Bianchi, Limmatquai, Zurich

I’ll cut straight to the chase, I’ve bitched many a times about “chain” restaurants and how they lack soul, Bianchi (ran jointly with the Bindella group) is the exception to the rule. Bianchi capitalizes on the name from a large fish-monger and tries to turn that expertise into a restaurant experience. Upon sitting down and being handed the menu, I would have expected some insights into the fish which were on display in an ice chest in the middle of the dining room. After all, if you’re aiming to be the leading fish restaurant in town, your staff should be able to sell the fish and be knowledgable about them at the same time. The sepia taglierini where al dente, the scallops just right and the tomatoes surprisingly tasty for the middle of winter. The dish doesn’t match my favourite one from Italia, but certainly a good start into a meal.

I enjoy cod and decided on a pan seared fillet with some vegetables. Juicy and moist on the inside, with a good browning on the skin, just done the way I like it. The real star of the dish were the vegetables. Every single one tasted distinctively of itself, not something you typically get when multiple vegetables are served. Clearly whoever’s in the kitchen knows what he/she’s doing. A frothy Zabaione finishes of a pretty decent meal. A bit more flair from the staff in pitching their products and then I won’t have much to complain. Prices are at the upper end of the scale, but the quality does not disappoint.