Sansui

When it comes to Japanese cuisine, I usually go for chicken teriyaki, my favorite Japanese dish. However, I do occasionally get the sushi craving. When it comes to sushi in Geneva, there are many establishments to pick from, whether you're looking for refined, gourmet sushi or a fast food solution, you're bound to find something to your liking.

Sansui would probably fall into the former category, and it never disappoints! You can either eat directly in their small but cosy Servette restaurant, or you can order your sushi to go

Pictured below: a selection of Tamago, Tempura-Maki, California roll and Salmon Skin roll...

Incontro

Many Genevans are familiar with this restaurant's legendary penne alla siciliana:

Little India

Indian restaurants in Geneva definitely seem to be on the rise and many of them are worth trying. I recently paid a visit to Little India, located in the lively neighborhood of Paquis. I quite enjoyed it, the food was good and the staff quite friendly, especially the maitre d'.

The cheese nan (a South Asian flatbread) and the chana masala (a vegetarian chickpea dish) were particularly good.

Pictured below: a cheese nan, an eggplant starter, chana masala, a slightly spicy lamb dish and of course basmati rice.

Chez Nina

Another great night at Chez Nina's...

Pictured below, scrumptious four cheese gnocchi and an equally delicious lasagna:

Baguette d'Or

I hadn't been to Baguette d'Or in a number of years but I remembered it as one of the nicer Chinese restaurants in Geneva. Located in the busy area of Plainpalais, it is a reasonably priced establishment and the staff is extremely friendly.

Pictured below, batter-fried crab, mini spring rolls, shrimp dumplings, fried rice, crispy lemon chicken, garlic sauteed shrimp and vegetable chop suey.















The dishes were all very good but I especially enjoyed the garlic shrimp, it is a rather simple dish but it so full of flavor. Baguette d'Or is definitely a place to go back to!

Point du Jour

Like I've said before, Point du Jour is one of my favorite restaurants in Geneva. Definitely in my top three, and probably the restaurant I've visited the most over the years. They are probably best known for the delectable fresh pastas but they also make several other equally delicious dishes.

Pictured below, a fresh green salad, piccata with vegetables (even a simple side of sauteed vegetables is a delight for the palate at Point du Jour's) and mushroom risotto.

Café Latitude

While we're on the subject of burgers, Café Latitude makes a rather nice one. Located in the Mövenpick hotel by the airport, Café Latitude is an appropriate venue for business and informal lunches alike. Their breakfast buffet is also very good and reasonably priced.

Pictured below: a cheeseburger accompanied by a small cole slaw salad and the standard side of fries. The fries, though not home-made, were quite nice. However I still very much feel some innovation is in order in that regard.

Podcasts

There are many popular food blogs and columns on the Internet, many culinary celebrities regularly update their websites with recipes, tips and other goodies for the aspiring (or already established) chef. Blogs and community sites are a great way to connect with other foodies but nothing quite beats a multimedia experience, and the many food-related podcasts and videocasts out there certainly attest to that!

Below is a list of some of my favorite podcasts in no particular order:

startcooking.com (video) -- Kathy Meister introduces you to the basics of cooking, instructive and entertaining!

Simply Ming (video) -- Ming Tsai shares his east meets west recipes and tips on this public television program.

Crash Test Kitchen (video) -- Two foodies test various recipes in their kitchen, very entertaining.

Le Casse Croute (video) -- In French. Fun chef, but the show no longer seems to be in production.

NPR Food (audio) -- This is the only audio podcast I will include, food is, after all, a very visual experience, but this is a very good podcast nonetheless.

Well there is my list -- please feel free to add to it...

Demi-Lune

I'm not much for red meat but I am partial to the occasional cheeseburger (or steak). However, I don't really care for fast food chains and I actually think the best burgers are home-made. Having said that, there are a few places in Geneva that serve up a decent burger and are worth checking out.

One such place is old town café Demi-Lune. Their burgers come in several varieties and are accompanied by a traditional side of fries. However, I for one feel it is high time to find an alternative to fries as an accompaniment, I no longer really enjoy them and they're hardly ever home-made. Also, if you like your meat well-done, you should mention that when ordering otherwise it might be a little rare.

Best of all, however, was their strawberry crisp, a crispy almond crust covered in custard and topped with fresh strawberries and confectioner's sugar -- definitely a winner!

Pictured below: a cheeseburger with a side of fries followed by strawberry crisp.

Forno a Legna

Pizzerias abound in Geneva and when it comes to recipe and technique, the gamut runs from coal-oven thin crust pizza to electric oven thick crust pizza... my preference, of course, goes to the former type (though I have enjoyed the occasional thick crust pizza in a number of establishments but hopefully more on that in an upcoming post). Also, I usually order a plain margherita, the first pizza listed on many a menu. However, when it comes to toppings, there is so much to choose from, so for the purpose of this blog, I decided to expand my pizza horizons and try a couple of different things.

One small pizzeria I quite like is Forno a Legna located in the lively neighborhood of Servette. They make a coal oven thin crust pizza that is definitely worth the trip! Of course, I usually go for their margherita (they also make excellent pasta dishes) but this time I gave their vegetarian pizza a try, and quite enjoyed it. A word to the wise, though, if you're getting takeout pizza, go easy on the toppings, especially if you're planning to eat your pizza on the move!

Pictured below, a vegetarian pizza from Il Forno a Legna, toppings include bell peppers, mushrooms, artichokes and capers... and to boot a nicely charred crust: