The alley to pleasure | Restaurant Bärengasse
Located in the notorious Swiss banking center, in the brightly polished atrium of the Credit Suisse, the so-called “Lichthof” leads directly to the well-known Restaurant Bärengasse. And of course, there is a lot of trading going on there too, but only selected products are on offer. Namely finest meat and wine from Dieter Meier's Argentine farms “Ojo de Agua” and “Ojo Negro”. The meat already has an excellent reputation and the wine - Malbec, Cabernet and a cuvée of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot - gets better from vintage to vintage.
The restaurant Bärengasse shows up in the dress of a modern brasserie and attaches great importance to personal service, which we immediately noticed thanks to our very sympathetic and witty waiter, Alex. The atmosphere is classic and has a slightly sterile effect, which is however suitable for a restaurant with mainly business clientele.
We were greeted with a plate of dried meat, which was prepared directly on the in-house slicing machine. A nice and tasty welcome.
To start, we went with two classic appetizers, which were a heavily spiced beef carpaccio in honey mustard dressing with Belper tuber and wonderful looking mozzarella di buffala with dried tomatoes, artichokes and olive oil pearls. A true blessing for mouth and eyes.
For the main course, we had to try the highly praised meat (of course). On the Argentine farm of Dieter Meier, the cattles are outdoors all year round and feed on fresh grass, which is essential for the taste and consistency of the meat. The restaurant Bärengasse grills the premium beef and then cooks it to perfection in a classic oven. This gives it its unique taste, which is very pure and raw.
The pans, intended for sharing between several people, can be ordered in three different sizes. Ojo double (500g), beef trio (750g) or gaucho’s choice (900g). The meat comes mixed as fillet, entrecote and rib eye and include two or three side dishes and sauces. We chose the ojo double with white wine risotto, grilled vegetables, potato gratin and aioli und chimichurri as sauces. The meat is served sliced and kept warm on a heater. It was roasted on point, juicy and of superb quality. The risotto was excellent and matched perfectly with the tasty meat. The sauces were great but not really necessary to such good pieces of meat.
The desserts – a hazelnut crème brûlée accompanied by pear sorbet and pomegranate and a hot chocolate tartlet with sour cream ice-cream - were the crowning glory of the evening. The heavy seeming desserts were made into an easily enjoyable pleasure by adding these absolute delicious and refreshing ice creams.
As a modern brasserie, the Restaurant Bärengasse celebrates the enjoyment of high quality Argentine beef and wine with a lot of joy and verve. The spacious and classic restaurant is a perfect meeting place during or after work. The experienced and talented cooking crew and the attentive service will make sure you enjoy your evening to the fullest.
Prices:
Starters: from CHF 14.00 to CHF 28.00
Main courses: from CHF 26.00 to CHF 145.00
Desserts: from CHF 14.00 to CHF 24.00
Address:
Restaurant Bärengasse
Bahnhofstrasse 25
8001 Zürich
Phone: +41 44 210 08 08
Website: www.restaurant-baerengasse.ch
