313 Restaurant, Birmensdorferstrasse, Zurich

While other news outlets focus on PR campaigning for pre-fabricated meals, others spend hours hunting down the newest gastronomical development in Zurich. The former Don Pepe (opposite the Migros Wiedikon) has been replaced by the Restaurant 313. The surprising aspect is that they feature russian cuisine, something not very common in Zurich. Einstein researched on transforming energy into matter and back while the real picky gourmet transforms energy into culinary discoveries. Unfortunately Alfred Nobel forgot about this category when setting up his will to hand out his yearly prizes, so I’ll have to aim for literature next year.

But back to the restaurant. The interior has not undergone a substantial update, but the menu features a lot of dishes otherwise unkown. First was a Krautsalat (the predecessor of the cole slaw) which was excellent. The small pieces of carrot gave it a nice balance and rounded off the well seasoned dish. It tasted comparable to a cole slaw and you could taste the roots of this american barbecue staple in the Krautsalat. The next two dishes Blini with Salmon & a helping of Cabbage rollls (Kohlrouladen) where both advertised as appetizers. The portions where simply much too large. Not only did the Blini feel more like omelettes, three large pieces as an appetizer is unelegant and seems to be an economically ill-advised approach. The cabbage rolls where excellent, stuffed with meat and rice, while served with some zucchini and tomato sauce, this feels truly homemade and something to come back to.

Main course was served in what is assumed to be a traditional dish. These ravioli like tibits named Pelmeni do not contain any salt in the dough, so it’s advised by the waitress to spice them with the salt shaker and pepper mill provided. Together with a dollop of sour cream and the fresh parsley this is also a hit. It feels fresh and light and certainly an interesting twist to other dumpling like dishes. The restaurant is very much comfort food which has been executed with care. In terms of value, if you’re already full from an appetizer, this is about as good as it gets. The only small complaint is that the dishes are slightly unelegant in presentation and portion size, so don’t expect fine dining and you’ll be doing good.