I-Lin L.
Yelp
Trendy new restaurant in the old Swiss stock exchange building. I haven't been here since clubbing at Alte Börse back in the day. The wait staff were quite friendly and spoke passable English. Our server was having some issues understanding us, but it could have also been due to the noise in the room. It was really loud, and we practically had to shout at each other for dinner conversation.
It was really packed on a Wednesday night, so it was a good thing we made reservations beforehand. I loved the ambiance--a cool, modern, earthy style, almost zen-garden-like, with lots of natural stone and wood. There was also plenty of light, which I prefer rather than eating in semi-darkness.
The restrooms were amazing. I really liked the mosaic-tiled sinks. There is also a cool wine cellar right before you enter. I wish I had my phone on me to take a picture, but I didn't think to bring it with me, and I didn't want to look like a lame-o who went back to the toilet just to take a photo. :P
I was a bit exhausted from lack of sleep, so I didn't drink any alcohol and can't comment on the drinks. There is quite an extensive menu with lots of yummy-sounding options, and I opted for the grilled white tuna with basil, black olives, and eggplant caviar. You can order it as an appetizer or a main dish, and I chose the larger size for my meal. Given my past experience in their sister restaurant Tao's, I assumed that the dishes didn't come with any sides, so I ordered a side of almond broccoli.
Turned out that my dish came on a huge bed of vegetables, so I really didn't need the additional side. Oh well. I still stuffed it all in though, because the food was quite delicious. My tuna was tender and perfectly cooked, the veggies were a tiny bit salty for my taste, but still good. The curious "eggplant caviar" turned out to be regular cooked eggplant that was chopped up. My almond broccoli was delicious, perfectly cooked broccoli with the nice crunch of slivered, toasted almonds. I never realized that such a simple dish could be so yummy. Very glad that I ordered it.