Another fabulous night at Luigia's

Well I have to say, I've been to Luigia a number of times since it opened, and thus far it has never disappointed me. Though I must confess I have yet to order anything other than the pizza. I apologize to the disgruntled reader who left a comment after my initial Luigia blog post, but this pizzeria continues to be my favorite in Geneva so far. However, I do agree with the reader in question that Geneva's restaurants tend to start out with a bang but are often unable to maintain their efforts and momentum in the long term.

Having said that, I certainly hope Luigia's fate will be different... who knows, it might be one of the very few establishments that starts out really well, and somehow becomes even better over time. Here's to hoping!

Pictured below: a pepperoni pizza followed by a chocolate and almond confection for dessert.

Shibata

Shibata is a Japanese restaurant located in Petit-Saconnex. With only a few tables inside and a small terrace outside in the summer, it would be easy to miss the restaurant while driving by. However, what this establishment lacks in size, it more than makes up for in quality. Indeed, I wholeheartedly believe the best chicken teriyaki in the city is served at Shibata. However, if you're hoping for sushi, this is definitely not the place to go -- it is simply not on their menu.

The restaurant is slightly on the expensive side, but the exquisite dishes and the fresh ingredients make it worth the extra cost in my humble opinion.

Pictured below: dumplings, seared tuna and chicken teriyaki with sides of mixed vegetables and rice, a cheesecake which is somehow as delicious as it is light and finally scoops of red bean and sesame ice cream.

Quick Eats in Geneva

Parfums de Beyrouth

Many shawerma aficionados in Geneva consider Parfums de Beyrouth, located in Paquis, the destination of choice for a shaved lamb or chicken sandwich. A selection of toppings include lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickled radishes, garlic sauce and tahini (a sesame paste).

Pictured below: a chicken shawerma from Parfums de Beyrouth.

Wasabi

A couple of Japanese fast food joints have recently opened their doors in Geneva. One of these is Wasabi, located by Rive. Boxes of sushi, seaweed salad, potato salad, noodles, rice, chicken teriyaki, dumplings and many other items are available at this self-serivce style restaurant.

Wasabi is certainly a suitable chocie for a quick meal, but don't kid yourself, it's definitely fast food.

Pictured below: grilled dumplings, a potato salad, shrimp fried noodles and tempura uramaki.

Al-Dar

When it comes to Lebanese food, my favorite restaurant in Geneva would definitely have to be Arabesque, the President-Wilson hotel restaurant. Expensive, but oh so good!

Al-Dar, a slightly less expensive alternative comes in as a close second. Located in the busy neighborhood of Eaux-Vives, Al-Dar's menu boasts numerous starters, it certainly provides enough choices for a full mezze meal and their hummus is easily the best I've had in Geneva.

Pictured below: kebbeh, vine leaves, cheese pastries, mutabal and their scrumptious, creamy hummus.

Zhong Tong

I went to Zhong Tong because it got rave reviews for its dim sum and it seems to be open through the day even during the weekend, and in this city, that is definitely worthy of a mention. Not sure the dim sum fully lived up to the hype but it was a decent meal all in all.

Pictured below: assorted dim sum and a plate of mixed vegetables.

Jardin d'Asie

The Geneva Foodie goes global! And by the Geneva Foodie goes global, I mean the Geneva Foodie goes to Lausanne! I recently had the opportunity to visit our Vaudois neighbors and get acquainted with one of their Chinese restaurants.

Jardin d'Asie is a centrally located restaurant, within walking distance of the train station and many shopping centers in Lausanne. The food was interesting though not entirely what I expected. However I should point out that, here in Geneva, when I do go out for Chinese it tends to be to the same couple of restaurants, and food preparation does tend to vary greatly from one place to the next.

The fried rice came in large quantities, much larger than we are accustomed to here in Geneva. It was good, though I tend to prefer fried rice without corn. Both the dumplings and the honey chicken were deep-fried which I hadn't expected. Much like the rice, the honey chicken came in abundant quantities.

Pictured below: deep-fried shrimp dumplings, shrimp fried rice and honey chicken.

Four Seasons vs. La Réserve

If you're looking at a hotel menu, more often than not, you'll see burgers and club sandwiches somewhere on that list. We've covered burgers at length and now may be a good time to take a closer look at its two-layered cousin, the club sandwich.

So how do club sandwiches compare and contrast at some of Geneva's finest hotels? Visits to La Réserve and the Four Seasons provided the perfect opportunity to answer that very question.

In many ways, the sandwiches -- as one might expect -- are very similar. However, overall, my preference goes to the Four Seasons' club sandwich. The ingredients seem ever-so-slightly fresher and the chicken was a little warmer giving the sandwich a little more texture. Furthermore, they did seem to use more herbs and small amounts of leafy greens which made the overall experience more flavorful. Also the Four Seasons' club sandwich comes with a small side of mixed green salad which definitely tips the balance in their favor in my book.

Having said that, I think the club sandwich aficionado would enjoy both sandwiches.

Pictured below: a club sandwich at the Four Seasons followed by a club sandwich at La Réserve.

Luigia - Keep it Up

Before going out for a meal in Geneva, I usually make my peace with the fact that the experience will be lacking in some way, the food might be great, but the service sub-par, or the food and service may both be excellent but the atmosphere drab... wherever you go, it seems something will necessarily fall short of your expectations and make the overall experience a little less than memorable.

However, the occasional restaurant will get everything just right, and the client will be in for a treat: great food, great atmosphere and great service. I recently came across such a restaurant. Luigia, an Italian restaurant located by Rive, is one of Geneva's newer establishments -- in fact it's still in its soft opening stage -- but its pizza is as good as the staff is friendly and helpful, not to mention the restaurant's simple yet modern interior design and lively atmosphere which make for a unique and memorable experience! Oh, if only Geneva had more places like this one.

Luigia's pizza is different than any other I've tasted in Geneva, the crust is charred and blistered to perfection and the mozzarella and tomato sauce complement each other beautifully. If you're craving something sweet -- and rich -- after dinner, I recommend the Nutella pizza, only if you're planning to share it with several other people though, it is highly unlikely one person could finish it in one sitting.

Naturally, it is difficult to judge a restaurant before it's been around for a while, but if Luigia keeps up its current standards, not only will it get an A+ as far as I'm concerned, but it will raise the bar for other restaurants in Geneva, many of whom currently seem to feel they can get away with lackluster efforts because they have no real competition to keep them on their toes.

Keep it up, Luigia!

Pictured below: a margherita pizza followed by a nutella pizza

Boccalino

Carouge is home to many of Geneva's restaurants, the trendy spot is popular among all generations and walks of life, it seems to offer a little something for everyone, well, especially people who enjoy French or Italian cuisine! A recent visit to Boccalino was the perfect opportunity to try some more of the neighborhood's Italian chow. Their focaccia and spaghetti with pesto was quite tasty though it is best to go to Boccalino when one is not in too much of a hurry for the wait can be a tad long at lunch.

Road Runner's

Many a Genevan believes Road Runner's makes the best burgers in the city. This seems to be especially true in the expat community. I feel it depends what you're comparing it with, given my strong distaste for fast food chains, I think the Chêne-Bourg located burger joint certainly provides an excellent alternative to those. However, if you're comparing it with some other restaurants, my preference may not necessarily go to Road Runner's. However, to their credit, they do seem to understand that a cheeseburger calls for a type of cheese other than gruyère.