Eat Switzerland.

[Bu Pun Su]

Switzerland can be considered somewhat quite in the world of gastronomy despite having one of the world’s best chefs in the 20th century (Fredy Girardet). I went to his disciple’s (Rochat) place earlier and found it very good … comparable to a few Parisians top places. In addition to L’Hotel de Ville, a few claimed another great restaurant (even better) in the area will be Rabaey’s Pont de Brent; Girardet said Rabaey is the best in Switzerland … for me, well I do not fully agree

Food (and wine) - 93/100

The meal began with various amuse such as: sardine, croquette, bread with tomato, tuna etc. They’re decent … There are 2 tasting menu and many a la carte dishes (though Rochat’s has more variety) – roast John Dory or Duck for 2 people look interesting, I ordered menu gourmand (about 8 courses besides mignardise and amuse). The highlight of the menu is the mushroom dishes served in a small pan – cepes, chanterelle and mushrooms raviolis – they’re flavorful and delicious. As expected, there would be many luxury ingredients … the Breton lobster looks beautiful on pictures served tender to my likeness, but the taste is weak. The same thing happen to the turbot and loup, both are rather bland. Moreover, both serve with similar sauce – cockle juice for the turbot and mussel saffron for the loup. The main course, sweetbread served with different kinds of vegetables save the day; it’s cooked until perfectly brown, the meat is tender … I wish it were sweeter/richer like Arpege’s or Ledoyen’s

Nothing memorable with the desserts – the 1st one pear tart with canele ice cream and nuts, a combination of sweet things … something refreshing would be better. The citron soufflé (served in untraditional way – light and flavorful by itself) is better than the pear, served with coconut ice cream and pineapple on the side. There are several chocolates served at the end as petit fours. I only ordered 2 glasses of wine to accompany my meal: local white wine from Villeneuve (2004 blanc de la grotte) and 1999 pinot noir de Chardonne for the red. The food, in general, is nice but not special as you should expect in the restaurant carrying Michelin’s highest award (93/100, 2 ½ * - about Le Bristol level)

Service (and ambiance) - 92/100

The restaurant is relatively small. Like many other 3-star places, the capacity is at most 35 pax. I could not recall anything special in the dining room, but it was busy for lunch. The restaurant is located around mountainous area, overlooking a lake from a distance – peaceful. The wonderful thing about Michelin 3-star in Europe is that they are everywhere, some in the middle of nowhere that make them unique on their own – something that America and Asia lack (there maybe a few in Japan). The service is about the average of 3-star places … professional and friendly, but not personal. The manager did not seem to be in a good mood, but did not allow it to affect his performance.

Should you go here? Probably if you’re in the area, but I would recommend to visit Hotel de Ville first. However, go to France, Spain or Germany first for a better gastronomy experience. Yet, I did not regret to have visited this place … no plan to return there. Pictures, pont de brent 08