Aa-Ron L.
Yelp
I've walked by Markthalle within the still new Viadukt project in kreis 4 a few times and its contemporary, alternative vibe has piqued my interest each time although I seem to recall having perused the menu online and instantly losing that interest. Today, I was trying to think of something nice for my wife's birthday that has outdoor seating to take advantage of this late August heat. Markthalle came to mind, I inspected their menu again online and this time around I was mildly excited.
The menu has one salad, one daily soup, main dishes as well as a section for aufstriche / appetizers, one for salumi (house-cured meats) and one for cheeses. The latter 2 having become trendy as of late. Also trendy is the 'nose to tail' movement, which Markthalle has also adopted and which they call 'Schnörrli bis zum Schwänzli.' Markthalle also proclaims to use high-quality ingredients and simple preparation as their credo. And that they do!
The bone marrow was the plumpest and best prepared I have ever tasted, served simply in a shallow puddle of fatty natural juices and fresh thyme. Butta! Soak one of two types of fresh bread in the jus and spread the marrow on thick for an addicting, capricious gastrogasm. Then try out a couple of their cured meat selections. The donkey salami, a moist and pleasantly gamey, short, cigar-sized salami served sliced, alone on a plate. Some butter or olive oil on the table would have made eating this with bread a moister experience, but both the donkey and goat charcuterie were tasty. The Swiss beef ribeye was grilled simply with S & P, just how I like it but it came out medium and I requested medium-rare - something many waiters have never heard of. And I would prefer American beef to Swiss beef any day. I don't see any advantage to grass-fed since, in my opinion, the fat and marbling produced by corn feeding produces a far superior flavor. The two sides we decided on to accompany the steak were fantastic. Again, simple and well executed. The fennel was oven roasted in lemon and olive oil and the Tessiner polenta was super fine, cheesey and very creamy - actually one of the highlights.
The outdoor seating is right under the viadukt which serves as an elevated train track and makes for a very New York City experience, like you're in a big city, every time the train passes overhead. Some complain about the noise, but the temporary racket is somehow nice for a change in a city of peace and quiet like Zürich. Indoor seating finds itself inside the market hall beside a semi-open kitchen and among various market stalls.
Our waitress appeared to be fairly new and slightly nervous and didn't smile but the service was prompt and attentive. I found the prices to be reasonable: Ribeye = 36 CHF, Sides = 9 CH, Tagessuppe (huge - enough for 2 to share!) = 12 CHF, Bone marrow = 12 CHF.
Not a single non-European wine on the menu! Someone doesn't know what they're doing. The beer selection is tiny of course, but one I've never tried pleasantly surprised - Pfauenbier from Rapperswil. It was light and refreshing but tries to be bolder with some hop, and very floral.
I'll definitely be back for the memorable bone marrow and polenta. Next time, it may be the whole roasted fish...