Les Dix Vins

I had been hearing about Les Dix Vins for a number of years. And even though I'm often in the Carouge area, I never actually got around to going there, not until sometime last month that is. The reviews I had heard were overwhelmingly positive and the meal I had certainly lived up to any expectations I might have had.

We kicked things off with this octopus starter. It was delicious, I would definitely want to go back to Les Dix Vins just for this.



I then moved on to my main course. a slow roasted beef dish that comes in a rich, hearty wine sauce with carrots and a couple of other vegetables. Again it was excellent. But the star here was definitely the amazing house mashed potatoes -- comfort food taken to unprecedented levels of perfection! And just for that, I'm definitely going to try to make another trip to Les Dix Vins



My friend had boeuf tartare which she said was one of the best she'd ever had. I don't usually have boeuf tartare so I can't really give a first-hand account. But I do trust her tastes.



Then came the dessert, a mille-feuilles the chef makes from scratch. Again another winner at Les Dix Vins! See when it come to dessert, I have two basic criteria, first how it tastes -- that's fairly standard I would think -- and second, nothing adds more to the experience of a great tasting dessert than a mixture of textures, and this mille-feuilles definitely delivered on both counts. It was simply delicious, maybe even the best mille-feuilles I've ever had, and the creaminess combined with the crunch just made for an amazing experience. I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mille-feuilles!

Magnolia Bakery

Magnolia Bakery and its cupcakes are famous the world over in part because in an episode of Sex and the City, Carrie and Miranda sit outside one of the bakery's locations while Carrie enjoys a pink vanilla cupcake and informs her bestie she has a crush on Aidan.

However, Magnolia certainly deserves its fame independently of any pop cultural references. Their cupcakes are amazing! While I was in New York, I actually read a few reviews suggesting that while Magnolia's cupcakes were quite good, you could get better elsewhere, I have to say that was not my experience. I tried a couple of the suggestions, and nothing came even close to Magnolia's vanilla or chocolate cupcake.





I should also mention, cupcakes are not all Magnolia is famous for, the bakery also makes a delicious banana pudding which I highly recommend you try at least once if you're on the other side of the pond.

A friend of mine kept telling me to try the banana pudding, and I'd keep telling her I didn't care for banana as a flavor, I was perfectly happy to eat the fruit on its own, but I didn't especially enjoy it in desserts, shakes or what have you. She insisted, I finally relented, and let me tell you, I was not disappointed!

First of all, the main flavor that comes through is vanilla, so while the banana provides texture and a delicate, fruity addition to the treat, it certainly isn't overpowering the way I initially feared it would be.



 The banana pudding comes in several sizes, it is simply delicious, and again, I strongly recommend you try it if you happen to be paying Magnolia a visit.



Just waiting in line at Magnolia, looking at the beautiful displays of cupcakes and regular-sized cakes is such a treat! I really miss walking into one of their shops and getting a delicious cupcake. Both the cake and the icing are as moist as they are fresh no matter what time you get them. If only we had anything even remotely close to that here in Geneva. Oh well!

The GVA Foodie Goes to New York!

Well my dear friends, all work and no play makes the GVA Foodie a dull girl, so I decided to take some time off and enjoy a few days in one of the world's most iconic destinations: New York City. Now it's fun to be in New York for numerous reasons and you know food is definitely one of them! So if you stick around, I'll be posting individual reviews of the different places I visited and the different eats I definitely enjoyed!

I hadn't been to New York in a while, so you know, a couple of stops by Dunkin' were inevitable. Not something you should be eating every day, but if your last visit was several years ago, maybe having a few doughnuts here and there isn't all that bad...?



This isn't going to make me sound very young, but there was a time in the '80s/'90s when you could pretty much walk into any pizza by the slice joint in NYC and enjoy something vaguely resembling an authentic New York style pizza. Those days seem long gone, and now a little research may be required to locate the places that still make these gems.



A trip to New York City without stopping by its very own Katz Deli for a pastrami on rye? No way!



Levain's Bakery on the Upper West Side makes the most sinfully delicious cookies. I can't wait to post my review!



Rice gelato at Macy's Stella restaurant... wait, rice gelato? I am sooooooo in! Hope this delectable treat makes its way here someday soon.



Magnolia Bakery is known for its wonderful cupcakes, not to mention its famous banana pudding. Guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth!



New York is also home to many burger joints with sides of onion rings on many a menu.



Manhattan will also serve up some of the most exquisite Italian food in the world. Fresh ingredients, Mediterranean flavors and a great atmosphere to boot... how can you go wrong?



