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ZURICH PARK HYATT ZURICH
My sitting room relaxed me with tones of brown and beige. From the friendly folk at the reception desk – who, like the rest of the staff I encountered, were quick to learn and use my name – I secured a dvd of Don Carlos, so that I could relax on the sofa or the easy chair and allow the passionate melodies of Giuseppe Verdi to swirl around me. I was doing precisely this on my first afternoon, when I heard a gentle sound and noticed a slight movement outside one of my floor-to-ceiling windows. Surely, the window cleaner had not called? No, the exterior blinds had moved automatically, to ensure that the rays of the sun did not disturb my repose. I could have over-ridden them, of course, but I rather liked the idea of technology looking after me with such unobtrusive courtesy.
You will have gathered that I liked my billet. Yet I was happy to leave it each morning to go to the Lounge, another handsome and well-designed space on the ground floor. Here, for 47 francs, I tucked into the Swiss Farmers’ Breakfast. From the buffet – almost a work of art itself, so beautifully was it arranged – I took dishes of fruit, plates of ham and cheese and excellent pastries. To me were brought my chosen hot dish (usually mushrooms on toast), pots of coffee and my concluding cappuccini. These were enjoyable starts to my days, and set me up for some gentle sightseeing - including a visit to the town’s Kunsthaus. If you are a fan of Art Déco architecture, you will love this art gallery; and if you are a fan of great painting, you will be thrilled by the Van Goghs, the Picassos, the Monets and the German Expressionists.
Assistant Restaurant Manager Susana Sampaio proved both charming and knowledgeable. She it was who guided me to the fine red wine from Chile (Almaviva, Rothschild & Concha Y Toro, 2000 – 110 francs, half – a lovely combination of damson, leather and tobacco) and to the exquisite German pudding wine (Riesling Eiswein, Dönnhof, 2000 – 220 francs, half – a thrilling balance of sweetness and acidity). The cellar here is, indeed, full of interest – and many of the bottles are displayed in a two storey construction at one end of the restaurant. Prices range from 38 francs for a Swiss white from the Wallis region to 3,600 francs for 2003 DRC Montrachet. Red Bordeaux is a particular strength, with lots of the second wines of the grand chateaux on offer – like 1996 Clos du Marquis, from Léoville-las-Cases, for 145 francs. The following other bottles caught my eye: 1988 Mouton Rothschild (630 francs), 2001 La Tâche (1,150 francs), 1992 Sassicaia (360 francs) and 2006 Cloudy Bay chardonnay (100 francs). About 30 wines are available by the glass, including 2004 Tignanello (49 francs).
Chef de Cuisine Stefan Resch (pictured) knows what he is doing, and handles his high quality ingredients with flair and intelligence. His cuisine is full of clear, well-defined flavours and his presentation – making much use of separate copper pans on the table – ensures that the eye is looked after as well as the palate. I began with pan fried scallops, with potatoes and truffled leek cassoulet – excellent in both conception and execution. Next came ravioli (the pasta quite al dente) with Vacherin cheese, winter truffle and pear in red wine – an interesting combination, which did not quite hold together in my judgement. My main course was easily the star of the show – yielding tenderloin of veal, grilled and full of taste, wonderfully accompanied by a dish of roasted carrots, celery, parsnips and parsnip root and my chosen sauce, warm veal jus with black pepper. This was a dish fit for a (hungry) king. I ended with a large apple tart, with sour cream ice cream and caramelized pistachios. (These four courses were 149 francs.) This was an enjoyable meal. The Park Hyatt Zurich shows that modernity can be stylish, luxurious and wonderfully comfortable. Without any hesitation, I recommend it to you.
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© Francis Bown 2003
Zurich has the reputation of a quiet, respectable town. But it has a racy past. James Joyce wrote much of Ulysees here, and you don’t get much racier than that. Here, too, was born the silliest of artistic movements, Dada. And here, during the early years of the First World War, Lenin sat about, dreaming of revolution in Russia. Zurich knows all about the shock of the new. It therefore seemed appropriate that I should seek out, as my chosen hostelry, one of the town’s temples of modernity. But, of course, modernity can never be sufficient in itself: any hotel I visit must also be possessed of enormous quantities of style, luxury and comfort. All were found in abundance at the wonderful Park Hyatt Zurich.
