Hide & Seek Restaurant Review: Casual Hotel Fine Dining in Zurich, Switzerland

Elegant and refined. Two words best used to describe just about everything in Switzerland. I don’t know what it is about this country but the people living here really do know how to eat and drink well. It’s my kind of place and one of the best venues to experience Switzerland to its finest is Zurich’s most prestigious hotel – Atlantis by Giardino.

A sleek hideaway hotel nestled on the outskirts of Zurich city. While we enjoyed every element of our stay, one thing we loved was our dining experiences in the hotels one of two restaurants – Hide & Seek. Waiting for our table reservation we first popped to the bar for a cheeky cocktail. A tantalising Manhattan and a silky smooth espresso martini.

Hide & Seek is both a restaurant and a bar which is full to the brim with atmosphere. The restaurant was fully booked when we dined, the wine flowing and people seemed in good spirits. Before we ordered our food a small amuse bouche of beetroot tartar arrived, as well as some lovely freshly made bread, butter and fragrant spiced salt for dipping.

The food at Hide & Seek is all about fusion and so when it comes to flavours, expect to enjoy the unexpected. One of my absolute favourite dishes was one of the very first we enjoyed and rather large for a starter. Perfectly cooked octopus tentacles which were charred just a little for extra flavour. Smothered in a rich and glossy Penang curry sauce, florets of wild broccoli and the creamy flavour of coconut as this dishes core. In short a fantastic plate of food.

Also stunning was the restaurants steak tartar which we choose from the bar menu which offers a simpler, but equally impressive choice. The steak meat was tender and soft, full of flavour and well-seasoned. The poached egg on top was nice, but personally I still prefer mine nice and runny to mix into the beef.

Star dish of our meal was my main course. An absolutely stunning piece of monkfish which was cooked with love and care. Served in a turmeric flavoured sauce, flavours of fennel and a few mussels for an added taste of the sea. Again it was rather generous portion wise, something I’ve noticed Switzerland is very good at – feeding people well!

A refreshing pre-dessert later, we finished the last of our Provence rose and moved onto the desserts which turned out to be the work of a very talented pastry chef who really should be awarded Michelin stars for such creations.

This chocolate mouse/cremeux was an absolute delight to eat and really set the bar high for us in terms of Swiss dining. Glossy and shiny on the outside, but rich, creamy and decadent on the inside – yet still feeling light. Dangerously easy to eat. The dollops of chocolate mousse and Summer berries added a welcomed helping of freshness and a few more calories, if not enough already.

Incredibly full by this point, we barely had any room even for one single petit four – but all in the name of research we devoured each one and very good they were.

I really loved my dining experience here at Hide & Seek and in fact looking back this has been one of my best meals of 2017. I also love that the dishes here can mostly be taken either as a starter size or main course. The service is exceptional, wine list extensive and the kitchen isn’t afraid of playing with flavours. Oh and a pastry chef with Michelin starred skills. If you’re looking for a meal to remember when staying in Zurich then book now. You won’t be disappointed.