The Sunday Brunch at Restaurant PUR is 100% Temptation

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A foodie's heaven is located just a half hour from Zürich. There, at Restaurant PUR, an expansive world of buffets are waiting for those in the mood for a luxurious Sunday brunch. In fact, this brunch experience is so popular, it pays to reserve a table well in advance.

Restaurant PUR is part of the Seedamm Plaza conference hotel in Pfäffikon SZ. On a recent Sunday morning, a charming hostess escorted us to our reserved table. Her name is Flavia, and we would be counting on her attentive character throughout the morning.

Now that we are seated, it is time for the first decision of the morning: "What would you like for starters?"

Professionals like us are used to picking and choosing among alternatives in our daily lives. So when it comes to the weekends, we love nothing more than stepping back and letting others decide for us...

But the brunch buffet here at PUR is not making this an easy choice. We have barely sunk into the comfortable armchairs when a decision-making marathon of sorts ensues: Which of the many juices will wake us up? I decide on a blend of orange juice with a shot of multivitamin juice. (A blend can never hurt.)

Flavia is back and she inquires about egg dishes: Sunny side up, scrambled or boiled? In my mind, I have already decided on Eggs Benedict. Poached eggs have proven to be the ultimate test for many restaurants. The eggs can be nicely stacked with Canadian bacon or enriched with avocado.

It turns out that Eggs Benedict are the one thing missing on Flavia's menu. With a slightly downcast look, I settle for a small omelet instead. When it comes to the endless brunch buffet, you name it and they have it - and then some!

"Prosecco?" The decision is an easy one for my partner. No lengthy weighing of the pros and cons before taking a sip.

It's a vitamin rich fruit juice that does it for me. Sometimes, discretion is the better part of valor on a Sunday morning... But just so we would not sit there empty handed, we let ourselves be persuaded by an additional lassi in a small glass with plastic straw.

Brunch buffet bonanza

After this first wetting of our gullets, we turn our attention to the buffets (that's a plural). There is the fruit and muesli buffet, the bread buffet, the buffet with terrines and cold cuts, and the buffet dedicated to fish such as mackerel, salmon, and eel.

That's not it: There is a cheese buffet, a warm buffet with bacon and sausage and, finally, a dessert buffet! At least we can move that last one to the bottom of our list for now - one less choice to consider...

Like a good host, Flavia patiently explains the concept of the PUR brunch to us first-timers. We are in for a surprise, because the mind-blowing choice of buffets will be topped with a hot course served at lunchtime. In a couple of hours, another "tough" choice will be waiting for us: Beef filet, sea devil, or fusilli pasta?

Armed with this knowledge, any reasonable bruncher will grab just a small plate at the appetizer buffet. The psychological trick is that the plate is going to look fuller, faster. This leaves enough space and gives a satisfying feeling.

It is time for a coffee interlude before the unch part of brunch is served. The PUR baristas can do it all: From the usual Café crème to cappuccino or latte macchiato.

Decision at high noon

Challenged by the multitude of tasty options and flattered by the elegant atmosphere with an open fireplace, the minutes fly by. Before we know it, Flavia appears to take down our luncheon decisions.

For me, reason dictates the sea devil as the light fare option. My table mate feels less restrained and goes all in for the beef filet on its bed of fregula sarda.

The plates come with small portions arranged with air between them, in savvy recognition that at this point even the crassest hunger must have been stilled, leaving only a small appetite. In any case, my sea devil with its celery wasabi mashed potato closes out the brunch with a fitting final bouquet. It is apparent that the beef filet is quite the palate tickler as well...

Almost ready to ask for the check, the small temptations on the dessert buffet catch our eyes. Needless to say, this generous buffet hits all the taste notes perfectly. At 79 francs per person, this is not the least expensive Sunday brunch by the shores of Lake Zurich, but it certainly delivers great value.