You will see from my picture that the exterior of the hotel is angular and laden with glass. Meili and Peter, the architects, added this building to the city’s financial district in 2004. The façade is clean and clinical, but the interior (designed by Jan Clausen) is completely different. I walked through the low entrance and found myself suddenly in a huge hall of light. All around were colours both subtle and welcoming. The effect is of having stumbled into a hidden palace of warmth and welcome. And part of the scheme’s success must be attributed to the presence of contemporary art. Good paintings – like Heinz Mack’s Lumière et Couleur (pictured) – are hung strategically throughout the hotel, and give the whole place a delightful air of aesthetic sophistication.
Upstairs was sophisticated, too. My apartment was on the sixth floor. Room 617 was a Park Suite and was therefore 1,560-2030 Swiss francs a night for two, according to season, breakfast extra. This was spacious and well-appointed accommodation. Indeed, such was the thought which had so evidently gone into its design that I had to look hard and long before I could find even the slightest omission in its array of offerings. Yes, it did lack a shaving mirror – but, apart from that, everything was there for me. On the polished wooden floor of the hallway was a coat stand with two umbrellas. In the bookshelves next to the glass-topped desk were proper, readable books – including Mr Joyce’s strange masterpiece and, more edifying for your correspondent, The World Encyclopaedia of Coffee. The two large televisions and dvd players were by Bang & Olufsen, and changed position electrically if I pressed the right button on the remote control unit. Many of the lights were dimmable, and – when I wanted air of the fresh instead of the air-conditioned sort – there were vents behind wooden doors.
In the bedroom were fitted wardrobes, an easy chair, a marble-topped dressing table and a hugely comfortable bed (made extra soft by the Housekeeping Department, at my special request). Through sliding doors was the bathroom (pictured). Over the years I have encountered many hotel bathrooms. This was one of the best. A confection of black marble, white marble and sparkling chrome, here was a bathing grotto in which I could truly enjoy my ablutions. The shower and the loo were behind doors of frosted glass, but it was the free-standing tub which caught my fancy. From within its capacious whiteness, surrounded by many gallons of steaming water, I could stretch a languid hand, press a button on the remote control and change channels on the little television receiver which was perched between the wash basins. Why I regard watching the television in the bath as decadent, I do not know. Always it gives me that delicious frisson we associate with forbidden pleasure.
I like to ask myself, when I have been out for a few hours, the following question: ‘Am I really looking forward to returning to the hotel?’ I recommend this little test to you. It will tell you a lot about the standard of the hotel in which you are staying. For me, at the Park Hyatt Zurich, the answer was a resounding ‘yes’. This had a lot to do with the high quality of the accommodation. But it also had to do with the service I had received from the moment of my arrival. And here it is right for me to introduce to you Mr Kurt Straub (pictured), the General Manager of the hotel. It is he who sets the tone for his staff. He therefore deserves high praise. Tall and commanding, he ensures that the atmosphere of his establishment is relaxed, efficient, courteous and welcoming. That is why I was always happy to walk back through its doors.
And I was happy, too, at the prospect of dinner at the hotel’s Parkhuus Restaurant (pictured). The term ‘gastronomic temple’ is particularly relevant here, for not only is the food excellent, but also the room is impressively long and high. Again, the colours are dark and warm. I sat at one end of the non-smoking half. (It can be a shock to those of us now accustomed to no-smoking rules to find that the burning of the weed is still permitted in many Swiss restaurants; but this room is so large that I could detect no fumes at all.) A low candle burnt on the white tablecloth; the lighting was discreet; the glasses were by Zwiesel; and the canned music (lowered at my request) was inoffensive. Once more I noted the discreet excellence of the staff. Waiters, like Jérôme Bridgett, looked after me very well indeed.
The menu takes a Minimalist approach. You will find no flowery descriptions here. Each dish is simply given its ingredients, the manner of cooking, the country of origin of the ingredients and the name of the producer. For example, under ‘freshwater fish’, you will find: “pike perch, wood roasted, tomato jam, herb crust – Poland – Mclean”. You are invited to choose your own sauce, warm or cold, from those listed.