My personal highlight: Pasta with salsiccia, it’s like being down at the bottom of the heel

This is a restaurant to eat excellent pasta or typical traditional Italian food from the southern region of Italy. My favorite pasta there is the pasta rigatoni with salsiccia.

In the main sala called “sala rosa” the restaurant has an enomat. Here you can select out of a variety of wines from Italy and Switzerland. It’s kind of fancy to hold your glass under a machine and fill it by yourself. Salute!

Make your own choice. The place is at Zeughausstrasse 61.

www.ristorante-italia.ch

Why are ceremonies and rituals still so important?

During the last year, I felt like practising yoga, meditating, and being surrounded by people with similar vibes makes me feel more balanced and down to earth. We are all somehow going through changes, and guess everyone finds their way to recharge energy and clean the mind. Ceremony and rituals add depth and dimension to our journey. They can add extraordinary to the ordinary and help us to remember, honour, feel, and connect.

Today I’d like to bring you closer to the Cacao Ceremony! I had the privilege to attend one with Zurich-based Yoga Teacher Aleks Nicolic at the studio Yoga Tribe. (All covid-measures were safely applied, of course, attendance was limited to 4 people).
Aleks immediately conquered my heart with her feminine and natural attitude. The studio we were having our ceremony felt safe and sacred as all the moments we shared together during the two hours. A beautiful altar of fresh flowers and offerings such as crystal stones or jewellery that we could bring illuminated by lots of candles created a magic atmosphere in the room.

Let’s talk about the Sacred Power of Cacao

Cacao is a sacred plant found in Central and South America. Also known as a natural plant medicine. Cacao has been used for thousands of years in the Mayan culture of South America for medicinal, spiritual, and ceremonial purposes. Raw Cacao is a source of theobromine, magnesium, antioxidants that help the body naturally produce anandamide (the bliss chemical), serotonin (feel-good-chemical), phenylethylamine (love chemical) which results in a better quality of physical and mental health.

Aleks mentions, that cacao is the food of the Gods and the Medicine of the Heart. And that makes a lot of sense to me. As a hearty and passionate person.

Her cacao ceremonies offer a variety of cacao blends by Naked Chocolate, get them in her online shop! Experienced Yogis can surely organize their little private cacao ceremony also at home. It can also be used as a daily supplement. Sprinkle a teaspoon on your food or add it to a smoothie or coffee to enhance general wellbeing.

The cacao we got had a wonderful aromatic taste. It contained various ingredients like hibiscus, rosemary, peppermint, hemp, camomile, cinnamon, and black pepper. The taste was not sweet at all, it doesn’t taste anything like hot chocolate, it’s pure and slightly bitter.

What exactly happens during a cacao ceremony?

Aleks introduced us to the cacao we were going to enjoy with beautiful words of thankfulness followed by beautiful sounds and slow heart-opening exercises. After sitting with the cup of cacao and connecting to our hearts, we set our intention to call in our intentions and we drank our cacao. The next hour was dedicated fully to movements and further heart-opening exercises lying on our backs. The sound Aleks used was a mix of sound healing with instruments and beautiful chanting.

What happens in your soul & body during and after the ceremony?

The energy during the ceremony is very active and alive. Thoughts appear very clear – either positive or negative – it feels like the heart connects with the mind and finds a way to clear all mess up 🙂 Writing down the words or thoughts helps a lot, especially when you’re back home and want to go through it again.  The morning after the ceremony I had light cramps, and sweated a bit with little signs of diarrhoea. Guess clear indication, that the cacao cleaned up my body with antioxidants!

Thank you Aleks for making me feel safe and guiding me to the voice of my heart!

My personal highlight: A secret dinner capturing all senses with passion through a 5-course menu in a coffee roastery!

Welcome to a Secret Dinner! Last month I had the opportunity to experience a 5-course menu in a secret location! The concept of Secret Dinner is very simple: you get a time and a meeting point via email, you meet there with other participants and you follow a path until you get in front of an extraordinary venue! As a coffee lover, the coincidence brought me to a coffee roastery in Zurich!

