Zurich - Eating Out

Desserts at the Kameha Sunday Brunch

I’ve been trying to decide if there are differences between eating out in Egypt and eating out in Zurich (apart from the obvious – prices and location!).

I’ve revisited some old, familiar places since I’ve been back (Seerose, LakeSide, Bauschaenzli, Tao’s) and tried out some new places (Kameha, Razzia).

I started off thinking that really you can eat out just as well in Egypt as you can in Zurich, but I’m now wondering if that’s true and, actually, whether it’s even fair to compare. The two countries are complete opposites – Switzerland is almost sickeningly wealthy and Egypt is so poor that even the electricity isn’t stable. Switzerland can afford better things and in addition the quality items are closer and cheaper to import. It has a larger, wealthier population to serve; in Egypt, particularly now, the “wealthy” residents and tourists (whether Egyptian/Arabic/Western) are relatively scarce, and there’s no incentive to invest in fancy restaurants. Interestingly, Egyptians and Arabs holidaying in Egypt now spend more money than the Europeans, so the recession in Europe has its consequences for Egypt as well.

Although I enjoy eating out, it’s not a “must do” on my agenda in life. However, when I was in Egypt, I used to go out maybe once a week with Nicole, trying out various establishments. The quality was higher than I was expecting, although, of course, the better the food, generally the higher the price. B’s at the marina, for instance, has high quality offerings and a great location, but you are paying near European prices (whatever that means; but lower than Swiss prices!). Thai Garden in Mamsha is also nicely designed with good food. Again, it’s not so cheap, but that’s speaking as someone who is thinking of Egyptian prices and having no income rather than as someone earning and thinking in Swiss francs!

My budget is limited in Egypt as well, so I rarely go to the very top-end establishments, whereas in Switzerland I’m earning and can afford to spend the money. This also skews the comparison. For instance, the Indian restaurant at the Oberoi in Sahl Hasheesh is supposed to be stunning, but I’ve also heard its cost is near prohibitive (for those living in Egypt), so I’ve yet to try it out.

But the selection and quality of good restaurants in Zurich is superb. I’ve already had some wonderful meals sitting by the lake (Seerose, LakeSide), some restaurants have interesting features (Razzia is an old cinema and is beautiful). You pay a price, of course, but there’s such a huge selection of places to go, many of which I have yet to visit, that it’s overwhelming. In Hurghada, we sometimes struggled to find somewhere we hadn’t tried that looked decent (by European standards). Often, the best places are in hotels, which makes eating out feel a bit clinical, too.

In Egypt, places are often not consistently good – so you can go one time and think you’ve found a hidden gem, you return, and you feel rather disappointed. In Switzerland, there’s more consistency. Usually, if a place is good, it will be good all other times that you go as well. You may feel you are paying a fortune, but in return you will often be sitting somewhere that’s amazingly well (or interestingly) designed. In the Kronenhalle, you can even go for a drink surrounded by original works from Giacometti, Picasso, and Chagall. Angkor has little channels with fish swimming round you as you eat. This summer, the Hiltl, the world’s oldest vegetarian restaurant, has decorated its exterior with fake grass. And, of course, you get a great selections of wines in many restaurants, which is lacking in Egypt.

A very German/Swiss tradition is the Sunday Brunch. It took me many years to warm to this idea – I couldn’t really see the point at first (why eat all that at this time of day? Breakfast isn’t so expensive and I like my morning cereal). However, I’m now a convert. It’s a wonderful way to spend a Sunday. Brunches generally run from around 11am until 2pm and most times it is an all-inclusive buffet with breakfast items, main course lunch items, and desserts. I went to the brunch at the Kameha the other week.

The location isn’t so great (although Lena tells me that it says otherwise on the Kameha website!), but for 69 CHF the brunch was excellent value and the food of good quality. There were all the traditional breakfast items, plus honey from a honeycomb, antipasti, a dim sum table, eggs cooked to order, a choice of mains cooked fresh to order and brought to your table (the day we went, it was veal or a vegetarian pasta dish), tea, coffee and water to your heart’s content (and a prosecco before you began). The desserts were home made as was the delicious ice cream. There was no mistaking the flavours in the desserts – the coffee mousse was stronger than my cappuccino!

If you want to experience the high life, the Dolder brunch is also good, but more expensive (and, scandalously, doesn’t include water). However, you can buy a champagne add-on option, and drink as much champagne as you like. That’s what I call getting your priorities right!

So, all in all, I’ve got to admit that it is nice to be back and to have this huge range of places to go to and enjoy. This is, however, largely helped by the fact that I’m earning a salary (for which I am also grateful!).