#27 | No Idea, Zurich, Switzerland
Last Visit: December 2023
There are those moments of outstanding aesthetic, artistic, cultural or culinary stimulation that stay with you forever. You remember them not just years, but perhaps decades later, and that very special feeling coming over you at that moment. A tingle, a grin that you can't keep under control because you are so intoxicated from experiencing that fascinating second or those captivating three hours.
It could be one of the most impressive and atmospheric movies you've ever sat through. The sound is booming, and the tension is at its peak. It could be a special exhibition or a unique concert, or even being one hundred percent satisfied with a piece of work that you have just finished. In my observation, this is often, if not always, accompanied by the fact that you are relatively surprised by how much you are taken away by it or how good it really is. Because you didn't know anything about the film beforehand and only spontaneously decided to see it on the basis of one or two sentences of recommendation. Or, conversely, because you were initially worried by the professional criticism and your own lower enthusiasm, the moment is amplified all the more by the contrast. I would like to explain why my visit to the No Idea Bar also falls into this category, and why it is one of those special moments that I will remember for many, many years to come.
The aforementioned element of surprise, which has a different effect than arriving somewhere already hyped for weeks with the thought “Well, let's see if you really are Worlds50”, is simple: I had never heard of No Idea. I considered myself to be actually quite good at the preparatory research for my bar tours, but either nothing came up or I quickly shelved it due to a lack of information and filled the list with other names. That's why I will always be grateful to the wonderful bartender and person Anthony from the Nonchalant Bar (article to follow, of course). After endless conversations about bars and drinks he was giving me tips and specifically said that with his assessment of what makes me tick, I absolutely had to go to No Idea. He also said that it was generally one of the best bars he had ever been to.
It gets even more bizarre, because I had this recommendation on my mind straight away, but it still needed a twist of fate. My plan was already so full that I couldn't make it there during the two nights, but Deutsche Bahn, in their constant, regular ways to fail, came to my rescue. As with another trip last year, their employee strike was again perfectly timed, and I was allowed to spend one night more in the beautiful city (although in this case Zurich hurts the budget more than Amsterdam). So off I went to No Idea, a higher power apparently wanted it.
The bar is located near the opera, in a business-focused district with modern stores in between, alternating between classic 1900s architecture and modern office buildings. The No Idea Bar is located on the first floor of one of the latter, relatively inconspicuous from the outside and somewhat darkened. I read in another article that at first glance it could be mistaken for a modern interior design and furniture store, and I agree with this in the most positive sense. Aesthetically, especially for an independent bar without a 5-star hotel behind it, it offers impressive details. It looks like a perfectly planned lounge in one of those starred retreats with a slightly Pacific and Japanese touch, only with more character and charm, as it is more cozy, and you can also see the partly visible kitchen through glass.
The central element is also interesting, a large table for groups or to sit together with strangers, similar to Les Fleurs du Mal in Munich, with an even larger Japanese-style table. At its head is the counter or “a” counter. Or is it a counter at all if you're not actually sitting directly in front of it? Everything here has a slightly unique style, there is, for example, no back-bar with bottles, which is a good thing. No Idea is a concept bar through and through. Here, as in the holiest temples of restaurant gastronomy, an idea is to be presented, the visitor is to be taken on a journey, the largely anyway identical bottles are not missed and can also be admired in other locations.
"Journey" works in two ways, culinary and emotional, but also more obvious in the design of the menu. It is simply numbered in a fittingly modern way and presented to me as “004”, the fourth season. The theme: “Maritime”, as you can read on the extremely elegantly bound book. More precisely, it revolves around the fascination of explorers and the ocean in general, about long journeys, secrets, fantasies, etc. I've attached some pictures of the menu below for inspiration and to help you visualize it.
Each page features a drink, with some of the most beautiful and intricate illustrations as well as text I've seen in menus so far. 15 cocktails that are changed every six months, with the whole concept re-planned. Plus a second, equally beautifully bound, albeit simpler inside, menu for the food with various snacks and also hot, often Asian-inspired dishes. Some of the latter, especially the wonderful dumplings I had that evening, are provided in cooperation with a high-end Asian catering company in Zurich, but some are also prepared in-house.
What struck me immediately: Despite the extremely high-quality and elegant exterior, the precision and thoughtfulness, you never feel left out or small. On the contrary, the service was warm and direct, both from the owner Andrew himself and the staff. You immediately felt comfortable and welcome. The small details make a big difference: A non-alcoholic welcome drink, also in the style of Japanese gastronomy, during service the staff regularly even kneels down to be on the same level as the guests, who are often sitting low in the comfortable armchairs and sofas. Questions about glasses or the menu were answered in a very friendly and direct manner. Even when it got fuller, you always had the feeling that you could take your time when asking or ordering, as it should be, but isn't the case everywhere.
Shipwreck Champagne
| Patrón Anejo Tequila
| Nuet Dry Aquavit
| Almond Oolong Cordial
| Clarified White Grape Juice
| Black Cardamom Bitters
Almost 15 years ago, numerous bottles of champagne were salvaged from a ship that sank in the Baltic Sea off Finland in 1852. Many of them went to auction, and a single bottle was sold in NYC to Singapore for €30,000. The drink is inspired by this find and, as an interesting twist, is intended to imitate a classic champagne cocktail, which should be on every menu, but without using the French sparkling wine itself. The ingredients include homemade carbonated grape juice and their own cardamom bitters. A perfect starter and yet very aromatic, floral notes, fine roasted aromas of toasted light nuts, opulent and full-bodied, yet sparkling dry and perfectly realizing the idea of the champagne “imitation”. The cordial in particular, with its matching nutty notes, works wonders here, as does the malty, smoky Oolong.
