Markthalle Restaurant in Zurich and Sihlhalde in Gattikon

This weekend I finally made it to Im Viadukt in Zurich, a new strip of shops and restaurants built into a viaduct in Zurich's district 5. The shops were already closed by the time we got there but the restaurants and bars were still open. After walking down the entire strip we decided to get a bite to eat at the restaurant belonging to the Markthalle (market hall) which houses a market 6 days a week. The restaurant serves produce from the market hall. Since we weren't very hungry we shared a beefsteak and buffalo mozarella salad as well as a vegetable and potato omelette. Both dishes were very fresh and tasty. Since the market hall was also already closed by the time we were there, I'll definitely have to go back to check it out. It would also be fun to go back to the restaurant for their Sunday brunch.  

Last weekend we went on a mountain bike tour and passed the restaurant Sihlhalde in Gattikon on the way. The restaurant is in an old half-timber house and it looked absolutely charming. On the front it had a sign identifying itself as a member of the Grandes Tables de Suisse, a selection of gourmet restaurants in Switzerland. Back at home I looked it up and although the website showed only very few images of the food I decided I'd have to try it some time. After this weekend's bike ride we spontaneously headed over there. And we were not one bit sorry!

Okay, maybe I was a bit sorry when the amuse-bouche on the house turned out to be calf's head carpaccio. I ate most of it, trying hard not to envision where exactly the pieces once were located in the calf and that I might contract BSE. It did taste much better than I had imagined, though.

For the main dish I had sea bass with champagne foam served with chard and a side of new potatoes. 

He had beef tenderloin with green peppercorns and a side of basmati rice. It was perhaps the most tender beef I had ever tasted. 

For dessert I had the zucotto-an Italian dessert with liquor-soaked sponge on the outside and cream with chocolate bits on the inside. 

Mister had the Tahitian vanilla soufflé with berries and honey ice cream. 

Along with our coffees we got a plate of small goodies. Everything was very delicious and fresh and not over the top. A very satisfying meal indeed! 

As we were leaving the restaurant, the hostess handed us a copy of La Tavola, a Swiss food and travel magazine and told us that the magazine's publishing director, Marion Michels, was our neighbor at dinner. How exciting! I would have liked to have asked her a few questions.