Restaurant Camino Superb dining then and now

Wholeheartedly, we made our way to restaurant Camino, where I last visited in the late nineties, when the restaurant was still managed by Ernesto. Back then – and until now - the traditional restaurant on Freischützgasse offered true cuisine and hospitality at its best. And although mother and daughter duo Claire Kuhn and Sarah Hartmann have been running the Camino, as well as restaurant First, for almost seven years, the address is still considered a secret tip.

I can hardly remember the interior, the pretty garden courtyard much better. Upon entering the restaurant, Sarah Hartmann, the "new" owner, obligingly greets us in an incredibly charming way and shows us to our table. A table where a private conversation can take place without feeling obliged to talk to neighboring patrons. "The private dinner rooms offer even more privacy," she tells us. These are usually reserved for business lunches or a romantic tête-a-tête.

A glance at the menu proves to be full of promise. Among the appetizers are specialties such as a salmon trout tartar with caviar, a duo of duck liver and ravioli stuffed with braised veal breast. The main courses featured seafood such as lobster, tuna steak and Breton monkfish, and traditional meat dishes. For me, the venison as well as the Irish beef tenderloin sounded enticing, but in the end I opted for the daily recommendation: a veal chop with potatoes and green asparagus. For my vegetarian companion, and without further ado, the kitchen puts together a dish created specially.

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First, we get the best possible Parma ham that I have ever tasted, fine olives and a tasty apple and celery soup as an amuse-bouche. Our appetizers, buffalo mozzarella in porcini mushrooms and homemade ricotta gnocchi, turn out to be excellent. And my 300 gram veal chop could well have been their prized dish, had it not already been the ox brisket from Holzen butcher’s, which is almost always on the menu, as are the very fine stews.

Furthermore, almost everything is freshly made in-house, including the bread and ice cream. The only small exception being the unbeatable Amaretti from the Zehnder Confiserie, which was the crowning stroke of this all-round, quite enjoyable evening. We will be back in summer for an equally delectable meal in Camino’s lovely garden.