Yen’s Restaurant, Hallwylstrasse, Zurich
Dec
2011
Chirashi
Kushiyaki
Hongkong by Night
Against better judgement I went to checkout Yen’s restaurant. I was hesitant for the fact that they had a Dein Deal or Groupon offering and very seldomly do decent restaurants show up on these marketing channels. The reason I went there was really because a good friend’s wife is called Yen, so it seemed like the restaurant can’t be that bad. I sat down and was pleasantly surprised how friendly the people where. The menu carries a Japanese and an “Asian” section. I’m always turned off by something called “Asian”, that’s like going to a “European” restaurant, it just doesn’t do the diversity of the continent any justice. I started out with three tuna sushi pieces and a plate of Chirasi, essentially raw fish and vegetables on top of some sushi rice. I was very pleasantly surprised, if you like going to places like Yooji or similar, forget about them come here to taste great sushi. The quality of the fish and the rice were pretty good, this certainly was one of the better sushi meals I had in Zurich. The next dish was a Kushiyaki, some beef skewers with salad. I wasn’t too happy with the texture of the meat (could have been grilled a bit more) and taste was too subtle for my palate. The main course didn’t quite meet the expectations I had, it was Hongkong by Night, a duck dish with a sauce and rice. This is the same old Suan Long cuisine you’ll find in most “Asian” places. I’d recommend the place for pretty good sushi, making the advice to stick to the Japanese part of the menu and you’ll do great. For the first time ever am I inclined to say, if you grab a Dein Deal / Groupon voucher for a Sushi plate here, that’s actually a pretty smart choice. Prices:
Rechnung
14/12/2011 at 15:07
Hey Picky,
Thanks for the review. At least the presentation looks pretty nice…
19/12/2011 at 19:45
Ronnie – any other golden tipps I should check out ? The last one of Dapur was fantastic.
07/04/2012 at 18:47
Hi Picky,
– good Paella and Seafood Parrillada: Bodega Espanola close to Niederdorf,
– relatively authentic Vietnamese food: Asiaway close to Sternen Oerlikon
– of course, one of the best Thai food: White Elephant af the Marriot Hotel.
Cheers, Kim
20/12/2011 at 08:39
I’m glad you enjoyed Dapur. I really do love it and go as often as I can. I’m a big fan of Indonesian food.
I’ve got a couple of other places, but they are very simple places and nothing like what you typically frequent.
As a person who is very passionate about Indian/Pakistani curries, I’m honestly quite disappointed with what is on offer in Zürich. I find the food quite watered down, but I do understand that it is to cater to local tastes. Anyhow, in my constant pursuit of a good curry, I came across Friend’s Corner on Josefstrasse 140, just off Langstrasse. It’s a very small and simple Tamil Café serving freshly prepared Sri Lankan food. You should give it a go. It’s inexpensive and very simple but the food is real. I normally have the lamb buryani (how they spell it) or the Cottu Roti. The spicier the better! Open for lunch only and not on Sundays. Go early as it gets really busy. Be aware, it’s very simple!
Another place is Galinhas. A simple place serving Portuguese style grilled piri piri/peri peri Chicken. It reminds me of Nandos :). I do enjoy it. It’s in Oerlikon on Schaffhauserstrasse 477. http://www.galinhas.ch
For Thai, I enjoy Ah Hua, but I’m sure you’ve reviewed it before.
For an excellent schnitzel and a proper tarte flambée, I love Restaurant Brunnentor. The schnitzels are really very good, the fries well seasoned and the veggies are delicious. They also do excellent tarte flambées. They’re located in Uster and easy to get to by car or public transport. http://www.brunnentor.ch/
For Peruvian food, you must go to Lola’s. It’s at Manessestrasse 32 in Zürich and it serves excellent Peruvian food. I love the tiradito. A Peruvian friend of mine introduced me to it and I try to make it as often as possible. http://www.lolasrestaurant.ch
For sushi, I go to Samurai quite often. Another simple place with outdated décor but the food is good. It’s run by a Japanese family. http://www.samurai7.ch/
And finally, as a big big chilli freak, I am delighted to tell you that there is a shop behind bahnhof Oerlikon that sells extremely hot chilli sauces. They even offer degustations :). If you’re into your chilli and literally want to blow your head away, go to http://www.hotsaucen.ch/.
p.s. I went to the Lebanese place by Sihlquai and really enjoyed my chicken shawarma as well as the hummus, thanks for the tip! Next time round I want to try all of their koftes and grilled meats.
21/12/2011 at 10:14
Thanks – I actually know all of them except for the Galhinas, which I’ve never tried.
The Cottu Roti at Friends Corner has become my sisters “Kebab replacement”, it’s pretty neat.
22/12/2011 at 08:04
Excellent.
Galinhas will please you if you’re into grilled piri piri chicken.
En Güete & Merry Christmas!