Objects of desire: Green grazing - Zurich vegan restaurants

From indiatoday.in

Exploring the quiet evolution of Zurich's vegan table with a spotlight on three restaurants that are rewriting conscience eating with precise tasting menus, Moroccan Spanish sharing plates and Catalan pintxos

Yes, there exists a Zurich for vegan diners. No, there are many Zurichs for plant-based fine-dine, interspersed across restaurants of all personalities. There are evenings for intricate tasting menus, others for plates passed across a table with wine, and still others for an aperitif that unexpectedly becomes dinner. The city’s plant-based scenario is not one cuisine or one mood. It’s a melting pot, a melange, and, let’s just say it, a subculture in the making.

DAR

 DAR moves slowly, softly, quietly, into a less formal setting, one that earned the Michelin distinction ‘Bib Gourmand’ on its own. Spanish and Moroccan influences shape the menu here too, but this time, the food is made for sharing. Seasonal vegetables become unassuming but equally riveting dishes, from salted-lemon-mustard steamed buns to roasted beetroot with turmeric foam, among other shared plates. Homemade breads and desserts keep it indulgent. Brunch offers honeycomb-shaped pancakes with house-made Nutella and orange syrup. Its name says much: “dar” means “to give” in Spanish and “house” in Moroccan. That is why DAR feels less formal, more like somewhere to settle in, break bread, and refuse to leave.

Where: Weststrasse 20, 8003 Zurich

USP Moroccan-Spanish sharing plates, vegan cocktails, and a reason to linger.

Meal for Two approx. Rs. 25,000

Contact https://www.restaurantdar.com/

KLE

Interiors at KLE

Chef Zizi Hattab in the kitchen

Zizi Hattab knows this better than most. Born to Moroccan parents, raised in Spain, and trained under Swiss culinary legend Andreas Caminada, she turned plant based cooking into a Michelin awarded restaurant (opened in 2020). Tucked into District 3, KLE has the intimacy of a neighbourhood restaurant, but the precision of fine dining. Zizi Hattab’s four to six course surprise menu celebrates seasonality; an homage to why produce is produced when it is produced. A black pearl mushroom comes with a sauce concocted from 25 local ingredients, including the Weggis lemongrass to provide that perfect tang. There is house bread, but not without aquafaba aioli and Moroccan hummus to generate some excitement; and pickles of radish, cauliflower, beetroot and mushroom make sure to punctuate the meal with acidity. Hattab’s Spanish Moroccan background surfaces without overpowering the produce. KLE’s achievement is making vegetables feel neither imitative nor intimidating. They simply light up a plate, while the room and terrace keep the sophistication easy.

Where Zweierstrasse 114, 8003 Zurich, Switzerland

USP Local produce, global references, and fine dining, not fuss dining.

Meal for Two Rs. 64,000 approx. with wine pairing for a 7 Course menu.

Contact https://www.restaurantkle.com/

COR

Wine and pinxtos at COR

Guests enjoying outside COR

COR makes plant-based dining feel almost incidental, which may just explain its charm. Hattab and partner Bernd Vogel combine Catalan inspired tapas and pintxos with Spanish and French biodynamic wines. Stuffed peppers and pa amb tomquet are designed for grazing, not ceremony. It works with organic produce and small, ethical producers, while the menu shifts with the seasons. Only limited quantities of its plant-based tapas and pintxos are prepared each day. It is pleasantly impermanent: no great vegan manifesto, simply a good bottle, two or three small plates and an evening frozen in time.

Where Weststrasse 12, 8003 Zurich

USP Small Catalan plates, biodynamic bottles, and spontaneity served every evening.

Meal For Two approx. Rs. 10,000

Contact https://www.corwineandpintxos.com/

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