Mitja Birlo, the fascination of the counter
It’s like entering a discreet sanctuary. A stone’s throw from Bahnhofstrasse, The Counter by chef Mitja Birlo is a place apart, a culinary theater where you sit facing the stage, as close as possible to the gastronomic actors, all dressed in black. There’s no pomp or distance: just a counter, twenty or so guests and an energy that flows, fluid, controlled and sincere. The atmosphere is soft, almost meditative. Low-angled lighting, raw materials, restrained silence – and the murmur of pots and pans that sets the scene. Here, the show is in the detail, the elegance expressed through the emanation of an aroma, the precision of a cut, the chef’s gaze on his guests. The kitchen becomes a conversation between two worlds that observe each other to better understand each other.
Salted shokupan
Mitja Birlo, former chef of the prestigious 7132 Silver in Vals, has created a cosmopolitan and energetic culinary language in Zurich. In the heart of Switzerland’s gastronomic capital, he has duly earned back his two Michelin stars, and is now back in search of the culinary influences he holds dear – Japanese, Thai, Mexican – but always with that Swiss rigor of precise slicing and just-right cooking.
The pretzel version of shokupan opens the ball. This reinterpreted Japanese bread, topped with melted butter and a few grains of salt, is disarmingly sensual. One bite and the journey begins: Japan and Bavaria brush up against each other, melting and responding in a buttery creation to die for. Then it’s on to Greece, with a revisited tzatzíki: black garlic cream, dill mousse, lemon oil and caviar as a finishing touch. Freshness and depth mingle, between the evocation of a Mediterranean summer and the iodized serenity of discreet luxury.
Cèleri 2.0
Then comes a giant cracker as finger food, on which rest thin strips of scallops, barely seared, accompanied by a squash purée and a Thai ginger-chili sauce. A bridge between East and West, between fire and sweetness, with the precision of a goldsmith. Turbot comes next, smoked then cooked in butter, served with radish salad and shiso cream. Saffron oil and parsley oil complete this marine beauty: a dish full of roundness and light, in perfect balance between intensity and appeasement.
You’ll then discover the metamorphosis of the chef’s signature celeriac. Grilled and lacquered with miso and butter, the vegetable is accompanied by a dense, hypnotic sauce: reduced beet, concentrated chicken broth and black pepper oil. The match is frighteningly precise: earthy, carnal, vibrant. This dish reveals once again that the chef knows fire, reduction and patience. The seemingly playful dessert completes the journey on a note of subtle irreverence: popcorn mousse, topped with mandarin sorbet and miso caramel. Between sweet, salty and bitter, everything is balanced and soothed. A knowing, almost childlike wink, before returning to the hustle and bustle of the outside world.
Emotion Laboratory
Right in the middle of Zurich station, Mitja Birlo extends the gastronomic scene without artifice. Her restaurant is a suspended bubble, a laboratory of emotions where gesture takes precedence over discourse. No demonstrations, no spectacular shows. Swiss precision for a free spirit.
