To the moon and back | Neela
The Sri Lankan restaurant Neela is located in Zurich Wiedikon and was completely rebuilt 1.5 years ago.
Neela is a family restaurant run by Manchula, Tharmi and Aishu Loganathan. Previously, it was a rather inconspicuous take-away store, which, however, is now an integral part of the Zurich restaurant scene.
Neela is Tamil and means "moon" and we loved everything here to the moon and back. At Neela the girls served us unbelievably warm and it’s hard to beat them in terms of friendliness. The mother-daughter trio is here with full heart and satisfies their guests in every sense.
We were by no means familiar with the Sri Lankan cuisine and were therefore very pleased to try something new. We couldn’t even pronounce the names of the dishes in the menu, why we knew immediately, they cook authentic here. Tharmi also told us that they hired natives from Sri Lanka to cook authentically. It’s not about measuring the quantities; they cook by instinct.
In order to try different things from the menu we’ve decided on the Neela appetizer plate with three different appetizers. It consists of yellow-beaver bags called "Kadalai Vadai", the well-known "Samosa" with pea and potato stuffing and "Lamb Rolls" with lamb and vegetables in a breaded spring roll. The spices were very intense and the quality of the food was flawless. It wasn’t something we tried every day and we loved that. The starters included a chili and tomato "sambal" sauce and a cucumber-mint yoghurt sauce called "Raita". The sauces matched perfectly and we couldn’t get enough of it.
We let ourselves be surprised by the main course; when placing the order, we couldn’t imagine what we’ll eventually get. We ordered “Kottu”: Homemade flatbread combined with egg, onions, leeks, white cabbage and chicken and “Puttu” steamed “Spätzle” served with beef and various vegetable curries. The plates were beautifully presented and the food was amazingly yummy. Even if the different flavors were very unknown to us, we adored it. The exotic spices harmonize perfectly with the dishes. Moreover, the drinks, the traditional mango lassi and the homemade ice tea were delicious.
Furthermore, the dessert "Wattalapam" enchanted us with its special mixture. The Sri Lankan coconut flan is a real poem for the sweet ones among us and the spice gives this dessert something very exceptional.
Neela definitely takes you on a culinary journey. The decor with traditional Sri Lankan details invites you to feel far away from Switzerland.
Thank you Neela for taking us on this culinary journey, we loved everything about it! Highly recommended for anyone who wants to try something new, authentic and who wants to be captivated by the beautiful smiles of the warm-hearted Neela-Team.
Prices:
Very attractive prices!
Starters: from CHF 6.50 to CHF 15.50 (Appetizer plate)
Main Courses: from CHF 18.50 to CHF 22.50
Soups: CHF 9.50
Dessert: CHF 6.50 to CHF 7.50
Address:
Neela
Zweierstrasse 55
8004 Zürich
Phone: +41 44 242 71 11
Website: www.neela.ch
