Brasserie Lipp

Our dinner at Brasserie Lipp started on an irritating note when Monsieur Gourmand and I were met with the usual shock and disbelief at not having made a reservation.

Of course, as if by magic, a table was soon conjured up and they managed to squeeze us in. ‘Squeeze’ being the operative word as we were cast out into the middle of the brightly lit brasserie on a table barely big enough for one enthusiastic eater, let alone two.



The comprehensive menu seemed to be full of things I had never heard of and I had a feeling that the apron-wearing waiters would think me a food philistine if I dared enquire about the provenance of a paillard or the content of a quenelle. Consequently, I chose to play it safe with moules frites while Monsieur Gourmand went for a stab in the dark and ordered a choucroute.



As the growing pile of paraphernalia arrived at our tiny table – a mini gas stove, candle-heated hotplates, ladles – we began to wonder what we had let ourselves in for. It turns out that the stove was to warm my moules which, although a bit puny, were served in a tasty creamy sauce and accompanied by first class frites.



The choucroute looked a little heavy and hearty for my tastes but Monsieur Gourmand was delighted with it. Peppercorns embedded among the strands of sauerkraut added a spicy edge to the vinegary vegetables while heightening the fine flavours of a humble yet heavenly frankfurter and another deliciously seasoned sausage packed with pistachios.


It was a shame that Monsieur Gourmand was too stuffed to contemplate a dessert because this is where Brasserie Lipp truly triumphs. I was sorely tempted by the mille-feuille aux marrons and the artisan ice creams but my Sergent Lipp – blood orange sorbet in a glass of campari – proved to be the perfect combination of dessert and digestif. A refreshing finale to a meal only marred by the discomfort of a too-small table.

Brasserie Lipp, Confédération Centre www.brasserielipp.ch