Stuffed in the city

There’s a lot to be said for living in the country: a detached house, a view of Mont Blanc, a garden with enough space for ping pong and parties, off-street parking for two cars – two cars that are in their element on the nearby twisty roads. Life isn't bad.

But once in a while Monsieur Gourmand and I miss the meals out we used to have before moving out of town.

One of our local restaurants in those days, L’Esquisse, recently beckoned us back with the promise of good food, unfussily served on its summertime pavement terrace.

Perusing the menu with a glass of rosé, I quickly made up my mind while Monsieur Gourmand asked about the specials. Of course, “specials” aren’t so much special as what the restaurant needs to sell so, while the waitress made the veal shepherd’s pie-style main sound marvellous, it turned out to be way too hearty for the summer heat.

Unsurprisingly, Monsieur Gourmand was stuffed, despite his comparatively light carpaccio starter.

I started with coeur de boeuf tomatoes (for those not in the know, these are the biggest, tastiest tomatoes you can find away from the Med) with pesto and burrata (the creamiest, most fiendish form of mozzarella known to man) before devouring two fillets of fresh, fleshy bream.

After a cooling raspberry sorbet and an irresistible home-made meringue with whipped cream and berries, we made our way through Eaux-Vives, along to the lake and back to the car.

Maybe it’s time to revisit some other old haunts? 

L’Esquisse, rue du Lac 7, 1207 Genève

+41 (0)22 786 5044; www.lesquisse.com

 

 

Far East of Eden

Much as I like going to Chamonix, driving there is a bit nervy. It was on this very journey that Monsieur Gourmand and I slammed into a crash barrier before sliding into a stationary car (helpfully stopped in the middle of a snowy road, just around a bend) one December day in 2008. After an hour on edge recalling this scary scenario, it's quite a relief to see the Hotel Eden emerge from the darkness, a shimmering beacon of warmth, bedecked by fairy lights.

While the rooms are functional and pleasantly presented, it is the food for which Hotel Eden is better known. After perusing the menu in front of the fire in the bar with a glass or two of champagne, the conservatory dining room awaits where the walls display the resident photographer's latest Alpine-themed exhibition.

The menu is essentially French - think steak, lamb and sea bass fillets - but many dishes are spiced up with an Asian twist that captures the famed umami essence of oriental cooking. The St Jacques I had on my last visit were livened up by a tasty Teriyaki sauce that complemented the succulent scallops, while Monsieur Gourmand had goat's cheese samosa, the heaviness of the cheese eased by sweet beetroot and a zingy apple salad.

Since my last Eden experience I have resolved to order future steaks seignant rather than bleu as it was a little too rare for my liking on this occasion, but the quality of the meat couldn't be faulted. It's always best to stick to what a place does best and, judging by the number of eastern options, my note-to-self for next time is to go for something with soy, spices or sesame.

A couple of bottles of wine later, the bar beckons where skiers from Finland, Ukraine, and of course the UK, congregate for cognacs and limoncellos late into the night.

Hotel Eden Chamonix, 35 route des Gaudenays,
74400 Les Praz de Chamonix, France
+33 (0)450 531843; http://www.hoteleden-chamonix.com

Trusty bistrot

It's the second time I've been to L'Esquisse and it's the second time I can't think of anything to write about it. Not because it was bad, quite the opposite in fact. It's very good. Not rapture-rousingly, astoundingly good, but a reliable neighbourhood bistrot serving tasty French cuisine against a backdrop of funky artwork.

Again we were seated in the lower half of the restaurant by the drafty door (note to self: request a table at the other end next time) before a fast-talking Frenchman guided us through the blackboard of wines. Of course he subtly suggested some of the pricier vintages, but we found the restaurant's own label house red was more than a match for our main course. 

This second visit failed to trump the first when I had a juicy veal burger (they also do beef, chicken and tuna), but it did involve another hunk of tender meat: a chunky côte de boeuf served on a wooden slab with a sharp knife protruding from within. Rare and tasty, there was little need for the sauce on the side, while chips might have been preferable to the unmemorable potatoes. I can't quite remember if they were dauphinoise. If so, I've had better.

In anticipation of the substantial main course, I had chosen a dainty salade verte to start, which was excellent: firm and fresh with an addictively aromatic walnut dressing. Monsieur Gourmand wasn't so complimentary about his (inexplicably orange) courgette soup which was, unsurprisingly, rather bland.

As we walked home, satisfied yet unexcited by our dinner, I resolved to shake things up a bit next time. Maybe I'll try some fish. 

7 rue du Lac, 1207 Geneva
+41 (0)22 786 5044; lesquisse.com

Sweet excess

A lunchtime favourite of besuited bankers, by night Le Grand Quai is a surprisingly subdued affair. Of the 20 or so tables, only about five were occupied when we visited on a weekday evening, either by cosy couples dining out for a special occasion or by the Métropole’s guests.

Quiet it may be, but this makes for better service and a hushed environment for savouring the superior food.

Never one to resist the lure of a duck’s liver, Monsieur Gourmand had foie gras to start with Liguria olives and peanuts, while my rare-cooked fillet and leg of young Racan pigeon was delicate and tender indeed, perked up by the stronger flavours of horseradish, wasabi peas and trendy beetroot. I could have easily chosen the monkfish with mango and pecan but, in anticipation of a seafood main course, decided to avoid an all-out fish fest.

Unfamiliar with wild Pandora – I now know it to be a type of sea bream – it was the fiendish accompaniments of cuttlefish ink, mussels, seaweed crust and baby squid that seduced me, hearty flavours that were more than a match for our Pinot noir. Meanwhile, Monsieur Gourmand seemed to enjoy his Burgundy guinea fowl, which beat off stiff competition from other free-range fare including milk-fed Pyrenees lamb and home-grown veal from Swiss mountain pastures.

For some reason – it certainly wasn’t hunger – we then ordered two outrageously excessive desserts before sampling the petits fours, which arrived without us even having ordered coffee (take note, Hotel Olden).

As I stood up to leave I rather regretted wearing such an eye-catching belt, but was grateful that there was only a handful of customers to witness my newly non-existent waist.

Le Grand Quai, Swissôtel Métropole, Quai Général-Guisan 34, 1204 Genève
+41 (0)22 318 3463; www.grandquai.ch

Delicious drama

At Little Bay, an unassuming south London restaurant, first-time diners are always astounded when the resident opera singer bursts into song. The décor is similarly dramatic – dark reds and golds evoke London’s traditional theatres – while ladders lead to the most sought-after tables for dress circle devotees.


This was the image I had in mind while walking to L’Opéra Bouffe, an Eaux-Vives eatery named after the burlesque style of entertainment pioneered by Jacques Offenbach in 19th century Paris. The reality was quite different, however: not an opera singer in sight and the food was fabulous.


Our round table reflected the shape of the enormous mirror, which allows wall-facing diners to soak up the surroundings without craning their necks. The dim light of table lamps brings burlesque to mind, while cherubic carvings and a miniature proscenium perched on the bar reinforce the theatrical theme.


For the ‘preludio’, we ordered two plates of flavoursome foie gras with crispy pieces of toast to share. More adventurous eaters might like to sample a slice of black pudding, sweetly balanced by red onion compote and caramelised apples, or perhaps half a dozen oysters.


Slightly baffled by the florid French menu, I ordered something containing polenta, aubergines and duck as my ‘intermezzo’. Monsieur Gourmand went for blanquette de veau comme autrefois - crudely translated as ‘blanket of veal from another time’ - a description that was too intriguing to turn down...

The time-travelling calf creation turned out to be a delicious veal stew, perked up by hearty winter vegetables and lashings of cream. But it was easily trumped by my tagine of piping hot polenta and shredded duck, topped with aubergines and melted cheese. I felt full about half way through but couldn’t bring myself to stop as I savoured each mouthful of my moist, moreish meal.


Alas, this left little room for a final act fanfare of tarte tatin, dark chocolate sorbet or Scottish ice cream with whisky, cream and marinated raisins – sweet sensations that demand a return visit to this vaudevillian neighbourhood haunt.


L’Opéra Bouffe, 5 avenue de Frontenex, 1207 Genève
+41 (0)22 736 6300 www.operabouffe.ch

Tainted tartare

In the days before such continental condiments as vinaigrette and balsamic vinegar graced British plates, lettuce leaves were liberally doused with Heinz salad cream. But it seems we weren’t the only ones with a taste for processed, sickly sauces; the European equivalent is salsa rosa, a vinegary mélange of mayonnaise and ketchup.


One day when lunching in Geneva’s Vieille Ville I ordered a tasty sounding salad of avocado and crevettes, expecting to see four or five juicy-looking crustaceans poking out of the greenery, perhaps perked up by a light lemony dressing. The reality was a bowl of dull iceberg lettuce and a couple of avocado chunks topped off with a dollop of flourescent pink sauce containing a dozen poky prawns.


Maybe this is to be expected in a tourist trap Old Town eatery but I would have expected more from the steak tartare at Les 5 Portes, a well-regarded restaurant in Pâquis. Yes, a good tartare should certainly be tangy from seasoning and perhaps a touch of mustard, but when something tastes so unnaturally sweet and sour from lashings of salsa rosa you start to wonder what the chef is trying to hide.


Thankfully, the steak was redeemed by a side dish of ever-so-slightly undercooked roasted new potatoes, which happens to be just how I like them.


Monsieur Gourmand tried the pumpkin soup to start, which didn’t taste much like pumpkin but was tasty nonetheless, before tucking into a slow-cooked lamb shank. This proved to be a real autumnal treat, the tender meat coming easily away from the bone onto a fluffy bed of polenta surrounded by firm and flavoursome root vegetables.

Huge gold-framed mirrors and a vintage tricycle above the entrance set Les 5 Portes apart from its identikit minimalist rivals while rusty red, burnt orange and sand coloured walls create a warm atmosphere to offset the palatial dimensions. This eclectic style, combined with a crowd-pleasing menu and an alluring list of cocktails, attracts a sophisticated yet unpretentious clientele of cosy couples, gossiping groups of girls and boho arty types.


The staff were friendly, if a little annoying – I had to confirm three times that no, we really hadn’t reserved before the horrified waiter conceded that he did indeed have a free table (quelle surprise) – and the cramped layout isn’t ideal for eating. But these are small imperfections; salsa rosa aside, Les 5 Portes is a lively and sophisticated spot for eating, drinking and socialising in style.


8 Rue de Zurich, 1201 Genève; 022 731 8438
www.lescandale.ch