The industrial ambience gave a special touch to the long Travolta in the middle of the production hall.

The menu was designed to touch all of our senses with every course. And guess what, it really happened!

The secret dinner is the perfect gift for your best friend, a special date or a company event. The location and the motto of the event change regularly. It’s a nice way to chat with other guests, too, since everybody sits at one long table.
Get all of the information about the dinner package on their website. Every dinner starts with delicious cocktails or selected wines.

The secret sensual rapture menu at a glance

Course 1: The sense “vision”

Tomato – Mozzarella – Basil
This course was pure deception, the ingredients were prepared in a surprising way! The white slice was not mozzarella but a crispy crunchy cheese basil cracker!

Course 2: The sense “smell”

Salmon – peperoni – mint
The salmon came in an aluminium can that was smoked just ad hoc. Super rough and intense in the taste!

Course 3: The sense “Touch”

Apple – Fennel – ice steam
A light clear fennel soup served with fancy iced steam floating in my glass.

Course 4: The sense of “Hearing”

Flank steak – coffee – sweet potato – jackfruit
I found this course the highlight of my dinner! The coffee was perfectly balanced in the sauce. The sound of a common coffee roasting day accompanied our dinner!

Course 5: The sense of “inebriety”

Espresso – Lime – Pistachio – Chocolate
Only the picture describes best why this course gifted all of us with the final sensory “high”. Guess what the white powder is!?

A wine pairing with every course is available. The dinner price starts at 100 CHF/person excl. drinks and wine pairing.

www.secretdinner.ch

My personal highlight: Choose by your own the piece of meat that comes on the charcoal grill and join Manager Dominik in the wine cellar to get the wine of your choice!

What if you get access to the kitchen and have the unique opportunity to taste the menu with the staff before it is officially available for the guests? I said yes and joined the team at Restaurant Coco Grill & Bar on a rainy Monday in Zurich close to Paradeplatz!
What makes this place special is the direct interaction between the staff and the Chef. You choose directly the wine and piece of meat you’d like to have prepared!

The menu changes ever week at Coco’s and is rich of fresh seasonal ingredients and stays a surprise until it is served on your plate!

The ambience at Coco’s reminds me of an ancient idyllic boat, decorated with lovely maritime items all over the restaurant.

Dominik the manager welcomes me to the restaurant with fresh homemade apple aperitivo and introduces me to the staff that is hungry waiting to taste the menu of the week. Chef Patrick Frischknecht (before at Eleven Madison Park, New York) explains to me the week’s menu consisting of 5 courses including a Swiss Fish (Belper Quellwasser) or juicy cuts of beef or veal, some seasonal vegetables such as for example beetroot or celery hand made “Schupfnudeln” and waffles as a dessert. Coco Grill is famous for its charcoal grill, so watch out for their meat or fish!

The garden outside invites you to have a gorgeous tasty plate and a glass of wine for example with homemade spreads such as hummus or grilled veggies and meat!

Say yes if Dominik invites you to discover their wine cellar!

Find different wines from Switzerland, Spain, Italy or France for example that pair well with your menu! Choose it by yourself in the cellar located in the sous-soul of the restaurant. The cellar can be rented for private small events! Get more here.

Visit Coco for your lunch break, business dinner or a friend’s night! The food is the Mediterranean with a personal touch from Chef Patrick!

Address: Coco Grill & Bar, Bleicherweg 1A, am Paradeplatz, 8001 Zürich, Telefon: +41 44 211 98 98

Opening hours: Monday – Friday 11.00 – 15.00 and 17.00 – 24.00 Uhr
Saturday 17.30 – 00.30

In the mood for more food inspiration? Get them on my food guide!

http://www.restaurant-coco.ch

My personal highlight: Make new friends while exploring the full spectrum of specialty coffee

A place that was really missing in Zurich! Located at 2 minutes from Bahnhof Enge in a spaceful and bright spot where sitting outside is possible, too: Welcome to Coworking Lounge at Tessinerplatz 7 !

