Cantinetta Bindella - Winterthur

Having experienced a quite disappointing series of dining experiences this week in Wintertur, I said squarely to my husband:”let’s agree to be prepared to pay a higher price on our last night here, go to Bindella’s Cantinetta where we’ve been before, knowing in advance its professionally run the food won’t be yet again…disappointing”. We couldn’t have been more foolish had we tried! After the nicely achieved salad starter shared , things went quite dramatically downhill… I chose please note the House Speciality : Ravioli cacio e pepe..ricotta filled pasta squares notably finished with a BUTTER SAUCE. The dish immediately looked outta wack when it was placed upon the tabletop because the neat pile of raviolis were sitting in …a watery liquid! Where was the richly seductive dense character of the butter ? Now errors can happen in any kitchen it seemed clear to me the pasta simply hadn’t been drained efficiently …. an old bogey …. but when I called our waitperson’s attention to this dish of pasta drowning in a watery grave, she looked at me incredulously said ..” but it’s a butter sauce”! OMG Now my husband myself as members of the internationally respected Chaine des Rotisseries food beverage society are more fully aware of post Covid staffing issues in the hospitality industry worldwide than most members of the general dining out public..but to have a response like this about this restaurant’s house speciality being so very poorly delivered to table ..THIS was startling indeed! Trying to be generous, I insisted it was indeed watery that it shouldn’t be like this …even though it’s supposed to be a ‘butter sauce” , that I was sending it back to the kitchen as unacceptable. She said she would have another cooked for me took the dish away…. My husband meanwhile was struggling with his disappointingly ordinary Spaghetti Bolognese what a shame when with startling precision it was whisked from in front of him from behind ! without warning ! with a senior waitperson pronouncing the Bologna dish also would be cooked again, along with mine … apologies were profusely offered. We were reassured by all this kerfuffle, but I now have to report that my second dish was …unbelievably exactly the same!,,,, my husband’s was WORSE ..IT CAME SMALLER IN SIZE was smothered in a dense sugo!,,unbelievable . The meat had seemingly vanished. Whaaat…? We finished the dreadful food nonetheless realising there seemed no possibility of the kitchen doing any better at all….when close to preparing to swipe the last of the supposedly MEAT tomato sauce from the base of the plate …my husband picked up part of a prawn shell ! In a bolognese sauce !!!!! Yikes! What if he’d been allergic to shellfish!!!!! So THAT’s where all the sugo came from we guessed a pan used previously for a different dish incorporating possibly prawns ,,, not cleaned efficiently..oh goodness Bindella !..unforgivably lax kitchen hygiene cleanliness standards writ VERY large. Nearly sickened by having eaten this dish unknowingly, my husband remonstrated with the senior waitperson who absurdly insisted “it was only a bit of pasta really what was all the fuss about sir” sort of thing… adding insult to injury , he then proceeded to lecture us on the difficulties being experienced in the industry at this time. REALLY? It was this arrogantly patronising attitude that really finished us off as far as this entire episode was concerned.. it was of no comfort later when shamefacedly this rude man was obliged quite quickly return to table, having looked more closely, he now needed to admit it WAS indeed a piece of crustacean shell, that he was …completely wrong. HUH! He immediately comped the entire meal such as it was whilst we accepted the trade off, we nonetheless left dejected totally disillusioned with the Bindella group’s inability to at least maintain basic standards of treatment of its clients..our principal gripe readers of my review please note! …let alone the dismal nonesense metered out as supposedly top quality Italian cooking. Not.

Very good traditional food, done as nona would have. Good service and personal touch. Dinner may require reservations

Selten habe ich so erlesen gespeist in einem so bezaubernden Ambiente. Die Bedienung war sehr freundlich und die von mir gewünschten Cozze wurden mir serviert und waren ausgezeichnet gewürzt. Ich habe einen sehr netten Abend mit Freunden verbracht. Das Cantinetta bildete den perfekten Rahmen.

Idealer Treffpunkt für ein Essen unter Leuten, die etwas auf sich geben.Sie geben sich eher Mühe, als dass es bei mir gut ankommt. Wie der Titel aussagt, ist es mir dann zu teuer. Je nach Platz ist der Lärm unangenehm.

Sehr schönes Restaurant in der Altstadt von Winterthur .Liebe und freundliche Servicemitarbeiter.Gutes Italienisches Essen und Weine .Wunderschönes Ambiente Innen mit alten Sofas und Kerzenlicht.Das ist Top und verdient 5 Sterne : Kindermenue :9 Sfr. ( neun) mit Voressen ,Hauptgang + Dessert Bravo Bindella Grazie