Maison Manesse, Hopfenstrasse 2, Zurich

The Maison Manesse opened with a big bash with over 400 people attending. Being shy and living in the shadows of anonymity your favourite restaurant tester waited a few days before trying out this new establishment. What a change from the Sunnezyt which used to be here before. Clean, light and simple interior welcomes patrons. The menu is a collection of different small cards, where you either pick the menu or mix & match among the accurately numbered 12 courses.

First up were some ravioli with zucchini strips on the outside and blue cheese on the inside. Some hazelnuts and a drizzle of sweet something as well as some candied oranges plus an orange granité. The granité had no business on that plate, since it disintegrates quickly and essentially adds some watery orange sirup to the plate. The ravioli were pretty awesome, even for people who crave savoury dishes more. The bluecheese was subtle instead of being the in-your-face type, hazelnuts and zucchini added two layers of textural contrasts and the bitter note of the candied oranges went very well. These are the kind of courses which get me excited!

The simple egg on asparagus didn’t disappoint either. It was served on a thin spread of peanut butter and again it was a surprisingly good combination. The tomato tarte tatin with mushrooms and potatoes was slightly misleading, since the mushroom component was bigger than the actual tarte. The earthiness of the mushrooms didn’t work with the tarte, even though the potatoes were very tasty. A bit of renaming would probably manage expectations better. The tartare was very well cut, but the molecular drops of condiments didn’t quite work. It created highly concetrated areas of flavour and aroma instead of more evenly distributing that across the whole dish. Dessert had a fantastic rosmary component which was pretty amazing to eat.

So what do I make of this establishment ? I like the boldness of some of the ideas on the menu, something we need more of in Zurich. I also like the ambition in gunning for the Top 50 restaurants in the world list, albeit it’s going to be somewhat of a journey. But the crew seems eager and willing and deserves kudos for trying. It will be interesting to see once the crew has settled in, how they develop the Maison Manesse to conquer the culinary world.

Don’t be offended by the bill, we were four guys having a good time and had a glass of wine or two. Prices are not that bad considering the efforts and products you get on your plate – looking forward for a revisit.