What makes this spot one of my new favorite working spaces?

Nikos is a skilled and experienced barista that explains me all details about the world of specialty coffee. How much do you know about the complexity of preparing a coffee ? How does it get that perfect temperature and the milk and coffee balance is at the point your palate is getting the pleasure he wants?

Being able to pick up on the flavour profile of a coffee doesn’t just look impressive, it also heightens your enjoyment!

At Tessiner co-working lounge I have my spot to work, enjoy a delicious coffee or fresh brewed tea and home made vegan cakes. Get more on the co-working facilities here.

Opening hours Coffee Bar‍: Monday – Friday 07:00 – 19:00
Coworking Hosted Hours: Monday – Friday 08:00 – 17:00

Address: Coworking Lounge Tessinerplatz, Tessinerplatz 7, 8002 Zürich

In the mood to discover other coffee places in Zurich? Check my guide!

www.tessinerplatz.ch

Korean food

Welcome to Korea. I love this place! As the name says, it’s the house of smiles. And I am sure you will feel the same. If you never tried the Bulgogi, the time has come now. It’s a Korean style barbecued beef; tender, with fresh veggies. It comes in a colourful bouquet of delicious sides like the famous kimchi, pickled veggies, rice and bean paste.

The ambience is very relaxed. If you don’t know how to eat your Bulgogi the lovely staff will help you to wrap it right in the fresh green lettuce leaf!

Bibimbap is signature Korean dish. The word literally means “mixed rice”. Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste). The ingredients of Bibimbap are stirred together thoroughly with a spoon just before eating.

You can also order your food for takeaway!

Address: Misoga, Drahtzugstrasse 5,  8008 Zürich

www.misoga.ch

My personal highlight: Enjoy your Coffee in the middle of an interior shop with a sableés from Mallorca

Sometimes I just need a different environment for my daily routine of having a coffee! This is why the place Tisch, Bank, Stuhl located close to Bürkliplatz is the choice when it comes to be surrounded by style, colors and design.

My eyes immediately catch the beautiful old-fashioned Faema machine, the roast they offer is from Carlito.

The shop is a well-known address in the city for accessories, lamps or pieces of furniture with avant-garde or classic design.
The owner Urs Brack is a Mallorca fan and often on the island, so he brings home sablées from there to enjoy with a coffee!

Address: tischbankstuhl & co. ag, Fraumünsterstrasse 2, 8001 Zürich

Opening hours: Tuesday: 7.00 am – 6.30 pm, WE/THUR: 10 am – 6.30 pm, FRI: 7.00 am – 6.30 pm, SAT: 10 am – 4 pm

http://www.tischbankstuhl.ch

My personal highlights: Joining food workshops where to explore origins of ingredients, combined with an experimental Indonesian dinner and a live presentation by one of my favorite Chefs: Josep Roca from Spain at Chefalps 2019.

A huge privilege for all food lovers in Zurich is the month of May, when the city enchants itself into a food adventure destination.

No matter if haute cuisine or street food: from 16 to 26 May, Zurich once again the city transformed itself into a place full of culinary temptations. The program included more than 100 events covering aspects of Wining & Dining.

My food experiences included a spice mix workshop held by the Swiss company laromi, an experimental authentic Indonesian dinner that throw me back to this wonderful place on earth with spicy and strong flavors organized by the catering Sendokgarpu & the soydivision Berlin. The cherry on the top came with the international Cooking Summit Chefalps, that for the first time took place during Food Zurich this year.

How to choose out your personal food experiences

It’s kind of a difficult mission to pick the food experience of your choice. For myself I found it best to mix workshops, where to learn by hands-on how to prepare dishes. I added a dinner, where to lean back and relax . There are several price ranges for these events, some are even for free, others go from 25 CHF up to a fee of 150 CHF for example.

