They're quick or average in the kitchen and the service is friendly. The prices are notably low. I think there is a smoker section in the restaurant but the ventilation is appropriate. If it was closer to where I live and if I didn't prefer European cuisine, I'd eat there more often.
I've eaten at Scent of Bamboo at Bahnhof Altstetten (there is another Asian restaurant right across the street). It serves Chinese and Vietnamese dishes and also has a take away counter. I don't like hot food so I can't judge how spicey the more traditional dishes are but what I've eaten was quite good.
I'd like to put in a plug for Restaurant Sultan on Höngerstrasse in Wipkingen. It's an Arabic and Tunisian restaurant.
The ambience and service and food and wine are great. They've got smoking and non-smoking sections. If there's a large enough crowd then I'm sure that they could rustle you up a belly-dancer (not that we saw one...)
Food-wise, they do Mezze (with brilliant Merguez), Couscous dishes, fish, vegi, ... their menu card is here. They have Syrian/Jordanian/Tunisian specialities, eg I had lamb mischmisch which is from Jordan. Quantities are good too.
They've got Lebanese/Moroccan/Tunisian beer and wine.
Location-wise, its right beside Waidfussweg stop on the #13 tram.
Cost-wise, it was about CHF 150 for two, including entrees/mains, beer, and a bottle of wine.
And they deliver.
We'll be back
Yeah thats all very well, but is the red obelisk in the middle of the main restaurant area for ? We should be told.
dave#
You liked it? Since I live close by (and frequently visit Peking Garden next door) I tried it several times as I like Thai food and wanted a change. Prices are good but food was several times not well cooked. They seem to have the meat and vegetables "pre-fried" and when you order, they hammer things together and heat it up a bit. Mine was not hot on two occasions as the meat is also not cut small enough to heat up in seconds...
No I wasn't disturbed by the food quality and this morning I've asked the five persons who've eaten a meat dish when we were there, their food was boiled thorougly.
So in your opinion Peking Garden is worth the price difference?
I usually just go to the snack bar part of Peking Garden, which is actually even cheaper... my main focus is more on the food if I want a quick dinner close to my home, so I do not talk about the atmosphere now.
On the food: Maybe I was unlucky, but as it happened three times to me out of three attempts I lost the interest to go there... So I will make a more constructive reply :
The best Asian food I had in Zurich (honestly, including some quite expensive attempts in Japanese and Korean restaurants) is in a very small place called "Petit Saigon" on Birmersdorferstrasse, close to "Schmiede Wiedikon". They have a "buffet bar" where you can pick your choice, so the missing language skills (and I am talking about German skills as well) of the staff did not matter. I paid 18 CHF for a dish with two types of curry. Try the honey chicken, the summer rolls or the various curries! Simply great!
If you go there on lunch time be either early or prepared that they are sold out.
Chris
As an aside - what do people think of the "Zürich geht aus!" magazine? I picked up a copy over the weekend. The idea (I think) is that it is all anonymous reviews of Zürich restaurants, and it lists the top 240 best ones that they found.
The reviews are grouped into sections such as:
City,
Altstadt (right of Limmat),
separate sections for Kreis 3, 4, 5 (Züri west),
Zürichberg,
Seefeld/Kreis 8,
Enge/Wollishofen,
rest of Zurich,
Left & right sides of lake,
rest of Kanton.
There's also sections on gourmet/seafood/italian/misc asian/scenic/regional/...
It also lists Zürich bars and lounges, nightclubs, and a couple of hotels.
It looks a gorgeous magazine and it's got heaps of reviews, but the indexing is absolutely diabolical (two tables of contents?), and with my unsuperb Deutsch verstehen it's going to take a while to read through it.
Has anyone else read it? Is it useful and impartial and thorough and honest? Or is it touristy and biased and bribe-based?
I have to read them for work (travel writer) and find them sniffy in a my-aren't-we-cool kind of way. They spend a lot of time nattering on about style and recommend too many "shicky-micky" places.
May I suggest: www.outandabout.ch (full disclosure: I work for the site)
never had authentic British pies other than mince meat pies...so i have nothing to compare it to.
we went there 2 times and chatted with one of the owners. nice people and the place was quaint. good for weekend lunch i thought. do not be deceived by the sizes of the pies...the large size (while seemingly small) is very filling. the small size is "just right" for the hungry but not yet starving.
their brownies are not worth getting (mine are far superior), the shortbread cookies they make are also not worth it. i also do not suggest the apple pie (the crust is not flavorful, and the insides are not what i would say is apple pie deliciousness).
