I think this place is probably one for the tourists but I like it there - where else can you eat in the shadow of an anti-aircraft gun?
I'm not sure of the exact story of the Zeughauskeller but I know it's something to do with an weapons arsenal and this is reflected in the decor. Along with the vast gun above we ate in the shadow of a cabinet of machine guns. The food is very standard Swiss fare which I think is done well. You have wienerschnitzel, veal in a cream and mushroom sauce, cordon bleu and so on along with a pageful of different local sausages. The Swiss don't seem too big on vegetables, well not if this menu is reflective of them, with most dishes coming with nothing more than potato salad, swappable to a fine rosti or french fries, for a small supplement. Vegetables are seen only in salads and a bit of sauerkraut.
After a day on the slopes snowboarding I was starving, craving every bit of meat I read on the menu. This made it very tricky to decide what to order. I settled on a pork shank, which had been simmered in dark beer before roasting, served with some gravy and a rosti - it's in focus in the pic above. Schweinhaxe/pork shank is something which can be gorgeous when done well - crisp on the outside and fork tender in the middle - and awful when done badly - chewy and flacid. Luckily for me it was in the former camp this time. The beer gave it a sweet taste and dark exterior and it had been simmered enough that the big tendons where soft, let alone the meat. The rosti there is lovely too, crisp on the outside with separate gratings of potato (rather than a starchy mush) in the middle. Others had meaty smoked sausages and a cordon bleu. The shanks caused a little food envy though, no matter how good the sausages were.
If you're ever in Zurich and fancy some meat and carbs look it out, book ahead though as it's been full every time I've been.
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