Laromi Salt workshop

A young team of entrepreneurs hast the goal to offer best salts, spice blends, teas and oils. All of them without any artificial additives. At the workshop we got presented the variety of herbs and salts that can be mixed together to a very own blend. I named my black Hawaiian salt HANI which means “happy” in Hawaiian language. Get more of this company here.

Taste of Indonesia: Pairing two senses: dinner & experimental music

I am grateful for that throw back to my favorite nation Indonesia thanks to Ayu Andrila Utami owner of the company SendokGarpu and Ariel Orah from SoyDivision. Ayu and Ariel are friends from their school time back in Jakarta. Ariel is a fantastic artist, he organizes series of pop up experiences, where innovative Indonesian food inspired suppers meet experimental music live performance. We enjoyed a very special 5 course menu prepared of mainly local ingredients by Indonesian cooks.

The menu started with a soup made of sheep and coconut milk and Indonesian spices. As a toping tender pieces of beef and a delicious potato ball. My absolute favorite dish you don’t easily get in Zurich came next: tempeh (typical Indonesian product made of a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a form).

Further on the menu: braised eggplants perfectly spiced that came on rice. Sounds simple but absolutely tasty. The main course included chicken with basil, turmeric and holy spices from Sulawesi. Our dessert came accompanied by Ariels experimental performance: Sweet potato balls with palm sugar and a Fior di Latte ice cream. MAGIC!

Ending my Food Zurich Experience with a very personal highlight: a meet & greet with Chef Josep Roca from Spain

The terms that best describe what I experienced at this year’s Chef Alps Cooking Summit during FOOD ZURICH are: Elegance, mindpower, creativity and sustainability! The two top Chefs Heiko Antoniewicz and Adrien Hurnungee presented their research project “Cooking with ashes“. It includes innovative techniques and still undiscovered tastes such as brimstone chips! Did you know that ash draws water from the food and condenses the aroma, has an antimicrobial effect and generates nearly zero food waste? My absolute attraction on the stage: Chef Josep Roca (Sommelier and responsible for Food & Wine Pairing at El Celler de Can Roca). His calm and humble attitude captures the whole audience, this without any live cooking show. His personality and wealth of knowledge are inimitable. No wonder that the 3 Roca brothers (Joan , Chef de Cuisine and Jordi, Patissier) cook successfully since years and complement each other perfectly in all tasks. The concept presented, how a kitchen staff plays together harmoniously, professionally and successfully, is based on basic rules like tradition, freedom (mental) and creativity! Apart the excellence of knowledge on how to extract, process and integrate the aromas of a wine into a dish with complex processes of course. The personal short get together after his presentation was the absolute unique gift for me. This moments are memorable.

Another fascinating topic on the program was to  learning about the philosophy of a dessert fine-dining restaurant called Coda Berlin designed by Frank Rene. Umami appears in his dishes as an important ingredient, I love the approach that their desserts are not too sweet and above all healthy and light and not at all boring or flat in the taste! Matching drinks are also paired with the desserts. The spray scent with jasmine blossom, tonka bean and flavoured rum we got to try in the plenary was magic.Beside the Chefs on the stage there were speed dates with gastro experts and a bunch of Swiss & international products to taste in the breaks between the shows!A big thank you to Chefalps and the organisators for an excellent 2019 edition!

Who is Food Zurich?

The association has beeen found in 2016 from Zurich Tourismus together with gastro and hotelier people. Their aim is to spread the good food vibes in our city. They offer a stage for local gastronomic productions as well as a wide range of culinary delights. Focusing on the themes of Switzerland, innovations and sustainable projects, the festival invites to get to know the national cuisine. It further promotes modern food creations. Discover local producers opening their doors to the public and sharing all of their passion for food and production.

My personal highlight: Brunch à la carte with probably the best Shakshuka in Zurich!

The easy way to brunch: at the bar or on a cosy sofa in a living room ambience

Welcome to the Cinchona Bar located in the 25hours Hotel at Langstrasse / Europaallee. The place is famous for its High Balls in town and the extraordinary lively ambience.
I discovered their brunch menu that fits perfectly if you are not in the mood for a large buffet but more into plates to share with your friends.

