Restaurant Veranda — Restaurant in Bern

My husband took me here on a surprise date night. We live very close and walk by all the time and have always been curious about it as it looks very nice from the outside! After looking at the website and reviews (as well as it being on Bern's Gault & Millau list- how it got on there baffles my mind) I had pretty high hopes that it would be delicious. Unfortunately, I was more than disappointed and we will not be returning.

I'll start with the good: -lovely outdoor seating -the vegan mushroom strudel was a delicious flavor bomb and the best bite of the night -the orange marmelade was a nice flavor with the strudel, even if the texture was a bit off -the rhubarb schorle alcohol free cocktail was yummy

Now onto the bad: -the fresh goat cheese salad for 19 CHF required absolutely 0 culinary abilities to produce. It consisted of a ball of fresh goat cheese (which was tasty), 3 triangles of watery watermelon (with nothing done to them- perhaps a light grilling would add another depth of flavor?), some peeled cucumbers (again-nothing done to them), some Kalamata olives (which were whole, cutting them into smaller pieces would allow for the flavor to penetrate the whole dish) and a chili honey sauce (that was delicious). There was nothing on the plate that could soak up the sauce and I was left mopping it up with the bread they provided which I rarely eat but I was starving. They topped it with weird stringy spicy strips that just got caught in my throat and teeth. The flavor combination was interesting, it's just a pity it wasn't executed properly

-the vegan mushroom strudel was actually a stuffed fried mushroom spring roll. While the flavors inside were delicious, the texture was a bit dry and it came crumbling out which made it difficult to eat. The cabbage/sauerkraut served with it had a nice tangy flavor. The other vegetables except the cauliflower were poorly seasoned and under/badly cooked. The orange marmelade could have been a little creamier, more like a sauce to add to the dryness of the dish.

To finish off, the ugly: -the tapioca dumpling special was inedible. I have never in my life left half of the dish on the plate at a restaurant. The dumplings themselves were terribly dry, had large hard pieces of tapioca in them and were served with a tiny speck of funny flavored sauce. The cabbage served with it was lacking salt. The aubergines were poorly cooked and the rest of the vegetables were mediocre. The only vegetable that was properly cooked was the cauliflower. At a fine dining restaurant as this one, I would expect the vegetables to be perfectly cooked and seasoned. Please don't serve specials that haven't been lovingly prepared with time and anticipation. If anyone had tasted this before serving it, it never would have left the kitchen.

We left hungry. We will be going to Pittaria next time for a fraction of the price and quadruple the flavor. Perhaps someone to taste/critique the dishes (with the purpose of making them the best they can be) before serving them would...

I discovered this place by chance, when I was returning from a book store, nearby. It is located near the station, in a dead end street. I arrived at 1.10 pm, the girl who welcomed me had to ask if I could still eat: it wasn't that late. I assured her that I would eat quickly: in fact, at 2.02 pm I was already in my train and the other customers, before of me, still there. The customers all sat in the garden, which could be made more welcoming, with flower plants. There were 2 menu choices, meat or fish, simple, tasteful. The wine was excellent quality, quick service, without many frills. I will come back when I have more time to get...

The personnel here are really first class, cannot compliment them enough. Nice food at a good price, my sister and I like it here. It was busy whenever we arrived for supper but we didn't have to wait long for our table. My little sis and I were really impressed with all the good quality ingredients that are locally sourced, everything tasted genuinely fresh. Wonderful place to go for dinner, would...