Smith and de Luma, Grubenstrasse, Zurich

If you’ve ever been to the Binz neighborhood at night, the absence of life is startling. Smith and de Luma have picked this spot to revamp the former G27 as a steak and wine restaurant. The vibe of the dining room is business casual and it feels like a super trendy coffee-shop. The english-only menu adds to the feeling, that this could be a very big hype and leaves one thinking what’s the food going to be like?

To cut the chase: it was out of this world! I dare say that this place has 1-star Michelin quality. Creative & strong appetizers, simpler but very well executed main courses. Our appetizers were an old cow carne crudo with cured egg and truffles. An umami punch to the tastebuds! The smokey salmon with fennel and granola seeds, showcased how important acid is too make a dish stand out. The aged gruyere mousse with relish, chestnut puree and pickled pumpkin a thrilling play of textures and again acidity.

As a main dish we opted for a slighlty cheaper cut called “secreto” from a pata negro pig. We thought it was “secreto” because the butcher hid it, but that’s not true. Slightly marbled with a characteristic texture, the secreto is just a fun piece of meat to take a bite out of. The beans were okay, the fries rendered in duck fat were good. The colcannon a sort of Irish potato mash with cabbage and bacon felt tasty and creative. Something new and good – what more could we want?

I felt like a very happy camper and a bit sorry for thinking this might be a hyped place without any substance – I was completely wrong – this is one hell of a restaurant and I wish I could dine on ten appetizers and four main courses. On a side note: After dinner, strolling through the Binz gives you a fascinating view of the development of Zurich’s commercial area and is a great way to support digestion.

We skipped this activity high on intellectual and physically stimulating elements and headed to drinks at the Si o No. Only to find a crazy lady incessantly yelling “Hallo” behind us. It turns out she was actually batshit crazy, since she decided to hurtle a stoneware dish filled with Guacamole at us. Narrowly missing us and declaring we were idiots for ignoring her. She’s now banned for life, we got a round of drinks on the house and a great story to tell to end an evening, which started with a fantastic dinner.