We received the recommendation from the concierge at the Dolder Grand hotel. When we arrived we were greeted with a bit of confusion and surprise despite our reservation.
The restaurants terrace runs alongside a frequented road with a playground across the street with children screaming and playing.
Luckily, it also houses a smoking area directly next to every table. Smoking seems like a requirement still in Europe. While it has begun to fade in the US, the European community seems hell bent on creating another three generations filled with cancer.
So... Our drink orders for wine and champagne that were placed upon request at arrival went unanswered for over 20 minutes and were not attended to until we reminded the waiter.
The first course, a cucumber soup with dill and sour cream was undecided between purée and chunked leaving a texture of saw dust when eaten. The flavor bland and almost tasting like cucumber but the dill was so overwhelming it became a dill soup rather than cucumber.
The second course, a venison ravioli was much improved. Delicate and flavorful, it was perfectly cooked and exceeded expectations.
The service was lackluster and uninterested. Almost every request had to be made while interrupting the staff from their lengthy discussions at other tables.
The suckling pig was served in rack with literally three bites of pork and the rest fat. Literally less than 3 oz of edible meet. The price 44CHF.
To his credit the waiter immediately removed the plate and offered a roast beef tartare to bide time while my girlfriend ate her salmon. It was acceptable with a generous portion. The lemon risotto that accompanied it was undercooked and overly lemoned.
The tartare was very good with a significant portion of sliced roast beef and a lovely horseradish sauce.
Overall, our waiter was kind and a little overworked. The kitchen could have put out a better product. read more