Cheesy feast

Cruising along Miami's Biscayne Boulevard with the top down, 80s power ballads screeching from the stereo, Monsieur Gourmand and I passed the Melting Pot, part of a US chain of fondue restaurants. Needless to say, we didn't stop (the weather was a bit on the warm side for bubbling hot cheese, and fiendish food is rather less appealing when you have to wear a bikini the next day. Oh, and we live in Switzerland where fondue restaurants are two a penny.)

A long-established fondue favourite of ours is Café Bon Vin. Dating back to 1900, the original owners have long since died and been replaced by Portuguese proprietors, but you wouldn't know it; the Swiss spirit is very much alive in the vintage alpine posters on the walls, a black lollipop sign from the dreaded Mur Suisse mogul field, creaky wood banquettes and a strong stench of cheese.

I'm sure they have other things on the menu but Monsieur Gourmand and I never look beyond the viandes sechées, served on a wooden platter with pickled onions and cornichons (one of the first French words I learned thanks to the unfortunately named Mr and Mrs Gherkin in my primary school text book) followed by fondue moitié-moitié.

A little pepper is all that’s needed to perk up the pot of lava-like deliciousness before immersing the bite-sized chunks of crusty bread. The first feelings of fullness come about two thirds of the way through, but there is no stopping the addictive cheese frenzy – come to think of it, I'm sure I’ve never seen an unfinished fondue.

Not normally one for desserts, Monsieur Gourmand has a particular liking for Café Bon Vin’s raspberries, of course accompanied by a pot of Gruyère cream (as if we hadn’t already overdosed on dairy). With our Miami jaunt a distant memory and no holidays on the horizon, at least my bikini body can stay under wraps for a few months yet.

Café Bon-Vin, 17 rue Versonnex, 1207 Geneva

+41 (0)22 736 8790