Christopher Eckstein

Friend, Restaurateur, and Bonvivant

The search for beautiful things in life has connected us for more than three decades. San Francisco, London, Malaysia, and the island of Bali – we have travelled to a few places together over the years. Always on the quest to experience new destinations, hotels, and restaurants, and especially to discover and eat great food.

Chris is the co-owner of two of Zurich's most popular places in the old town, the Cranberry Bar and the Rathaus Café on the river Limmat. My friends know that the Cranberry Bar has been my favourite bar since it opened in 1997 – a place where I feel at home. The team is friendly, and the cocktails are excellent.

In March 2002, together with partners, Chris opened the Osoba, one of the first restaurants in Zurich to serve fusion cuisine, inspired by trends from countries around the Pacific Rim. That was one of the reasons we travelled to San Francisco in 2001 for inspiration, visiting restaurants like The Slanted Door, The Betelnut, The French Laundry, and others. I did the graphic design for the restaurant, creating the logo, website, and menu cards. It was an excellent and stylish restaurant; unfortunately, it closed again after a couple of years. In my opinion, Zurich wasn't yet ready for that kind of food at the time.

Over the years, I had the privilege of creating most of the logos and print designs for Chris's projects, and I sometimes even overhauled my earlier work when a fresh appearance was requested.

His next gastronomic project – among others – was the small neighbourhood restaurant Bottega Berta, serving delicious pasta dishes and other Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. It was at this restaurant that I faced my first challenge as a guest chef, cooking a private dinner for guests together with Denise Weibel. Thanks to the professional knowledge and support of Chris and his team, as well as the generosity of being given the chance to prove ourselves at the Bottega Berta, it turned out to be a wonderful evening.

He then handed Bottega Berta over to new owners and moved on with his dedicated team to a larger venue, the restaurant Weisses Rössli in Zürich-Albisrieden – a wonderful restaurant in an old timber-framed house. With two guest areas, a bar, a large function room, and a spacious garden, the new place offers the team many opportunities to showcase their talents and excellent food.

More of Christopher's creativity

Chris invites to the Mediterranean–Mexican inspired dinner.