On 16 June, Foodism brought a little bit of Zurich to west London – and no, we’re not talking Toblerone.

Held at Canal, the waterside restaurant and bar from HAM Restaurants, the dinner was created in partnership with Zurich to show off a side of the city that deserves a bit more attention: its dining scene.

While Zurich may be famous for its lake, its galleries, its design scene, and its suspiciously good public transport, it’s also a phenomenal place to eat and drink right now.

Zurich by way of London

The evening brought together two chefs with many commonalities. From Zurich came Corin Schmid, head chef of Drei Stuben and The Artisan, two restaurants that show different sides of the city’s food culture. At Drei Stuben, Schmid reworks Swiss classics with a modern touch; at The Artisan, her cooking is garden-led, seasonal and more international in outlook.

Joining her in the kitchen was Canal’s executive chef Lewis de Haas, whose produce-led approach made the restaurant a natural London home for the evening. Together, they created a four-hands dinner that felt less like a formal showcase and more like a conversation between two cities: Zurich and London, both hungry, curious and very good at waterside dining.

Zurich X Foodism X Canal menu

Beyond the postcard

Zurich is an easy city to reduce to the obvious stuff: the clean streets, the lake, mountains within reach. But spend a little time there, and you’ll see that this is a city with a brilliant restaurant scene, shaped by Swiss tradition, global influences, strong produce and a natural instinct for hospitality.

That was the side of Zurich the dinner set out to capture. Served sharing-style on communal tables, the menu moved through snacks, two starters, two mains, and a brown butter cake, with a welcome aperitif and a flight of Swiss wines along the way. It was generous, relaxed and built for conversation – exactly the kind of dinner that makes you start Googling flights before dessert has landed.

Swiss wine for the win

One of the biggest talking points of the night was the wine. Swiss wine is still something of a mystery to most UK drinkers, largely because the Swiss drink nearly all of it themselves. Fair enough, really.

For guests, that meant a rare chance to taste wines that don’t often make it across the border: fresh, food-friendly bottles that made a very strong case for Zurich as a drinking city as well as a dining one. Paired throughout the menu, they helped tell a bigger story about the destination.

A city worth its salt

By the end of the evening, the point was pretty clear: Zurich is not just a beautiful city with excellent hotels, lake swims and mountain views within easy reach. It’s a place with serious appetite.

For Foodism, the dinner was a reminder that the best way to introduce a destination is often through the table. And Zurich gave us plenty to work with.

With Corin Schmid in the kitchen, Lewis de Haas alongside her, and the Grand Union doing a decent impression of the Limmat, the evening made a strong case for dining in Zurich.

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