But maybe Chinese food is what you were craving? I loved these scallion pancakes and wish they'd make that kind of thing here more often.



More deli sandwiches in NYC -- corned beef on a roll that particular night.



Shake Shack has many locations around the city, and they know their way around a burger, fries or even a hot dog if that's what you fancy!





So please stay tuned, I will be posting a number of reviews in the next couple of weeks, and I hope you'll enjoy them.

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.

Patara Fine Thai Cuisine

I had been wanting to have a meal at Patara's for a long time. Le Patara is located in Geneva's Beau-Rivage hotel by the lake and it is probably the most upscale Thai restaurant in the city. I had been hearing mixed reviews for years. For the most part, I find Thai restaurants in this city to be a complete disappointment, all the more reason to see if Patara was any different and decide for myself if it was worth paying upwards of CHF 100 per person. A friend's recent birthday celebration was the perfect opportunity to spend an evening at the ritzy establishment.

Turns out the food is actually very good, it is certainly a notch above all the other Thai restaurants I've been to in the area. The service, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired. We had to wait a little too long for our starters and main courses and communicating with some of the restaurants's wait staff proved rather challenging. At one point we asked one of the waiters for an extra couple of minutes, but our request was either repeatedly misunderstood or ignored. Either way, I wasn't overly impressed with that aspect of my dining experience.

I should also add that while I thoroughly enjoyed my meal that evening, Patara seems to serve more of a fusion cuisine than the kind of authentic Thai food people often crave when they go to such restaurants.

So would I go back? Yes, but I'd expect better service - otherwise, I doubt there would be a third visit.

Pictured below: shrimp tacos, Tom kha kai (a Thai chicken and coconut soup),  Pad Thai and Khao Niaow Ma Muang - a delicious mango and sticky rice dessert.

Hôtel d'Angleterre - Afternoon Tea 2014

In early 2010, I posted about Hôtel d'Angleterre's afternoon tea. I remember at the time, I quite enjoyed it but somehow I didn't really feel the need to go back until very recently. Largely because a friend of mine told me they had greatly improved the experience over time. I figured I would have to go back and check for myself! And, let me tell you, I was not disappointed! The scones and finger sandwiches are hands down my favorite items on the cake stand. The cakes and pastries are very good too, but as far as I'm concerned, they're definitely not the main event.

Overall, afternoon tea at Hôtel d'Angleterre is a highly pleasurable experience!

Pictured below: scones, various finger sandwiches including an egg salad sandwich and a chicken salad sandwich and finally an assortment of pastries.

Le Mont-Salève

Most of the time when I'm meeting someone for lunch and dinner, I figure, let's play it safe and go to one of the places that will reliably serve up something delicious. But then, every now and then I think, let's be a little adventurous and try something new, something different. And that's exactly what I was thinking on a recent Friday night, when we decided to go to Mont-Salève. I had heard a little about it, and by all accounts, the food there was definitely worth the trip.

Located at the foot of the Salève in the Veyrier area, the restaurant isn't exactly in my neck of the woods, but when you're in the mood for something different, why not go with a change of scenery too? I was told the restaurant specialized in entrecôte and had great sides of risotto and french fries which all sounded great on a freezing December evening.

We got there and ordered our entrecôtes - medium rare for me, and rare for my friend. The meat was more or less what you'd expect, the sauce was a little bland to my liking, but the sides of risotto, fries and the absolutely delicious cardoon gratin definitely made the trip worthwhile. I was somewhat less impressed with the carrot puree but with three other delectable sides, I was still delighted with the experienced.

Then came the dessert, a meringue topped with sweetened chestnut cream and a dollop of fresh whipped cream and I was on cloud nine! Easily one of the best meringues I had ever had, it certainly seemed fresh and it was probably made on the premises.

Overall, I would definitely go back, though more for the side dishes and the dessert than for the main attraction.

Pictured below: a garden salad starter, followed by a special sauce for the meat, a medium rare entrecôte with sides of risotto, french fries, cardoon gratin and carrot puree and finally a meringue topped with sweetened chestnut cream.

Le Sud

Le Sud is a restaurant operated by Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Geneva. It boasts an extensive menu, and its desserts are certainly worth the trip.

Pictured below: a crème brulée at Le Sud.

Chez Arsène

Chez Arsène is a new bistro located between Rive and the Eaux-Vives area. It specializes in French cuisine, boasts an art nouveau décor, and a recent visit there left me pleasantly surprised. The food is tasty and the service friendly.

Pictured below: a mixed green salad with an excellent balsamic vinaigrette, lamb stuffed with vegetables (the daily special), filet mignon, a side of fries and raspberry and white chocolate pie.