Not sure if this has been posted before but Hotwok in Regensdorf is pretty good for Asian food . A bunch of us from EF were there last week , good spread of food and quite reasonable . They have a Thai buffet on tomorrow for those interested . Just check out their website ( www.hotwok.ch ) .
OMG, Ive been living next door to this restaurant for 2 months and have yet to try it. I will have to now! Whats it like price wise?
Yesterday I had dinner at Casa Aurelio (Langstrasse 209, right next to the McD).
Definitely on the pricey side (we spent 170Fr in 2 people with just one glass of wine) but the appetizer was delicious and the paella was really good.
Service was very quick and all of the staff was spanish.
Big downer: no no-smoking section.
I have some mixed feelings about this restaurant, had the bill been some 20fr less I'd have been happier, but I can't really complain, the food was really good.
We were at Hong-Kong food paradise in Oerlikon yesterday .... Very simple concept , order your food and pay at the counter .... They serve it to you when it is ready .... Choice of Thai , Chinese , Japanese , Indian , Italian (??) food . Tasty food , friendly staff and reasonable prices ( around CHF 80 for 3 of us including soft drinks ) . Only negative would be that they do not accept any kind of plastic ( not even EC ! )
Its a great source - having purchased it two years ago the reviews were spot on with our experiences and we always use it when looking for something new.
I can testify to that one. Seriously nice place.
Agreed - Angkor is a really nice place, yet can feel a bit crowded and although it looks authentic on the inside, I still felt I was eating in part of a huge industrial hangar converted into an authentic restaurant.
Recently discovered a really great place for Thai Food - just 20min outside Zurich, the Thai Orchid in Meilen, right at the Seestrasse.
The place is not too big/small, overlooks the Zurich Lake and has a peaceful white interior with nice Thai elements, flowers etc etc.
A good place to take your significant other if you have someting to celebrate. It's quite romantic place really .
Of course it comes at a price, yet it's worth it in my view, compared to having yet another dinner in Zurich somewhere at easily CHF150. This really felt refreshingly different with good and kind service and really spicy Thai food. They serve a very good papaya salad. My fiancée ordered a dish with 3-peppers and asked for extra spicy ... it was the spiciest dish she ate in 3 years Switzerland !
PS: Have any of you already been to The Riva , which opened recently at the Lake Zurich.
PPS: I'm looking for a very nice place to have a brunch for a very special occasion in 2 weeks time in Zurich - any tips, preferably at the Lakeside.
(Occasion is to celebrate our civil marriage, which will take place here in Zurich on 31.July. The Big Day, with church wedding etc with friends&family is planned for September in Budapest).
The guys at Ah Hua aren't afraid to add spice. Just tell them "Thai spicy" and hold on to your seat. Maybe it's cause I look asian, but I've had some good chilli-rushes from that place. But it's not a romantic place at all. But a lot cheaper
The Kung-Po I had at Beyond a few days ago (also asked for spicy) was also really good. But not up to Ah Hua levels.
anyone been here??
my friend told about it...supposed to have a cheap lunch buffet. will give some feedback when i visit it sometime soon...
ok, just came from the yansushi restaurant and it is pretty good (being a fussy malaysian like myself, I can say it is worth going to)
the lunch buffet is CHf15 (normally it will be CHF21) but as the restaurant just opened this promotional price is mon-fri till end of August.
There was basic sushi, fried rice, noodles, sweet sour soup. but the interesting thing, is that there was a section for a do-it-yourself stirfry. you choose the raw ingredients from the buffet and the chef will stir fry it for you to your taste (there is a choice of 6 or so sauces).
80% of the clientele were asian (always a good sign)
I drove and there is 4-5 parking spots out front. There is also a bus 62 to friedrichstrasse (stop is right opp the restaurant)
so if you are interested pls check it out (we need to keep any cheap good asian place in business! )
This is the best (and only?) yum cha restaurant I know in the Zürich area. Delicious! Will be going back there soon!
Im Sihlhof 1
8134 Adliswil
043 377 06 18
Swissotter - thanks for the tip. Went to yansushi for lunch today. Yum!