Ooki, Muellerstrasse, Zurich

Sake selection

Gyoza

Tonkotsu-Ramen

Update: Stephan is right it’s on Baeckerstrasse.

Finally real japanese food is starting to appear in Zurich. Ooki is a small place near Helvetiaplatz specialising in noodle soups. It has become very popular and on most nights it is advisable to make a reservation. The sake selection is rather small, so it’s a safe choice to stick to the Asahi beer. The typical Gyozas (essentially a type of dumpling) found in Zurich are some of the deep-frozen Migros Anna Best integrated meal solution type. Ooki has handmade, fresh Gyozas, with your choice of meat or vegetable. Together with some hot oil and some vinegar this is a lovely bite and a good showcase of the type of food here. You can choose other rice based appetizers, but the Gyoza is unbeaten. Japanese eat everything at once so without much delay we were served our soups. Of the four different flavours, which are available, the Miso variant was the best. Salty, balanced and with a strong Umami flavor. In the soup you’ll find beef, noodles, vegetables, and half an egg. For roughly 90 CHF for two, with apps, mains and a lot of alcohol (my little sister was the big drinker) you get a really good deal and excellent taste. Certainly a good alternative to eating a burger.

Bill