Animal Trainer: A Local's Guide to Zurich
Zurich natives and veteran music producers Adrian & Sammy AKA Animal Trainer aren’t your average DJ’s. They are also both avid cooks who have merged a restaurant concept onto their space Hive Club. Below find a brief Q & A followed by the guys favorite records shops, eateries and bars in their beloved Swiss capital. Oh, and check out their new EP out today on Berlin’s one and only Katermukke label. We hope you enjoy it!
Q. Why did you choose to open a restaurant in the infamous Hive Club and how did it all come together?
A: It was a natural process for us and of course a lot of luck. In the first floor of our building is a famous fish market; they had a fully equipped kitchen which they hadn’t used for years. Adrian came across the kitchen by accident and there the story of Gerold Chuchi began. We rented the kitchen and started first with take away only for our famous Gerold burgers. After a while, Anatol, our partner, found Wolo who is a perfect restaurant host and chef. Then we started to open the restaurant more for both lunch and dinner.
Q. What happens in the kitchen during the weekend when you are DJing?
A. A lot! Saturday we close the restaurant, but the take away is always super busy especially Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
Q. What are Animal Trainer’s signature dishes?
A. Samy is doing a super nice tofu curry and Adrian is the boss of bouillabaisse.
Q. How did you come up with the menu?
A. Because we have a chef we’re not so involved in the process anymore. Every day, we have four homemade fresh pastas with four sauces and daily specials. For example, on Thursday homemade meatloaf, Wednesday wiener schnitzel with homemade potato salad and so on. Of course, we also serve a vegetarian option every day.
Q. How does food and music overlap?
A. We think it’s very close together, it’s about taste and taking people on a journey. It’s about surprise, love and a lot of hard work. Those components are also found in music.
Record Shops
Sihl Records – (Martastrasse 114)
This nice store is run by a resident DJ of Hive, Andreas Ramos.
The shop is really something that was missing for a long time in our city. It’s a meeting point of DJ’s, promoters and other nightlife people. In the front he serves cool drinks and coffee, in the back you can listen to a good collection of records.
Pantera Records – (Johannes-Gasse 6)
Marc has run this place since forever. He has a wide knowledge about everything with 4/4 beat on it. His back-stock is massive and you can always find some lost treasure.
Zero Zero – (Niederdorfstrasse 74)
Here you get everything you like beside Techno and House. It’s perfect for rainy Saturdays.
Jamarico – (Stauffacherstrasse 95)
They sell clothes and shoes, but upstairs they have a lot of Vinyl, it’s like paradise.
Arche Brockenhaus – (Hohlstrasse 489)
It’s a thrift shop, they sell everything you could possibly need. The record collection is huge and you can find almost anything, it’s a secret tip.
Restaurants
Rosso – (Geroldstrasse 31)
For Pizza with a really thin crust this is our first and last choice!
Kai Sushi – (Lessingstrasse 3)
This is a new sushi joint in town, and we were impressed from the first try. Here you will find very special sushi.
Gerold Chuchi – (Geroldstrasse 5)
Fantastic Gerold burger and the homemade pasta is so good 😉
Da Angela – (Hohlstrasse 449 )
If you are looking for good fish, you can get it here. It’s our favorite Italian restaurant, just know they don’t serve Pizza.
Chez Oskar Bowls and Sandwiches – (Hohlstrasse 485)
This little paradise is run by DJ Raphaello, a resident of our Rakete parties at Hive Club.
The bowls are made with a lot of love and are tasty. He has a lot of little specials to add and the sandwiches are also a class of their own.
Bars
Fat Tony – (Langstrasse 135)
It’s a bar in the former Redlight district. They serve a drink called fat apple, you have to try it. A really good thing about this bar is that they serve pizza all night long. The pizza pastrami is just perfect for long nights.
Schiceria – (Neufrankengasse 4)
They have a super nice sun terrace where you can go for an afternoon drink.
Raygrodski – (Sihlfeldstrasse 49)
Raygrodski is famous for the cocktail card, a nice place to waste time.
Widder Bar – (Widdergasse 6)
The king of whisky. You find almost every brand here.
