Zunfthaus zur Waag, Münsterhof, Zurich

Quiet dinner and in the mood for a classic Zürcher Geschnetzletes ? Common logic dictates that one of the Zunfthäuser is a good bet. The Zunfthaus zur Waag fits that category. First dish was veal tongue with sauce ravigote, nice to see such classic preparations are still available in Zurich restaurants. But things went downhill from there. If you’re in a Zunfthaus and you’re ordering a classic a certain chill runs down your spine when you see what I was server. Some sort ofa roeschti cake split in half and the crevasse filled with the meat and sauce. The issue in this dish wasn’t with the meat, but with the roeschti. It was weirdly cooked and the texture despicable. Overly crunchy, not to say rock hard, with a diamond like rating on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness on the outside and then suddenly giving away to a rubbery like consistence. The best guess is that this is some pre-fabricated setup gone wrong.

Reeling from the roeschti trauma I muster all my courage and order a chocolate mousse. Upon the first bite I’m ecstatic and frightened. For the first time in a long, long career of dining out a chocolate mousse is in the same league as my mother’s. Not wanting to foolishly jeopardize my inheritance, I would like to be on record that the portion was too small to reach a final judgement. While the restaurant was nice enough to offer me a replacement Zuercher Geschnetzeltes & Roeschti (I didn’t finish my portion) and when I politely declined they comped the dessert, the overall review isn’t satisfactory. Where would I have sent a tourist who wants to have a taste of Zuercher Geschnetzltes ? I’d have sent him or her to any of the Zunfthäuser without flinching, since I was convinced from the bottom of my heart that this was a safe bet. It isn’t.