Dining Car, SBB, Zurich-Bern
Nov
2011
Kürbisquiche
Riz Casimir
Do I hate myself ? Do I have an underlying masochistic streak which is starting to come to the surface of my personality ? These are types of questions I find myself pondering after virtually every meal in the dining car of SBB, since I keep on trying even if I get disappointed. The SBB homepage actually calls out Riz Casimir being available and how proud they are that Studi has designed the new menu. Now I’m not quite sure but this guy has never ran a restaurant (nor does so currently) and get’s all his fame from different tv shows. Who knows maybe the SBB board was impressed by the fact that he had a middle initial… Anyway I’m already bitching and haven’t even tried his hot food. I really like the dining car, there’s nothing better if you’re into trains and travelling, then having a meal while looking out the window. I jump on the noon express from Zurich to Bern and study the menu. I settle on a seasonal (nice touch) pumpkin quiche and a staple swiss food Riz Casimir. The quiche was a mess – look at the presentation, it looked like something was taken from the Findus deepfreeze selection and thrown onto a plate. A rather minimalistic concept was chosen in terms of decoration. Tastewise I really can’t say, since it was microwaved an so piping hot you could barely eat it and the crust was soggy. Moving on to the Riz Casimir the sauce was uninspired, lacking depth of flavor and quite frankly I thought the dish was a bit stingy on the amount of chicken. The whole meal didn’t meet 7th grade mandatory cookery class level, not sure if our favourite swiss tv chef is doing himself a big favour. Rechnung:
Rechnung
28/11/2011 at 01:22
I agree on your take on Studi’s qualifications. Experts on TV aren’t necessarily experts in real life.
Regarding the new SBB dining car experience I can’t comment as I haven’t had the pleasure yet.
Just as a general note: We should keep in mind that generally, the culinary level in SBB dining cars is high in international comparison (I’m talking about food served in dining cars, of course). If you have ever eaten in a dining car in PR China you know what I mean.
Last but not least: Do you mind exchanging jobs? I’d love to have a job where I can travel and eat in restaurants as often as you do 🙂 Or could you at least share with us readers what your job is?
Thanks a lot. I really like your posts!
28/11/2011 at 08:36
Riz Casimir? You must’ve been feeling truly masochistic. Sorry to hear about the dour experience, because there are few things more enjoyable than watching the scenery speed by from the comfort of an SBB dining car.
I had soup on a recent Geneva-Zurich trip, then a cheese platter for dessert to wile away the time. I was happy enough, but those are two dishes you can barely go wrong with. Plus the vibe in the dining car was awesome, thanks to a wonderful waiter.
Better luck next time, ReallyPicky…
30/11/2011 at 12:22
I’d agree with Katherine, I always order the cheese platter and sometimes the cold meat platter. You really can’t go wrong with them.
I’ve eaten far better rail meals on trains in India & Kenya and in France so I would highly disagree with Blacky. It certainly is not high quality in international comparison. They can certainly do more to improve the food.
Picky, stop torturing yourself with SBB meals. Either stick to the cheese & charcuterie or don’t eat!
07/12/2011 at 11:39
I refuse to give up on the dining car!
13/12/2011 at 12:48
Why not just give up on the dining car?
13/12/2011 at 12:50
It’s a complicated love-hate relationship 🙂