Dinner at Yu Nijyo, Kameha Grand Zűrich

The Kameha Grand Zűrich hotel is not only being talked about for its outstanding design, it is also creating quite a stir for its cuisine. If your discerning palate wants to be indulged and spoilt, Yu Nijyo is the place to go. 

If I could have given a Michelin Star to head chef Norman Fischer at Yu Nijyo after the gastronomic experience I had at his restaurant I would have done.

Yu Nijyo translates, I am told by the staff, as “hot water to the power of two” which alludes to the significance of water to the people of Japan.

Dramatic yet intimate

Continuing the hotel’s theme of paying homage to typical Swiss affiliations, the restaurant decked out dramatically in black and red, marries Swiss patterns from Appenzell, a place renowned for its embroidery, with traditional Japanese themes. The décor is dramatic yet the ambience manages to be intimate and relaxed. The service is exemplary.

Norman Fischer is a gifted chef who comes with a great pedigree having worked at several award-winning gourmet restaurants including La Terrasse, Park Hotel Bremen, where in his first position as chef de cuisine, he secured a star in the Guide Michelin. It should not be long before his culinary skills are bagging awards at at Yu Nijyo.

He takes inspiration from Japan and the Far East. Using the finest ingredients painstakingly prepared, he adds his own innovative twist. To kick off there was the chef’s salmon  appetizer, beautifully displayed and  the perfect accompaniment to the champagne I was drinking.

Beautifully presented

 

For the starter I plumped for the Yellow Fin Tuna which I instantly devoured. My taste buds were then put into overdrive with the chef’s amuse-bouche of spicy tuna and tandori chicken in a creamy mouse. This was already beginning to be a most memorable meal. 

The waiter suggested I had different wines to complement the flavours of each course. (Swiss measures are a lot smaller than ours – usually about one 1decilitre.) As I was in Switzerland I wanted to drink Swiss wines as they tend to be rather good. 

A surprising number was a mix of sauvignon blanc and chardonnay which was magical on the palate and went exceptionally well with the platter of sushi. This magnificent melange of tuna, eel, salmon and scallops was not only visually enticing it also tasted divine. 

Looks to good to eat

After the amount of food that I had consumed I was rather pleased that the main course was in true Japanese style, simple. The lamb from Hof Schrofen was so tender and cooked to perfection. Served with a beans and celeriac, the combination of all the flavours was outstanding. 

I washed it down with a glass of pinot noir from Zurich wine producer Erich Meier. Bursting with velvety chocolate aromas, this wine oozed class and elegance. Pinot noirs can be difficult to get right. This man has nailed it.

For dessert. I plumped for the white chocolate Ivorie with granny smith sorbet which was tart and exhilarating. What a sensational finale!

By Daralyn Danns

Getting there

British Airways currently flies from London City to Zurich up to four times a day. Each-way hand baggage only fares are available from £69 (based on a return hand baggage only fare) and are available to book on www.ba.com/londoncity

(In addition BA has services from Heathrow with connections also available from across the UK and Ireland.)

All British Airways fares include online check-in 24 hours before departure, complimentary refreshments and drinks on board and no debit card charges 

Customers have a quick and easy journey through the Docklands airport, with hand baggage it takes just 15 minutes to get from kerbside to airside

So good to fly in comfort and style

Kameha Grand Zurich (Tel: +41 44 525 5000 Email: zuerich@kameha.com

Website: www.kamehagrandzuerich.com) offers accommodation in the heart of Zurich. Rates start from £225 per room (per night)

 

Kameha Grand Zűrich

“You are in the Diva suite,” I was told as I checked into the Kameha Grand Zürich. What could I have possibly done to deserve this? I suppose the look on my face said it all as my fears were immediately put to rest when it was explained to me that is one of 11 of the hotel’s themed suits.

