Hangar-7

Attractive is the most fitting description for the native Austrian, because his culinary artistry has a magnetic attraction for gourmets.

There are restaurants which exert a magnetic attraction on me – those in which I immediately feel at home, where right away I am at one with the location, the atmosphere, the service and, of course, with the cuisine. Quite often these are restaurants where not every course tries to reinvent the wheel. They know that they are good and simply do their thing. Marcus G. Lindner's "Mesa" in Zurich is just such a place – a temple where you immediately feel good.

The term "temple" is perhaps a little exaggerated for this simple, 30-cover place. Restrained is more the word.

A glance at the menu brings a surprise. Dishes such as "turbot/veal/truffle/duck's liver/onion" are reminiscent of northern Spain's "mar y montagne", in other words the combination of sea and mountains. And, in fact, one repeatedly reads of the Catalan influence in the usually effusive critiques of Lindner. The only thing is, Marcus doesn't know anything about this influence.

When Marcus reaches for "red mullet/outdoor-reared pork/fennel/absinthe", it's not to emulate his Spanish colleagues, but because he is firmly convinced that the flavours of red mullet and outdoor-reared pork complement each other. To prove this, Lindner takes a red mullet, arranges the pork beside it, then adds caviar, olive tapenade, cucumber risotto and a tomato juice-based absinthe broth. The result is a sensational freshness on the one hand and an equally meltingly rich combination of red mullet and pork on the other.

The impact of Lindner's "turbot/veal/truffle/duck's liver/onion" is very similar. A ragout of calf's head and calf's tongue is dotted with Périgord truffles, then topped with a fillet of turbot, duck's liver and onion purée. Here, too, the enhancement of flavours is apparent.

I absolutely must talk about one of Lindner's desserts – pistachio cream, lychee sorbet and caramelised banana. An extremely successful interplay of textures and temperatures, and further proof that the native Austrian questions and thinks through the slightest detail of every dish and combination. I find it interesting that Marcus G. Lindner is only worth one star according to Michelin, but earns a juicy 18 out of 20 points from Gault Millau. As Swiss stars Andreas Caminada and Heiko Nieder each received another Michelin star immediately after their appearances as guest chefs at Hangar-7, I am sure that the lack of appreciation in Lindner's case will soon be remedied. I cannot imagine that either the professional critics or food fans will be able to escape the magnet's pull for much longer. I, at any rate, am highly delighted that in February the culinary compass will swing towards Salzburg for four weeks.

All guest chefs at a glance

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Archive

Guest chef at Restaurant Ikarus

Preview
Guest chefs 2012 /en/ikarus/guest-chef-at-restaurant-ikarus/2012/preview-guest-chefs-2012/

Guest chef at Restaurant Ikarus: May 2012

Pino Lavarra /en/ikarus/guest-chef-at-restaurant-ikarus/2012/pino-lavarra/

Trettl meets Pino Lavarra

Pino Lavarra
Italy /en/ikarus/roland-trettl-on-tour/2012/roland-trettl-meets-pino-lavarra/

Guest chef at Restaurant Ikarus: April 2012

Tanja Grandits /en/ikarus/guest-chef-at-restaurant-ikarus/2012/tanja-grandits/

Trettl meets Tanja Grandits

Tanja Grandits
Switzerland /en/ikarus/roland-trettl-on-tour/2012/roland-trettl-meets-tanja-grandits/

Guest chefs at Restaurant Ikarus: February 2012

Tim Raue /en/ikarus/guest-chef-at-restaurant-ikarus/2012/tim-raue/

Guest chef at Restaurant Ikarus: March 2012

Ryan Clift /en/ikarus/guest-chef-at-restaurant-ikarus/2012/ryan-clift/

Trettl meets Ryan Clift

Ryan Clift
Singapur /en/ikarus/roland-trettl-on-tour/2012/roland-trettl-meets-ryan-clift/

Trettl meets Tim Raue

Tim Raue
Berlin, Germany /en/ikarus/roland-trettl-on-tour/2012/trettl-meets-tim-raue/

Guest chefs at Restaurant Ikarus: January 2012

Nuno Mendes /en/ikarus/guest-chef-at-restaurant-ikarus/2012/nuno-mendes/

Trettl meets Nuno Mendes

Nuno Mendes
Viajante, London /en/ikarus/roland-trettl-on-tour/2012/trettl-meets-nuno-mendes/

Guest chefs at Restaurant Ikarus: December 2011

Daniel Redondo &
Helena Rizzo /en/ikarus/guest-chef-at-restaurant-ikarus/2011/daniel-redondo-helena-rizzo/

Guest chefs at Restaurant Ikarus: November 2011

Björn Frantzén &
Daniel Lindeberg /en/ikarus/guest-chef-at-restaurant-ikarus/2011/bjoern-frantzen-daniel-lindeberg/

Roland Trettl on tour

Helena Rizzo & Daniel Redondo, São Paulo, Brazil /en/ikarus/roland-trettl-on-tour/2011/roland-trettl-meets-helena-rizzo-daniel-redondo/

Guest chef at Restaurant Ikarus: October 2011

Xavier Pellicer /en/ikarus/guest-chef-at-restaurant-ikarus/2011/xavier-pellicer/

Roland Trettl on tour

Xavier Pellicer,
Barcelona, Spain /en/ikarus/roland-trettl-on-tour/2011/roland-trettl-meets-xavier-pellicer/

Guest chef at Restaurant Ikarus: September 2011

Alvin Leung /en/ikarus/guest-chef-at-restaurant-ikarus/2011/alvin-leung/

Roland Trettl on tour

Alvin Leung,
Hong Kong, China /en/ikarus/roland-trettl-on-tour/2011/roland-trettl-meets-alvin-leung/

Guest chef at Restaurant Ikarus: August 2011

Ikarus Team /en/ikarus/guest-chef-at-restaurant-ikarus/2011/ikarus-team/

Roland Trettl on tour

Peter Goossens,
Kruishoutem, Belgium /en/ikarus/roland-trettl-on-tour/2011/roland-trettl-and-the-ikarus-team/

Guest chef at Restaurant Ikarus: July 2011

Peter Goossens /en/ikarus/guest-chef-at-restaurant-ikarus/2011/peter-goossens/

Roland Trettl on tour

Peter Goossens,
Kruishoutem, Belgium /en/ikarus/roland-trettl-on-tour/2011/roland-trettl-meets-peter-goossens/

Guest chef at Restaurant Ikarus: June 2011

Emmanuel Renaut /en/ikarus/guest-chef-at-restaurant-ikarus/2011/emmanuel-renaut/

Roland Trettl on tour

Emmanuel Renaut,
Megève, France /en/ikarus/roland-trettl-on-tour/2011/roland-trettl-meets-emmanuel-renaut/

Guest chef at Restaurant Ikarus: May 2011

Anatoly Komm /en/ikarus/guest-chef-at-restaurant-ikarus/2011/anatoly-komm/

Roland Trettl on tour

Anatoly Komm,
Moscow, Russia /en/ikarus/roland-trettl-on-tour/2011/roland-trettl-meets-anatoly-komm/

Guest chef at Restaurant Ikarus: April 2011

Daniel Humm /en/ikarus/guest-chef-at-restaurant-ikarus/2011/daniel-humm/

Roland Trettl on tour

Daniel Humm,
New York, USA /en/ikarus/roland-trettl-on-tour/2011/roland-trettl-meets-daniel-humm/

Guest chef at Restaurant Ikarus: March 2011

Claus-Peter Lumpp /en/ikarus/guest-chef-at-restaurant-ikarus/2011/claus-peter-lumpp/

Roland Trettl on tour

Claus-Peter Lumpp,
Germany /en/ikarus/roland-trettl-on-tour/2011/roland-trettl-meets-claus-peter-lumpp/