Ok guys, I know I raved about Pinocchio but I’ve got a new local restaurant crush with Il Faro. Not the one on Zurichstrasse but the Grotto one, hidden near the military airport.
Enter the room and you feel like in a Michelin star restaurant with fabric table clothes, warm yellow light coming from the church like windows, wooden beams, candelabras, classy waiters in whole black suits and the dessert trolley! The crowd was mainly men having business lunch.
There’s an old style bar next to the restaurant that you can book for your private function.
Mains are around 40-50 CHF but we picked the lunch menu of the day. There were two to choose from so one of each.
Menu 1, price: 25 CHF
- Amuse-bouche: Bruschetta
- Entree: Salmon creamy soup with butter crouton
- Main: Spaghetti with scallops
Menu 2, price 28.5 CHF
- Amuse-bouche: Bruschetta
- Entree: salad of rocket, pineapple, kiwi and prawns
- Main: Pistachio crusted fish with rice and sauteed spinach
Dessert: 11.5 CHF to choose from the trolley, topped with a few pieces of fresh fruit
- creme brulee
- tiramisu
- brownies
- suppa inglesia (chocolate and vanilla pudding)
- chocolate mousse
- cappuccino mousse
- creme caramel
- panna cotta
All up the bill was 90 CHF including 2 desserts, one expresso, a glass of white wine and a small bottle of sparkling water. I always drink tap water.
What we loved
- decor: classic chic style with pretty flatware and cutlery
- service: waiters were available, very polite and helpful
- food: overall fresh, tasty and well presented in perfect portion sizes.
- the salmon soup tasted like the classic fish soup with lots of garlic. yum.
- the scallops with the spaghetti were perfectly seared, slightly raw. tHe spaghetti were al dente, with a chewy texture making me wonder if they were home made. First I though I wouldn’t have enough to eat but the plate is a bit deeper than expected so the amount of pasta was just right
- tiramisu was creamy, maybe too creamy so I had to order my expresso to have at the same time
- Manu’s salad was very fresh (of course I tasted all of his dishes), would be a wonderful summer dish
- Manu’s pistachio crusted fish was fun in texture but still very soft.
- Manu ordered a tiny spoon of chocolate mousse just to have a little taste and it was really nice. I could taste full cream and good quality chocolate maybe with a hint of coffee to make the chocolate a bit bitter and intense.
- TIP for parents: there is a big clean change table in the ladies toilet
- parking: they have their own dedicated parking behind the main building, easy and free
What we didn’t like
- the spaghetti and scallops were a little bit too salty and I only had a couple of scallops: 2 or 3 🙁
We’d like to go back and try the other daily menus. We felt great, comfy and romantic in that place. Hey, they have a Valentine’s Day special.
Details: Il Faro Grotto Restaurant
- Address: Wangenstrasse 59 – 8600 Dübendorf
- Opening hours: everyday of the week form 11am to midnight. Limited choice of hot meals between 2 and 5pm.
- Website: http://ilfaro.ch/duebendorf.html
- Phone: 044 821 61 64
- Parking: free dedicated parking with at least 30 spots
- Map: