Julien Mühlebach: fine dining with arts at "AMEO"

The "AMEO" restaurant’s unusual concept

The "AMEO" restaurant opened in Zurich-Wiedikon in October 2023, standing out immediately with its innovative concept. The restaurant, which once had the reputation of being a somewhat rustic pub, exhibits changing art installations served alongside sophisticated menus today. Chef and co-owner Julien Mühlebach is inspired by the work of the artists involved when it comes to his own creations.

"We even have guests who only come for the art," he says. He developed the idea for the concept of fine dining with arts together with sommelier Maximilian Dullinger and joint business partner Alexandra Signer.

He who seeks shall find

"Our shared dream was always to have our own restaurant," says Mühlebach. The two of them, who met at Julian Marti’s "EquiTable" restaurant, began searching for a suitable location for their current restaurant in 2019. However, this proved more difficult than expected, the search finally took more than three years.

"We looked at about 20 restaurants, but in most cases the key money was far too high," Mühlebach reports. Key money is a fee incurred to secure a new lease. The new tenant pays a transfer fee for inventory and rental rights to the previous tenant or previous owner. According to industry experts, this fee can easily amount to up to half a million Swiss francs in Zurich.

Mühlebach’s calling instead of profession

Julien Mühlebach found his calling early on: "I never wanted to be anything other than a chef and I am still happy about my choice." Even as a child, he preferred helping his mother in the kitchen, which sometimes made it difficult for her to do her work in peace.

"The joy of cooking is deeply rooted in me," says Mühlebach, who was already experimenting with culinary delights at the age of eight – for example, refining salad sauces with Tabasco. However, finding his own style was a long process. Flavor is paramount to him. "The main thing for me is that my cooking offers something in terms of flavor. But a dish should be as delicious as it is beautiful," he says. He mainly focuses on one rule: "If something tastes so good that you could eat a whole bowl of it, you should not change anything."

Dullinger’s harmonious wines

Guests at the "AMEO" restaurant not only appreciate the chef’s tasty menus, but also the harmonious wine pairing created by sommelier Maximilian Dullinger. Mühlebach’s focus is on working together, because it’s not just his cuisine that makes a difference at "AMEO": "For me, the bond with Maximilian and his wines is important. Ultimately, it’s all about regularly trying something new and constantly improving ourselves," he explains.

Origin as inspiration

The fine dining at "AMEO" and Julien’s culinary skills are strongly influenced by his origin: "The roots of my kitchen are like my own: My father is Swiss, my mother is French. I still make Pommes Anna the way my mother showed me." At his Zurich restaurant, the young talent mainly works with locally sourced and Swiss products – but without being dogmatic. He conjures up harmonious taste sensations such as a lemon and saffron risotto, combined with grilled broccoli, gnocconi stuffed with Gruyère and Ticino chorizo on fresh and dried beans.

Arrived in Zurich

Julien Mühlebach and Maximilian Dullinger have made their dream come true with the "AMEO" restaurant in Zurich. How did the name of the restaurant come about? It originated during the concept phase as the name of a person "who we attributed certain qualities to in order to picture the restaurant," according to Dullinger. They have now arrived in Zurich to make their restaurant clientele happy, which is their top priority when it comes to their shared goals – "and the restaurant can be made a bit cozier," says Mühlebach.