Gandria

2 Forchette

Pasta with mushroom cream sauce? Not at the Gandria, the cozy restaurant in Zurich's Seefeld. Instead, here you get homemade pappardelle tossed with arugula in a rich cream sauce with chanterelles and porcini mushrooms, topped with black truffle from Norcia—the pasta course from the surprise menu is the star of the evening. Italian cuisine that surprises. This holds true for the first appetizer as well: hand-shredded, exquisite buffalo stracciatella served with anchovies, intensely aromatic Piennolo del Vesuvio tomatoes, crispy diced potatoes, and oregano from Pantelleria—Italian chefs like Adriano Peroncini know exactly where to source each ingredient. The second antipasto is equally super-fresh and elegant: a delicate grouper carpaccio with tomato and basil emulsion, trout roe, and lemon foam. The meat course has a distinctly Japanese minimalist feel: sharply seared, surprisingly tender slices of Chianina beef served with peppers, herb oil, and a well-balanced jus—we could have easily done without the lemon foam, this time finished with parmesan. But we certainly wouldn't want to miss out on the dessert: the inventive tiramisu with garden peas. Yet for once, we felt more Italian than many Italians here and would have preferred the classic original.