A Tea Tour of Switzerland

cafe-shop
Photographs Courtesy of Dominik Grenzler, Les Gourmandises de Miyuko

LES GOURMANDISES DE MIYUKO
Beckenhofstrasse 7 • 8006 Zurich
+41 44 350 21 43 • miyuko.ch

The window display at this popular tearoom stops passers-by in their tracks, drawing their eyes to the brightly colored festive cakes that seem to have been lifted from the pages of a children’s book of fairytale cartoons. Cakes iced in vibrant green, orange, or purple are decorated with sugar flowers, stripes, and swirls in pink, red, yellow, and white; a tall three-tiered celebration gâteau is a riot of swirling purple scrolls and bright red and blue flowers in full bloom set against flawlessly smooth crimson and blue icing; and wedges of deliciously tempting cakes with layers of sponge and squidgy fillings make eyes pop at their clashing psychedelic colors. They are the work of Sara Hochuli—ex-hairdresser, graphic designer, clothing designeteacaker, patissière, and sugar artist extraordinaire—who owns the shop and restaurant-tearoom with partner Dominik Grenzler. As its name suggests, the theme of the tearoom, which opened in 2011 in a little 1823 cottage, is a fascinating, whimsical blend of French delicacies and foodie treats with Japanese cartoon characters and teas. The unusual theatrical décor is a mix of playful Japanese images of cartoon geisha girls, large colorful carp that appear to swim across one wall, and branches of cherry blossoms that brighten another with their splashes of pink. The delicious Swiss-Japanese Miyuko Teatime brings tea in a stylish Japanese pot and a tiered cake stand laden with savory tartlets, scones, whipped cream and jam, fresh fruit, cheeses, cold meats and crudités, and a generous slice of one of Sara’s irresistible cakes. Les Gourmandises also offers healthy teatime alternatives for those with allergies and special dietary needs, but this is no place for people who are allergic to sugar!

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