Prosciutto for 27 francs
Former SNB chief Hildebrand Edel-Pizzaiolo works
Former moneylender Philipp Hildebrand is teaming up with gastro king Rudi Bindela. The two opened a noble Italian in the prestigious Zunfthaus Zur Saffron Zurich.
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Former SNB chief Philipp Hildebrand and Rudi Bindella are opening a prestigious Italian restaurant in Zurich. The picture shows the outdoor seating of the new “Ristorante Zafferano”.
Philipp Hildebrandt (59) walks among the restaurateurs. This was reported by Blick at the end of June. Now the time has come. “Ristorante Zafferano” opens its doors to paying guests on Friday, September 9. On the famous Zunfthaus circuit, Saffron is located in Limatquay in front of Zurich City Hall.
Hildebrand is Switzerland’s former top currency watchdog. His friendship with Zurich restaurateur Rudi Bindela (74) dates back to his time as head of the Swiss National Bank (SNB). “This project is the result of a long friendship and love of Italian wine,” said Hildebrand at the opening of “Ristorante Zafferano”. The financier and the king of Zurich gastronomy each own a 50 percent stake in the restaurant.
For the love of wine
For Hildebrand, Zafferano is a project of the heart. In addition to being appointed vice president of the American financial giant Blackrock, he also owns a winery in Tuscany. And the wines he produces there find their way to Zafferno.
Red wine “Vergaia” 2019 is one of them. “Our wine is for my three daughters,” he writes on the menu. A bottle costs 98 francs in the restaurant. This makes the wine from the house of Hildebrand one of the cheapest. The menu features mainly high-quality Italian wines priced at up to 850 francs a bottle.
Pizza for 37 francs
The food is Italian and not exactly cheap. In the center of the restaurant are two large fireplaces. The classic and modern interpretation of the Italian plate in the wooden pizza oven is based on the Neapolitan model. The price is according to the salt of the place. A simple pizza margherita costs 22 francs. A “Tartufo Nero” pizza costs even 37 francs.
Hildebrand and Bindella don’t want to be just another pizzeria in Zurich. “Zaffarano doesn’t have to be a prestigious pizzeria, but a small, upscale Italian restaurant with good products and good wines,” says Hildebrand Le Blick.