Restaurant Review

Ginza by Gaynor Dunraven and Louise Haughton

2010-11-23T18:02:46Z

Missing your favourite Chinese take away or just sick of Noohn expensive, uber sushi?

Drive over the border to Lorrach’s outskirts and tuck into the 8 EURO all you can eat lunch buffet at GINZA.

Have spicy soup, Chinese chop suey, spring rolls and ample variety of sushi to chomp through and finish off with oodles of fresh fruit, banana fritters and ice cream.

Do say…More sushi, thai soup, Chinese tea

Don’t say…I have small appetite, stop, I don’t like raw fish, I don’t have room for dessert.

Difficult by public transport

Gruttenweg 15, Lorrach

100 free parking spaces in front of the restaurant

The best Swiss food in Basel for any pocket by Gaynor and Louise

2010-10-12T18:11:51Z

Feeling flush........

Head to the Walliser Kanne for a slap up swiss meal but remember to take 100CHF a head with you at least. Right in the town centre just down from Barfusserplatz tram stop is this little piece of the Valais. Enter this tradtional Swiss restaurant, the smell of fondue and freshly cooking weinerschnitzel waft around this old wood lined restaurants. The staff are friendly and highly efficient, they know their job well.

The menu is packed full of Valais specialities, fondue, raclette, macaroni and schnitzels aswell as some special Swiss wine.

Broke and desperate......

McDonalds do Swiss?…’grease is the word it’s the word’…the emmantel cheesburger sounded yummy so with an almighty hangover I dived in. Knee deep in grease was what I craved and this is exactly what I got. Napkins in abundance I cycled home in a worst state than when I entered. For me too much filling but a big thumbs up to the emmental cheesy taste….someone pass the kitchen roll and a bucket

Expat shopping by Louise

2010-06-15T16:47:02Z

The tradition expat store - FENWICKS

Expat food in the supermarkets - Globus (downstairs), Migros (Cheddar cheese at the deli) and a wider range of international food on there online store LeShop

Party food, how to cheat by Louise

2010-06-15T16:40:53Z

For Canapes, sandwiches have Sutter Begg do the hard work and deliver

How about a Thai banquet? contact, Party Service-Basel

Delicious cupcakes for big kids? contact LilliMoo

Amazonica - by Louise

2010-06-15T16:37:36Z

Feeling tired of eating out in Basel?? Maybe you have become anemic due to cost of a steak in Basel town???

Don't fret!! Here's three easy steps to adress the issue.

1) Head to the Badisher Banhof with your passport
2) Get on a train to Lorrach, at the station walk along the main road to Bahnhofstr 1b
3) Buy a huge steak and chips for a cool 20 euros

Tel.: 07621 - 16 41 68

Amazonica marketed as a South American restaurant and bar, has a huge variety on the menu...tuck into soup, salad, for main course, python, crocadile, kangaroo etc...

My hot tips: The Brasilian farmer steak or the Grill plate including Kangaroo, horse, crocadile amd ostrich.

Go tropical over the border :-)

Stuck in St Louis? - Vicky Morgan

2010-04-19T12:07:06Z

Come with me, if you will, over the border to the beautiful French town of St Louis. As the crow flies, it's not so far from Basel, but it might as well be a world away for most of my Swiss resident friends. Many people come here for their weekly food shop, but if all you see is the big hypermarket, you might miss out on some of its charms. If you're in town on a Saturday morning, the farmers' market in the centre is really excellent for picking up good local seasonal food. Walk around, enjoy the fresh bread, just-picked lettuce or local honey, depending on what's growing. It's more open air than in Basel, and prices a lot lower.

A short way from the market is Brasserie de la Poste, the closest thing you can get to a parisian street cafe with red and white tablecloths to Basel. What's great is that food here is good and cheap. Not especially fancy - but what's wrong with coq au vin or steak frites for 10 euros? In comparison with Basel the wine seems almost cheap, at 3 euros a glass. A big glass. Great space to people watch if you get a pavement seat.

15, Rue de Huningue, St Louis Tel: +33 (0)3 89 67 49 34

Slightly down the road, near the Mairie and on the way to the Casino supermarket is the ultra modern (and therefore easy to spot) Cafe Litteraire, which favours itself as a more upmarket option. I found the food much more elaborate than at the Poste. But the prices are not upmarket - I paid 13 euros for a 3 course meal - including a fig clafoutis which was really original. The staff were extremely nice to my young child, the chef even took my baby into the kitchen to show her to the sous-chefs - and I could see there were 5 chefs in the kitchen.

19 Avenue Gén de Gaulle, 68300 St Louis, Téléphone: 03 89 67 49 46

The area near the station is not the nicest part of St Louis I always think, and yet here is the best chocolaterie. Bauer patisserie, works with Valrhona chocs. Chocolate ganache with green tea, violet, grapefruit.

74 Rue de Mulhouse, 68300 Saint Louis, France, 03 89 67 29 94

The 604 bus will take you for 2 francs or €1.10 from Schifflände to all along St Louis. Get off at carrefour central for the market, Brasserie de la Poste and Café Litteraire gare central for the Chocolaterie.

