I went for dinner with a friend at the Dolder Grand on Wednesday night. It's gained an additional Michelin star since the last time I went and it certainly seems to have smartened up its operation, particularly with amuses, breads and chocolates.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ulterio...th/5411975044/

Although the meal was enjoyable enough, for a two star restaurant at approx CHF400 for the meal (7 course tasting menu, wine pairing, additional cheese course, bottled water, chamomile tea) it perhaps didn't have enough personality, either from the chef or the region and it also lacked 'wow' moments.

Same feeling I got few weeks ago when I went there with friends for a Sunday brunch.
I found it quite pretentious and lacking the "wow" effect (except the location and view from the terrace) I was expecting, especially considering the price they charge you.

400.pp ? or 400 for 2 ?

The Dolder? Meh.

The meal was not especially memorable, more attention seems to be paid to presentation than taste. The decor feels sterile, not welcoming or relaxing - not the ambiance one might wish for a special evening. And as for the service: pretentious pretty much sums it up.

All in all, an underwhelming experience.

CHF400 for one.

The tasting menu is 218, the wine pairing 116. Then cheese was an additional 31. And then there was the water and tea.

If you had brunch I presume you were in the Garden Restaurant rather than the (Michelin starred) Restaurant?

Actually I think the presentation about matches the taste, at least as far as the way the food looks. It's sort of fairly-standard, slightly-anonymous haute cuisine. It pushes beyond standard to get the second star as attention is paid to detail. Most of the three star places have flair though.

Thanks for the review Gastro, the photos are excellent. This really does put the Zurich premium into perspective...

By the way, how was the cauliflower bread? I'm struggling to imagine how that might taste

I went there for an "event" when it first opened & there were a number of security guards around who seemed concerned to check that I was not just wandering around & sight seeing - did not find it welcoming at all. Not been back since. Bau au Lac (did I spell that right?) is much friendlier.

Fantastic photos; at least you got a great variety of tastes for your 218 CHF. Did the wine pairings work well?

A bit expensive for me, but I wonder if it's possible to have the 30 CHF cheese course in isolation

I didn't have the cauliflower bread myself, but UE (who took the photos) thought it was the best one he tried. I liked a cep roll I had.

You can reduce price by going a la carte.

The wine pairings were pretty good and matched the dishes well.

Here's the wines I had:

2009 Sauvignon Blanc
Adriano Marco e Vittorio - Piemonte

2008 Riesling Schieferterrasse
Heymann Löwenstein - Mosel

2006 Pouilly Fuissé Les Pérrières Tête de Cru
Domaine Ferret - Bourgogne

2008 Banyuls Cuvée Léon Parcé
Domaine de la Rectorie - Roussillon

2005 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Clos des Papes
Paul et Vincent Avril - Rhône

2005 Barolo
Mauro Molino - Piemont

Nectar Impérial Demi Sec
Moët & Chandon - Champagne

2008 Jurancon Clos Uroulat

They weren't ungenerous with the measures and I was topped up when necessary. My favourites were the Clos de Pape and the Domaine Ferret. I thought that was reasonable value for the price.

They call this a cheese platter?

Thank you for the great pictures and mini-review.

That's just the selection UE had. There's another photo of the whole cheese board.

I'm sure we could have asked for more cheese, but in the context of the meal this really was enough.

Good cheese is expensive . . . and to be honest I'm not entirely certain we were charged CHF31 for this as we did have a smaller portion.

If anyone's interested in more extensive descriptions/opinions on the dishes I can post those too.

Yes, and the refurbishment / new architecture destroyed much of the quaint old-world flair that the old Dolder had and makes it feel like one of the those interchangeable international hotels that nobody really likes. Sad really.

Thanks for the great write-up.

Seems expensive compared to a two or even three-starred restaurant in London, but then ... we're not in London (any more).

Would you go again?

Well this was my second visit in two years (at least for The Restaurant, I've had brunch and bar food other times as well).

Although it's expensive and flawed, there's nothing quite the same in the area (I haven't tried Sein yet). In the context of a two Michelin star meal in Zürich (where even a pub burger can cost CHF25) I didn't think it was terrible value. The sheer amount of effort that goes into a meal like that pushes the cost up. And as you can see, there was a lot of food.

I'd go again maybe in six months time, to see how it's developing.

The next place on my list, though, is Schloss Schauenstein.

Although it really is a matter of taste. I too, find it a bit brash, but my fellow diner, who is American, loved it.

Actually you can go and have drinks in the Library Bar and order a plate of cheese on its own.

It's a good place to manage a hangover on a Sunday . . . they have a soothing harp and considerate service.

Beautifully presented food, and I am sure delicious, but for me just a tad pretentious and I don't really like food that has been 'fiddled' with too much.