Metropol, Fraumünsterstrasse, Zurich

Mr. Böniger’s article reminded me that I’ve met up with Patrick a while back at the same place. The Metropol has a new claim of Modern Japanese Cuisine. Undeterred by the few people at this establishment on a Monday night, we order the 8 course Japanese Journey.

The first disappointment were the slightly mushy (overcooked) Edamame, that quickly faded with the Miso soup which was one of the strongest dishes in the journey. Strong earthy mushrooms and prickly scallions where a perfect addition to the soup. Unfortunately most other dishes were lacking in one or the other department. The Gyoza were mealy and the dough too thick. The tempura was clumsy and lacked the light elegance, it was more fish’n’chips style. The Soba noodles (nice salmon) overcooked. A bit strange was the use of Ceviche in the Modern Japanese Journey. Ceviche has it’s roots in South America (fish “cooked” in the acid of a citrus fruit) and while it has similarities to Sashimi (use of raw fish) it is distinctly different. There seems to be an influence of Japanese chefs in Peruvian cuisine, which could be used as an argument to justify the showcase, but I remain unconvinced.

Overall while I was excited to see “Modern Japanese Cuisine” as the claim, but the restaurant didn’t quite deliver. It’s close but it misses the mark. Not as badly as the “authentic” Italian restaurant in Tokio I saw that served Pizza Carbonara, but still they need to tweak their game, even cooking “Modern” implies getting the basic techniques right.