SCHLOSS - Get away from it all in a foodie fortress

2010-04-19T12:05:28Z

If we're talking really get out of Basel, one of the most striking places to eat is the SCHLOSS or castle in Binningen. We often talk about unique places to eat, but this is an actual castle, and like all self respecting demeurs, it has its own moat and park. Very convenient even for 20th century transport as Binningen tram stop nearby. The Schloss is extremely well kept up - which makes it feel a little bit Disney-esque in the best sense of that description. The inside is all imbeccable high vaulted ceilings, and you always have a view of the moat.

Schlossgasse 2 & 5, Binningen, +41 061 425 60 00, info@schlossbinningen.ch

Lunch is the lightest deal on the wallet - at 60 francs for 2 courses. I had cannelloni with morille mushrooms and a pea froth. This was 34 francs, and one dish of the day is always available at this price. But I shouldnt even be giving cheapsteak tips for this place. This is a castle and as my fellow reviewer quipped, you can literally push the boat out, because of the moat. A 3 course meal in evening is 120 francs. You can check out their menu on the website, and if you can resist "Rhubarb glazed duck breast with Ginger Polent" "Veal with Asparagus and Morille Flan" "Rhubarb crème brulée with lime sorbet," then I dont know what more I can say.

Dont say: I know this cheap little place on the edge of town...

Do say: I like all of your puddings, bring me several.

In praise of the department store - by Vicky Morgan

2010-04-19T12:02:10Z

Now it IS possible to eat out cheaply and well in Basel, without resorting to kebabs or McDonalds. Thats right, I want to sing the praises of the department store cafe. When your friends come for a visit or you absolutely have to eat right this second in Basel centre, you have to admit, they are extremely practical and cheap.

The principle is the same - self service and you generally have a choice of hot dishes, salads, sandwiches, cakes, coffees and alcohols. All are very friendly to children which means I spend a lot of time in them.

So..a countdown of the best

Manor - Roof terrace, a big pirate boat for children over 3 to play on. Salad of the day - 3.50 francs, pasta of the day 6.50 francs. They will give children a Kindersciropp - a squash fruit drink for free. Dont let your snobbery stop you from trying this one out. A glass of wine is 4 francs, a bottle of beer is 6. Chocolate Brownie? Rhubarb tart? Fig tart? 3.50 or thereabouts. Steak, fish dishes come in at around 14 francs. Massive salad buffet, you pay according to the size of the plate.

Ikea - Oh I sense my restaurant reviewer credentials will really take a hit with this one. I blame a childhood where Marks and Spencer was the height of fancy. But seriously I love a place where the food is good and cheap. I had a great couscous for 7 francs, while my daughter played for a good 20 minutes in the play area. Then indulged my love of interior decoration. And served myself an icecream Dont laugh! Ikea is now next to Switzerland's 4th biggest waterpark in Pratteln. So if you find yourself there this is a handy pitstop.

Pfauen - Freiestrasse's department store hides a top floor glassy bubble with a COOP cafe in it. Slightly smaller choice than Manor, but slightly cheaper too, for my money. Play area for children.

Globus on Marktplatz - Its cafe is not at all up to the high standards set by its food department. It used to be smoky and cramped, now it's just cramped, and with not that great a choice of food.

The Schutzenhaus - by Vicky Morgan

2010-04-19T11:59:46Z

It's sometimes worth leaving the centre of Basel when looking for spots to eat, but a lot of us have a few places we know and love around work, and again a few around our homes, sometimes it seems like a bit of an effort to move somewhere further.

I think Schutzenhaus is worth making a detour for. This is the big whitey-pinky old house that in some ways reminds me of a castle on the Schutzenhaus crossing, opposite Schutzenmatt park. A great place to eat. The food is excellently cooked -but for me the choice is rather pedestrian - a veal cutlet was the special on the day I visited, with a vegetable soup to start. The best thing about this restaurant is the setting I think. It has a large, enclosed garden/courtyard area with no tables in it - in summer it's particularly great for kids. My daughter was able to ramble around with her toys and I was able to eat a great meal.

It's not among the cheapest places to eat in Basel - the 3 course menu comes in at 39 francs and if you want to add a glass of wine to that its 54 francs.

Eating out what's it going to cost me.............

2010-03-30T17:17:39Z

Well to start off, Basel is expensive to eat out in!! It's just a fact of life

Inexpensive 10-50

Il Cafe, Piadinna Bar, Tandoori Palace, Lilly's, Dagianni's

Mid price 50-100

ONO, Kraft hotel, Noohn, Jay's, Hasenberg, La Fonda, Blind Cow

Expensive 100 upwards

Schlussel Zumpft, Safran Zumpft, Le Trois Rois and of course Stucki

Want to get a discount? buy the following books.....The prozentbuch (available in December) and the gutscheinbuch (31CHF). The gutschein book has 35 vouchers that allow two people to eat for the price of one....enjoy!!