Basel, Switzerland - Oliv

vitello tonnato served with fennel salad and cucumber

manzo brasato with market vegetable and mashed potatoes

praline chocolate mousse with poached pear and almond ice cream

Restaurant Name : Oliv

Location : Bachlettenstrasse 1, 4054, Basel, Switzerland

Rating : 4 Marylicious Stars

Price Range : Around CHF 100 / person (3 course dinner with alcohol)

Summary : This is a Mediterranean restaurant that serves high quality food at a reasonable price, so it is good value for money, especially in a city like Basel. The service is also attentive and the wait staff have a very good command of English, therefore this place is definitely tourist friendly. 

The menu changes frequently, and for this particular night I ordered the vitello tonnato for the starter, which are very thinly sliced veal served with a creamy sauce that was just the right amount of cream and citrus taste, and a side fennel salad that has a light dressing.  It balances out the creamy sauce very well.  Then for the main dish, I ordered the manzo brasato, which was absolutely delicious!  The beef was so tender that it almost melted in the mouth and the sauce was not overwhelming (even though it looks dark and salty). The praline chocolate mousse dessert was also delicious.  The crunchy bits of the praline countered the smooth texture of the chocolate mousse.

Overall, this was a very delicious meal and I would highly recommend this restaurant for anyone visiting Basel, Switzerland.  The only drawback is that the location of the restaurant is not close to old town Basel, so you can't take a nice stroll around town after dinner.  However, the restaurant is located within 5-8 minute walk from the main train station, so it's still very easily accessible.

exterior view of Restaurant Oliv

From the street, this restaurant does look much, once you enter, it's a small hallway that leads to a large dining area to the right, and a more private dining section to the left.  Since this was a work dinner, we were seated in the private dining section.

The decoration is plain, simple and clean, except for the many movie star pictures up on the wall in the private dining section.  When we asked about the pictures, we found out that these stars haven't visited the restaurant... so it was quite odd...