BG Café

I hadn't been to BG Café in a while, so when I met up with a friend there a couple of weeks ago, I thought I'd try their parmesan risotto. It was fairly good. To me, BG Café is more like a good cafeteria than an actual restaurant so keeping that in mind, I'm usually quite satisfied with the food there. But I don't really make it a point to go very often either. Pictured below: parmesan risotto at BG Café.

Chez Lopez

Chez Lopez is an unpretentious neighborhood restaurant located in Eaux-Vives, they make a decent pizza, and since we just happened to be in the area one night and we wanted to grab a quick bite, we figured we'd drop by for a visit. Pictured below: an olive and anchovy pizza.

Chateau d'If

It's a cold, snowy Sunday night in Geneva, you haven't quite made any dinner plans, and your friends start to wonder what's open on a Sunday night in this city anyway? If you've lived here long enough, you know there's not a whole lot to choose from! But fondue would be rather nice in this weather, one friend suggests... yes it certainly would be. I suddenly remember someone mentioning Chateau d'If, located in Vesenaz and raving about the fondue there. But is it one of the few places open on a Sunday night in Geneva? Why, yes it it - we have a winner, boys and girls! So off to Chateau d'If we head, luckily the restaurant is located just at the entrance of Vesenaz and is very easy to find. Once inside, we're immediately seated and given our menus, which we peruse with great interest.

The restaurant offers a number of different fondues, considerably more than you would find in other establishments, I'm curious about the all-vacherin fondue I was recently told about but I decide to go with my customary moitié-moitié (equal parts vacherin and gruyère) fondue and it does not disappoint! It is creamy and delicious and in addition to the bread you're usually given to dip into your hot pot of cheese, Chateau d'If also gives you a serving of small potatoes you can also use for dipping purposes. And you know what? It turns out potatoes covered in melted vacherin and gruyère are yummy! Up to then I had always had potatoes with raclette and bread with fondue, but sometimes you just want to mix things up a little, am I right?

I would definitely recommend Chateau d'If for a fondue dinner, and I hope to go back soon... well not too soon but certainly when the fondue mood strikes.

Pictured below: an assortment of cold cuts, cheese and pickles followed by a moitié-moitié fondue

Le Sesflo

I enjoyed my visits to L'Amalfi so much over the past few months, I figured it was time to give some of the other Frutiger establishments a try. Le Sesflo has consistently enjoyed rave reviews over the past few years, and so I thought I'd go check it out for myself. Le Sesflo and L'Amalfi's menus are not entirely dissimilar, they tend to specialize in various pasta and risotto dishes and both venues seem to be committed to qualiy, but Le Sesflo is perhaps a little more of an upscale establishment. The restaurant's interior design certainly reflects a modern and sophisticated style, at least by Geneva's standards. However, overall my preference goes to L'Amalfi just because I think their food is infused with so much more flavor and the staff is really friendly. Le Sesflo was a satisfying experience though and I'd definitely go back and try some of their other dishes.

Pictured below: An octopus salad starter followed by a shrimp and scallop risotto.

 

L'Amalfi - I heart you!

OK so Geneva's restaurant scene, as it turns out, offers a lot - and I mean a lot - of mediocre food. But say what you will, there are a few restaurants in this city that will treat your taste buds with the love and respect they truly deserve. After a few visits to L'Amalfi this past fall, I've come to believe it is one such place. And I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a hearty dish of pasta or risotto. I'm only sorry they're going to be closed for the next 10 days, I would have loved to schedule a couple of my holiday meals there.

Located in the hospital neighborhood (between Plainpalais and Champel) l'Amalfi is unique in that it specializes both in Italian and Argentinian fare, but truth be told, so far I've only tasted their Italian dishes. I'm told their Argentinian meats are just as good though. I love their octopus salad starter which I've ordered a few times now. You can make your own dressing with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar bottles you'll find on your table. The octopus is served warm and with a few slices of chili peppers, the salad packs just a little bit of heat. The combination of flavors and textures just makes this dish a winner in my opinion. If you enjoy seafood and especially octopus, I would definitely recommend this as a starter.

The pasta and risotto dishes are so good that I wonder if I'll ever try the Argentinian specialties at l'Amalfi. The chianti and sausage spaghetti is as unexpected as it is delicious, and frankly, I could probably just keep ordering it every time I go back, but it would be unfortunate to miss out on the delectable risotto experience the restaurant offers. And the sausage and Provola risotto is the kind of dish that will keep one warm and satisfied during Geneva's long, cold winters.

