Castellan’s The finest Mediterranean cuisine with a special twist

At the end of November, the Neue Schloss Privat Hotel Zürich opened in the Enge district, close to Lake Zurich. Here, it also offers surprisingly innovative cuisine in its restaurant Castellan's, Mediterranean-inspired and fused with the culinary diversity of regional ingredients and products.

The contrasting ambience of the rooms is dominated by a warm colour scheme with velvety textiles, stone and modern lighting. Inviting, friendly, and impressive. It is a place where chef Yves Nussbaum and his team know how to stage their delightful creations skillfully.

The dishes and flavours of southern Europe, where seafood and fish, meat and vegetables can form irresistible combinations, are refined here with local ingredients. Fresh fish from Lake Zurich and seasonal vegetables from the weekly market on Bürkliplatz.

We were allowed to sample and taste the cleverly combined dishes from the selected menu. Exceptional to start with from the 'feld & wiese' section of the menu was the fine earthy tasting rim tartare with ricotta and romesco sauce as well as the beef carpaccio with capers, Belper tuber and refreshing citrus dressing. The perfectly grilled carrots, served with sumac yoghurt and pistachios, are an extraordinary eye-catcher.

In the 'see & meer' course, the delicately fried sea bass with aubergine caviar surprises us but is served in a completely different way with a mildly spicy red mojo sauce. This dominates with its slight spiciness but can wonderfully underline the mild fish aroma.

'land & weide' offers us an excellent 'Frango Assado', a young chicken with salsa verde, which is repeatedly coated with a refined spicy marinade during grilling. The aroma of grilled food, salty and lemony spice, inevitably brings back memories of never-ending summer evenings on the Mediterranean.

When it comes to pasta and risotto, Castellan's shows great skill: Whether the creamy porcini risotto with Belper tuber, walnut and chives or the wonderful 'Agnolotti al brasato' coated in a gossamer pasta dough with sage butter and pecorino. And we should not forget the 'Trofie Genovese' with basil pesto, young potatoes and Kenya beans - every single dish stands for perfect enjoyment.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day except Sundays; Castellan's serves Mediterranean cuisine with a twist, thanks to a hospitable and friendly team.

Maria Meiners

Autorin Zürich