Challenger Deep
| Ceylon Arrack
| Soy Milk
| Calamansi
| Lime
| Purple Ube
| Mandarin
| Toasted Coconut
| Taro Root
The second drink was the Challenger Deep. On the one hand simply because I liked the name, on the other hand I always love to try drinks with Arrack when I can find one. Immediately, as I was told about the special nature of the preparation, I was fascinated. Inspired by the eponymous deepest point of the oceans, cold and deep black at the bottom and Pacific warm and flooded with light at the top, the drink is prepared separately in two layers. Mixed normally ice-cold at the bottom with a pleasantly warm soy milk foam and intense purple Ube at the top. All the Asian ingredients combine to create a whole in which everything blurs into a single, silky-smooth and tropical taste experience. Notes of coconut, rice, various citrus fruits, roasted notes and slightly culinary-herbal notes as well as fruity Ube come through. On the one hand, an easy sipper, but on the other presenting unusual and fascinating aromas.
Maritime Silkroad
| Homemade Distillate with Chai Tea, Greek Fennel, Black Cardamom, etc.
| Luis XIV Vermouth
| Campari
The Maritime Silkroad means that there are actually 17 and not 15 drinks on the menu, because here we have a choice of three special Negronis. In keeping with the historical trade route of global importance that gives the drink its name, you can choose between a Persian inspired, citrusy Negroni, Indian with spices or Asian with floral notes. I opted for India and was greeted by a Negroni that perfectly balanced elegance and spiciness. A slightly peppery and tea-heavy aftertaste, but without any harsh bitterness, so you could spend a minute trying to decipher the individual notes in the mouth after already finishing the sip. The Persian Negroni is prepared with Suze instead of Campari, the Asian half-and-half, the fantastic homemade distillate always remains the same and the Vermouth changes as the main difference. It was accompanied by a wonderful jelly made from tamarind, a nice, fruity-sweet balance to the spicy signature Negroni.
The Drake Passage
| Iberian Chourico Distillate
| Chimichurri Cordial
| Arctic Moss Tea
As a big fan and owner of old nautical charts, the Drake Passage, naturally, also had to be examined. But as the drink with probably the most fascinating, albeit short, list of ingredients, I also had it in mind from the outset. A distillate of chorizo made in a Gyrovap, inspired by the then Spanish cities on the west coast of South America, Arctic moss tea (the Drake Passage leads in part through treacherous Antarctic waters) and an Argentinian chimichurri cordial (Chile and Argentina border the sea passage, of course). Not conceptual enough yet? Wait for it. There's also a menthol coconut sorbet, shown in the spoon above. In addition to the geographically inspired ingredients, the mixture of earthy, hearty ingredients is intended to remind you of the harsh land that you come close to on the crossing. On the other hand, tasting the fresh menthol ice cream conjures up images of the icebergs that were seen and feared as they floated past the ships.
So… In 98% of all bars, I would smile inwardly at this derivation or this very specific, detailed concept being explained to you by the staff or barchef, knowing that I would feel or taste maybe 30% of the mentioned notes or emotions as soon as I had the drink. Not so here, based on the experience with the other drinks, I was intrigued and excited. Certainly the most characterful and special cocktail on an already exhilarating menu. More reminiscent of an earthy, umami-filled Miso soup. Mossy-green, but also earthy-red and fleshy notes spread out, added by a slight freshness from the tea, without ever crossing the line of too much weirdness, but very aromatic and balanced. If you then take a bit of the ice cream, it really blows you away, the menthol is so intense. Add some creamy, delicate coconut to the balance, and you almost want to laugh, because after the story is told, again thanks to the perfect execution, those images really appear and play out in front of you, whether you like it or not. One of the craziest, but also most memorable drinks I've ever had, that is for sure.
The only thing I regretted at the end of the evening was coming here so late during my trip and therefore only being able to try four drinks. And even more so since my companion had already left, and I would have liked to share the experience with at least a dozen people who were on my mind while I was in the bar (I still have to make up for this, at least in part).
In a column in the NZZ (only in German) about Zurich's bar development, Urs Bühler wrote with regard to the equally fantastic Bar am Wasser, as well as No Idea and the ambitions of some projects, that the best cocktail bars in the world might now even be the pinnacle of innovative gastronomy in general. As someone who has been a fascinated observer and consumer of numerous literature and other media on high-end restaurants for years now, I have to disagree. In particular, the momentum of the innovation part is still clearly with the restaurants; in purely economic terms, the disparity is too great compared to the same experience at a 3-star restaurant, and will perhaps always remain so. But whether it's due to Andrew Sutton's experience in fine dining and advanced pâtisserie, his partner Jasmine Sutton's hand for aesthetics and design or the bar's philosophy and the team's training in general: my visit to the No Idea Bar brought me closer to the experience of a 3-star restaurant in the bar world than perhaps any other so far.
/rds
Parts of the menu:
004 | "Maritime"
(click to enlarge)
