Auberge du Dully

I had been meaning to write a review about Auberge de Dully for a while now. And by the way, I apologize for the poor quality photos -- bad lighting and whatnot. Anyway, the establishment is located outside Geneva in the nearby Vaud area and I had been hearing about it for years before I became something of a regular myself sometime last winter.

The restaurant offers the kind of chalet style charm that tends to be so typical of Switzerland. In that sense, it's more of a wintery place, but I could completely see myself going in the summer too. Since it is located in Vaud right after Nyon, if you're in Geneva, it's something of a drive, but to me that's definitely part of the fun.

The restaurant's signature dish is rotisserie chicken -- and to a lesser extent, thin slices of lamb roast -- but my favorite parts of the meal tend to be the starter salad (I just love the dressing), the sides of rösti and french fries which come in several servings, and the delectable cream tart which we'll get to in a minute.

The rotisserie chicken, as is all too often the case, is something of a disappointment. Depending on where you're sitting in the restaurant, you sometimes actually get to see chicken roasting on a spit. This might mislead you into thinking you're about to eat tender, juicy, freshly-cooked chicken right off the spit, but more often than not, you'd be wrong, somehow, it always ends up feeling a little dry to me, and if you know how to make a decently tender roast chicken at home, chances are Dully's will pale in comparison.

To be fair, I've had friends tell me they were treated to incredibly tender rotisserie at Dully's, but I personally haven't had that experience. As for the lamb, there is not a whole lot to say about it, it's just plain blah.

Now let's get to dessert, the cream tart is probably one of my all-time favorite restaurant desserts. It's so simple yet such a treat for the taste buds. I think I love everything about it, its thin crispy texture, its delicious, sweet taste, and even the fact that you have to order it right at the start of your meal!

So as much as I definitely enjoy going to Auberge de Dully, I would say their signatures dishes are not the main draw as far as I'm concerned.

Pictured below: a basket of bread followed by a huge salad, rotisserie chicken, roast lamb, french fries and one of my favourite desserts ever: Auberge de Dully's cream tart.

Hafez

There are actually a few Persian restaurants in Geneva. Most of them aren't bad. But because I have a couple of Persian friends who know their way around a kitchen, I'm usually unwilling to settle for anything less. However Hafez, located in the Rive area, does tend to stand out. It is one of the older Persian restaurants in Geneva, and the quality of their food is clearly head and shoulders above that of their competition.

Pictured below: Persian flatbread followed by fava bean rice and fall off the bone tender lamb shanks (I believe the dish is called Baghali Polo) and a saffron pistachio ice cream.

La Broche

La Broche is a French restaurant located in Plainpalais. When the restaurant first opened, a number of years ago, a meal there essentially consisted of either lamb or chicken, but over the years, the menu has grown to include beef, various salads and vegetarian dishes in addition to its original choices. Overall the food is very good (the lamb with a side of pommes charlottes is definitely worth trying) and the atmosphere is quite pleasant.

Pictured below: an excellent pine nut and parmesan salad followed by grilled lamb and mashed potatoes.

Café Papon on a Warm Summer Night

One of the great joys of living in Geneva is enjoying one of its many terraces in the summer. As far as I'm concerned, the experience is all the more enjoyable if the terrace in question happens to be in the Old Town. That is probably why on a recent summer night, we decided to have dinner at Café Papon, a French restaurant located right at the top of Old Town, opposite the city's longest bench.

Café Papon's tasty French cuisine, its beautiful terrace and its ideal location make it a great choice for a summer meal but it is probably best to reserve before going.

Pictured below: a puff pastry starter topped with fresh tomatoes, zucchini, goat cheese and mixed greens, a cold tomato soup and lamb chops with sides of vegetables and mashed potatoes