Kameha Grand Zűrich by night

Having arrived to be confronted by a giant cowbell in the lobby, I had instantly got the impression that this is a hotel that stands out from the crowd. No wonder that Dutch design genius Marcel Wanders was labelled by the New York Times, the “Lady Gaga of design” At the Kameha, it looks as if he has spearheaded a revolution in design.

Unlike so many hotels where you forget which country you are in, here you know that you are in Switzerland. Wanders has given a whole new meaning to the typical Swiss associations. Gold-flecked sofas that resemble Toblerones, bank vaults that hide coffee machines and mini-bars, lights that look like cowbells, brown-padded panels which morph walls into slabs of chocolate, and decorative references to the clock and watch industry are just some of the quirky and ingenious touches that give this hotel a sense of place. 

The lobby

Here at the Kameha Grand, lifestyle and design merge into a splurge-worthy retreat that is an antidote to rushed city life. Part of the Glatt Park development project, you are only a short walk from the park and a 550-metre long man-made lake where you can swim. The airport is only a 10-minute drive away and you can reach the city by tram which takes approximately half an hour. Fashioned to be a destination, this hotel has definitely fulfilled its ambition. It is like being on a voyage of discovery, there is always something to see.

I thought I had landed up backstage on a Hollywood film set when I entered the Diva Suite. Flavoured with an indulgent layer of glamour, it also had all the mod cons including push button blinds, a large flat screen TV and importantly free, fast Wi-Fi.  

The dressing table had an illuminated mirror, perfect for applying make-up. There was a dressmaker’s mannequin and even a wine cooler. The generous-sized bathroom with a free-standing bath had a walk-in rain shower with a separate mirrored loo which did take some getting used to. Full-sized Molton Brown toiletries were another lovely touch as was the scrumptious cup cake I located in my bedroom.

The Diva suite

Keep fit fanatics should book for a stay in the Workout suite which has its own treadmill and weight-training bench For those that like a flutter ask for the Poker Face suite that comes complete with a roulette table. Just want to be reminded that you are in Switzerland? Then plump for the Watchmaker suite.

Others include a Serenity suite and Princess suite so you are bound to find one that floats your boat. There are also 224 premium and deluxe rooms as well as two executive suites, six business suites, the King Kameha suite and the Space suite.

The hotel also has a gym and if you want to indulge in some pampering there is a superb spa. For those of you that still like to light up there is a cigar lounge which is reminiscent of a gentleman’s club. Clamouring for Arabian nights?  Make a beeline for the rather exotic shisha parlour.

Japanese cuisine lovers will certainly appreciate the food at Yu Nijyo. It serves up some of the best I have tasted outside Japan. For pasta, homemade of course, and a good selection of sauces, try the Italian restaurant, L’Unico. The name, I was told, is the Italian translation of  Kameha, the Hawaiian-origin word that means “the unique”. Perfect for a cocktail is the chic Pure Gold Bar.

You will be hard-pressed to find fault with the service at the Kameha Grand. You are treated as if you are the most important person in the hotel. Written into the fabric of the hotel is the motto “Life is Grand” and here it certainly is. One warning: don’t get too ensconced here, you ought to spend some time seeing Zurich. 

By Daralyn Danns

Getting there

British Airways currently flies from London City to Zurich up to 4 times a day. Each-way hand baggage only fares are available from £69 (based on a return hand baggage only fare) and are available to book on www.ba.com/londoncity

(In addition BA has services from Heathrow with connections also available from across the UK and Ireland.)

All British Airways fares include online check-in 24 hours before departure, complimentary refreshments and drinks on board and no debit card charges

Customers have a quick and easy journey through the Docklands airport, with hand baggage it takes just 15 minutes to get from kerbside to airside

This is such a great way to fly

Kameha Grand Zűrich (Tel: +41 44 525 5000) Email: zuerich@kameha.com

Website: www.kamehagrandzuerich.com) offers accommodation in the heart of Zurich. Rates start from £225 per room (per night)  

A destination in its own right. This superb hotel is a short drive from the airport and an half-an-hour tram ride to the city. Highly recommended