Pictured below: an octopus salad starter, followed by chianti sausage pasta and sausage and Provola risotto.

Yakitori at Shogun

Shogun has kind of become my go-to sushi place. However, one shouldn't overlook some of the other items on their menu, some of them are definitely worth trying. On a recent visit to the Eaux-vives restaurant, I decided to have an assortment of yakitori for a change and I definitely enjoyed it, though, to be honest, I'm not sure I'm too crazy about skewered beef and melted cheese, but it might be something of an acquired taste.

Pictured below: a yakitori assortment at Shogun.

Little India

I believe every meal I've ever had at an Indian restaurant was initiated by the words "I'm craving nan." My last trip was no different. So when the craving hit, I headed to Little India, located in Geneva's busy (and somewhat seedy) Paquis neighborhood. When it comes to Indian food, my preference definitely goes to vegetarian dishes, and when cooked well, they are absolutely delectable!

Pictured below: a cheese nan, followed by aloo gobi, a potato and cauliflower dish, and chana masala,  a spicy chickpea dish.

Auberge du Lion d'Or

I think I've made it pretty clear on this blog that overall, I've been a little less than impressed with the food culture in Geneva of late. However, I think I've also said before that every now and then a restaurant in Geneva will surprise you with quality food and great service at a decent price. In my book, Auberge du Lion d'Or, located in Versoix - not to be confused with Cologny's prohibitively expensive Lion d'Or - is just such a place. Unless you happen to live in the area, it's probably slightly out of your way, but it's well worth the trip and I definitely look forward to going back!

I apologize for the poor photo quality, it definitely doesn't do the meal justice - the lighting wasn't being very cooperative - but it should give you an idea of what kind of food to expect. I should also mention that I'm not sure I've ever eaten anything quite so garlicky as the squid salad starter, but that is no complaint on my part: I love garlic! However if you don't, I would definitely recommend you ask just how much of it you're committing to. As for desserts, the chef's special is an amazing assortment of the restaurant's most scrumptious desserts and at CHF 14 it is a really good deal. However there is so much on the plate, you may want to share it with one of your dinner companions especially if you had a starter.

Pictured below: a delicious squid salad starter, followed by a perfectly cooked medium rare ribeye steak with the customary side of fries and finally the chef's special dessert platter.

Le Furet

Le Furet is located in the Charmilles area, the restaurant is fairly nondescript from the outside, and once you're inside, don't expect warmth and fuzziness or anything, that is just not what they're known for. What they are known for is their signature all you can eat shrimp platters, they'll keep bringing them until you can handle no more. The shrimp come in a delicious garlic sauce and fries are also served with them. But here's the thing, it may say all you can eat, but chances are you really won't be able to eat that much! Indeed, you may feel full way before you expected to.

A little side note though - girls: trust me, this is really not the place to bring the mister on a first date... nor a second, nor a third, nor a fourth... you get my drift.

Anyway, the bottom line is if you're feeling really hungry one night and think you can handle the attitude that will come with your meal (it's not that they're unpleasant per se, but they do seem to be somewhat stressed a lot of the time), you might want to check this place out.

Pictured below: shrimp and french fries at Le Furet.

The Hamburger Foundation

The Hamburger Foundation claims to offer "the best burger in town" no less! Do they? Well, first of all, how hard is it to offer the best burger in Geneva? Most of the burger joints here are not that great anyway. Having said that, THF does offer a quality product, and I would go back every now and then... depending on where they're located. See, The Hamburger Foundation operates out of a food truck, and you have to check their website or their Facebook page to find out where they'll be on any given week. I'm very excited the food truck movement is finally taking off in Geneva and I do hope this will lead to more and more quality products at affordable prices.

I also found the staff to be really nice and friendly, and that is definitely something Geneva could use more of. However there are a few things I feel THF needs to work on a little more, for instance the bun (yes the bun, always the bun) is not quite what I would expect from "the best burger in town" though it is OK, but just OK. Furthermore the fries are disappointing at best. I suspect they may even be the frozen type, though I could be wrong. However, what does make The Hamburger Foundation a rather pleasing experience is the quality of the meat, definitely one of the better patties I've had in Geneva, it came a little rare to my liking but then again I didn't specify otherwise. I'll know to ask for medium rare next time, and hope they get it right.

A cheeseburger, fries and a drink will run you about CHF 20.- I guess that is what you would expect in this city.

One final point about The Hamburger Foundation: seriously people, if you're handling my food, please throw on some form of hat or hairnet or something!

Pictured below: a cheeseburger and fries from The Hamburger Foundation.