooden well or have a cocktail in the lounge in the garden and watch the ducks from the farmer next door.

In the surroundings you can visit the Rhine Gorge or take a hike to Lake Cauma and/or Lake Cresta. The nature is beautiful and there is something for every fitness level.

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31

sybillesbeenthere

Restaurant tipps around the world

Category Archives: Top pick

AuGust in Zurich old town (revisited)

Ooki – Japanese Izakaya – Authentic throwback to Tokyo

L’Antica Trattoria – like a set of a movie classic

Baccanti in the caves

Osteria Antiche Sere

Sora Maria e Arcangelo – Heavenly good

Osteria Santo Brevitore….pasta con amore!

Gasthaus am Brunnen – Hotel and Restaurant

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: