Restaurant Le Murenberg : Krummackerstrasse 4, 4416 Bubendorf

Food was absolutely sublime.

Good cuisine at 1 Michelin star level, nothing out of this world though and not particularly inventive either. Portions were really generous, not to say too large. Service could be improved. Asked for an additional bread roll which I never received and knowledge of Swiss wines on the menu was rather thin.

I was really curious about this restaurant that had recently been given a Michelin star, so when it came to organising our company's Christmas dinner, I decided to choose this restaurant. Located in a lovely looking house, the restaurant interior was cosy, if a little old-fashioned. But that said, it is nicely spread out so that our group of 8 didn't feel we were either disturbed by the other guests or that we might disturb them. Although the restaurant wasn't terribly busy when we entered, it took the staff a bit of time to realise we'd come and we weren't particularly welcomed. Once we were seated, however, things moved much more efficiently. We started off with some champagne and then all decided, more or less, to go with the menu recommended by the chef. I was a little disappointed that it wasn't the menu on the website, but as the hostess pointed out it says that that menu is simply a sample - that sample, however, sounded absolutely fabulous. No matter, this menu was perfectly fine. We started off with a little amuse bouche of some veal with a little balsamic vinegary type sauce - nice but not extraordinary. The first course was variations of tuna - delicious! A little sashimi, a little tartar and some lightly seared tuna. Perfectly seasoned, nice little dashes of sauces on the plate - all in all a true delight. Another dish was monkfish in a lobster bisque. Very tasty, but I've had better cooked monkfish and tastier bisques but it was very good. One course was some sort of ravioli with cured ham, mushrooms and summer truffles - copious amount of truffles - loved it. The 'main' was a veal steak - tasty, not the most tender but I am not particular about meat that melts, I prefer a bit of a bite with a really good taste. So as veal goes it was really good. Finally we had a little cheese platter - which was - a cheese platter - no cheese stood out, but, for me always a lovely way to end a meal. The dessert on the menu didn't appeal to most of us, so I can't comment. I asked for wine pairing and they did a splendid job. We settled on just two wines - a white burgundy, which was excellent - and then we had a Spanish red - a crianza, which was good, but some of our group were not completely happy, so when it was time to order another bottle, I asked for something else and she recommended the riserva of the same wine - a 2008 aged 18 months in the barrel. And it was a huge improvement. We all loved the Riserva. Everyone was really happy with the meal, the restaurant was warm and friendly, the chef popped in to ask if we were happy and I can say, another good Christmas dinner done in the right environment with the right food for all tastes. Thanks you Schmitts. And on a final note, I have to say it's probably the best value for money you can get in a Michelin star restaurant in the region. Very very reasonably priced menu at this quality and cooking level.