Need help in choosing out of the menu?

Get a great choice of healthy food as a crunchy Granola bowl with creamy greek yoghurt and fresh fruits or delicious pancakes, vegetarian or classical American ones with bacon and maple syrup.
My heart goes boom for the Shakshuka. The tomato sauce is spiced just perfect and the eggs are amazingly creamy inside. The way I absolutely love them. Als recommend The grilled Pastrami Sandwich! The mustard is the perfect match for the beef, sourdough bread, egg and spinach.
Read their complete menu here!

What about a breakfast juice at the bar? Choose the Fortified MARY Vodka infused with spices and portwine, lime, tomato juice!

Prices vary from 9 CHF for the Granola bowl, 12 CHF for the American pancakes, 13 CHF for the Shakshuka to 19 CHF for the grilled Pastrami sandwich.

Address: 25hours Hotel, Langstrasse 150, 8004 Zürich

Opening hours: Breakfast is served from Monday to Friday, 0800 am to 1030 am, Saturday & Sunday 0900 am to 0200 pm.

Take a look at my review of their hotel, if you plan to stay for a night there!

https://www.25hours-hotels.com/en/restaurants-bars/zurich/cinchona-bar

My personal highlight: Welcome to the living room style tavolata where random people sit really close together and enjoy traditional Thai Food

As a food blogger I am always snooping around in town when it comes to new openings. I became aware of this little gem Kinkhao via Instagram.
It is located in the former Liquid at Zwinglistrasse 12.

Kinkhao means food in Thai explains Laor, Chrisoph’s wife and co-owner Laor. More than it describes everything that is experienced around food. The hospitality, the sharing and the feeling of good mood. All this takes place at Kinkhao sitting around several large tables. The ambience is cozy the Interieur simple decorated with attention to details as some typical local Thai decors.

About the menu

The motto is: One menu one a price. Enjoy a 4, 5 or 6 course menu with or without wine accompaniment. Prices start from 40 CHF for the 4 course menu without wine accompaniment. Absolutely try the menu including the wine, because the Spanish wine pairs super tasty with the spicy food!

We start eating!

Super tasty fish burger on a stick and a spicy sweet sauce. The sticks are a homage to the famous Thai streetfood Christoph explains to me and like all dishes this speciality comes from Laor’s homeland, the northeast of Thailand. The burgers are made from certified tilapita fish, kefir lime leaves, snake bean pieces and some egg really super tasty.
Next comes: a truly spicy thai salad next. I am kind of not used to eat so spicy, but very happy to have the super delicious red wine next to me!

The absolutely highlight for me is the next dish: A perch fillet nicely packed in a palm leaf, perfectly aromatized with coconut milk, Curry und Lime leafs. As a side we get sticky rice typical Thai style and some thin sliced shitake mushrooms, mint, lime juice and coriander with semolina that give the ideal touch and crunchiness to the dish. With all of that comes a Nam Phrik Oong, which is an intensely flavoured tomatoes with chili. Yes, spicy again!

After that we go for three different home made curries.
Hot & Spicy green curry with veggies, yellow curry with chicken and the red curry with pork. The green curry was absolutely to spicy but I did really love very much the pork curry, the meat was super tender and flavorful.

The lovely evening ended with a home made chocolate, coffee coconut cake made from Chrisoph’s son and an amaro Averna. Yes, accompanied by one of the songs Christoph and me like from the one and only Lucio Dalla.
Ciao ragazzi del Kinkhao! A prestissimo. Khup kun ka!

Opening hours: Monday – Saturday: as of 6 pm Opening & Apéro (included in the price), as of 7.30 pm dinner together – closing; between 11 and 12 pm

Address:  Kinkhao Restaurant, Zwinglistrasse 12, 8004 Zürich

www.kinkhao.ch

In the mood of other Asian restaurants in town? Here some suggestions!