Rubino Basel: When palates are holistically happy
In the old town of Basel, one can find an exceptional restaurant which impresses with a modern, yet homely ambiance and great culinary delights and tasty wines. Here, host Beat Rubitschung and chef de cuisine Manuela Buser have one ultimate goal: satisfied and contented guests.
“When great food perfectly harmonises with a good wine, when they celebrate a wedding in the palate so to speak, then something big happens which you can perhaps call art. Then I’m happy,” smiles Beat Rubitschung, owner of restaurant Rubino in Basel. The many guests who choose to get pampered in his restaurant point to the fact that the wine and the food celebrate many weddings here: those who do not reserve a place, have difficulty finding a spare table.
What exactly makes the Rubino so special? First of all, the Rubino team put their hearts and souls into their work. A seasoned team caters to every customer’s wish and Beat Rubitschung is a born restaurateur. While he worked in the IT industry before, he decided to pursue his real passions at the age of 50: great food and special wines of the most diverse origins. He says: “Everybody can sell good and expensive wines. I, however, want to offer my guests good and affordable wines.” Thus, the wines at restaurant Rubino are primarily from smaller wineries and many are even imported by Rubitschung himself. He adds: “I’m simply not interested in mainstream wines.”
The invino wine bar.
For conscious connoisseurs
While the experienced chef de cuisine Manuela Buser caters for high-quality delicacies, Rubitschung is responsible for the choice of wine. “It’s easy to find a suitable wine for classical dishes but for more unusual food, such as white carrot mousse with vanilla, it is quite a challenge,” notes Buser. Luckily, Rubitschung is always able to find the right, diligently chosen and unusual red or white wine.
The food served at the Rubino is also rather special. Overall, the cuisine at restaurant Rubino features refined Mediterranean delicacies and hearty Swiss dishes. This healthy, creative cuisine is usually prepared with fresh herbs, as well as seasonal and regional ingredients from organic production and menus vary according to the season. Buser even gets the vegetables from the same farmer, which provides the Rubino with fresh supplies a few times a week. Besides offering ever-changing tasty lunch and dinner menus, the restaurant’s speciality is its ‘surprise menu’ which consists of two to five courses featuring meat, fish and also vegetarian dishes. Guests can simply choose their preferred ingredient and the kitchen will create a special menu for them. This guarantees an evening full of tasty surprises.
Bistro Kunstmuseum.
Nurturing the passion for wine
Only a few steps away from the Rubino, lies the invino wine bar – another project from Rubitschung. In an exceptional ambiance which reminds one of a modern, French wine cellar, guests can explore a variety of fine wines. “At the invino we cultivate our passion for wines. We constantly look for special ones, be it in terms of origin, type of grape, wine-growers, vinification or cultivation methods,” notes Rubitschung. While offering a choice of five red and five white wines, the invino also serves fine bread, carefully selected olive oils and Basel’s own water. If guests want some tangy cheese or cold meats to accompany their wines, the hosts are happy to fulfil these wishes too. What makes the choice of wines so special at the invino is that the wine bar changes its offering every five to six weeks. Before doing so, the invino team tastes a selection of new wines with their guests. The wines that find most admirers will then be served at the invino. For those who want to participate in this the next time, simply sign up online or directly at the wine bar.
Not only for culture enthusiasts
Last but not least, the Bistro Kunstmuseum in the heart of Basel welcomes guests to meet people and to pamper their palates with exceptional Bistro cuisine in a minimal, modern and elegant ambiance. Situated in the inner courtyard of the Kunstmuseum, host Esther Sidler and leaseholder Rubitschung have created a rather special place. Divided into two adjacent areas, the long restaurant looks out on the museum’s courtyard and the light-flooded bar is the perfect place for a nice glass of wine in the evening. In summer, guests can also sit in the museum’s Mediterranean courtyard. In the Bistro, one can enjoy a coffee in the morning, a delicious lunch which is influenced by regional and Mediterranean cuisine and is made with seasonal, sustainably produced ingredients, an aperitif or a dinner with friends. How about a creamy zucchini soup, a bouillabaisse with rouille mayonnaise and baguette or a crepe with spinach, fried egg and cheese sauce?
TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF | PHOTOS: RESTAURANT RUBINO GMBH
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