16 May 2011

Ginger: Pacific Rim Modern in Zürich


Photo by tylonbrew
We sit at one end of a curved peninsula of the oak bar that fills Ginger’s front room and wraps around the sushi chefs’ station. We watch the chefs’ deft motions and meticulous cuts as they assemble the little plates that will be gliding towards us in just moments. Will it be some fantastical concoction sea vegetables layered with sashimi and topped by a barely poached egg? A tian of king crab meat? A classic hamachi nigiri? It will be fresh. It will be perfect. This is conveyor belt sushi taken to a new level.


The restaurant’s aesthetic is what I call Pacific Rim Modern: oiled oak with an understated matte finish, muted eggplant walls, simple metal and glass fixtures, bright pops of single-color accents frugally applied. The effect is cool, sophisticated but never cold. A down-tempo jazzy beat keeps the mood chill but sociable. 

 
We toast, “Kampai!” and down our complimentary sake, which appeared almost as soon as we sat down. We call for a bottle of Prager, an Austrian Reisling that's our favorite with sushi. We comment (once again) how much an evening at Ginger is like retuning to Vancouver and settle in to enjoy.

And we start to pull dishes from the conveyor belt. It pays to go slow here. The menu changes throughout the evening, with entirely new dishes appearing hours after service begins. Our dinner ends––chopsticks at rest; the wine bottle empty. We watch a new temptation slide past and with a little shrug of regret call for the bill.


Story by Kathy
Photo by tylonbrew
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Posted by Kathy on 16.5.11

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