Le Buffet de la Gare des Eaux-Vives, Geneva

Rice Balls with infused truffle sauce

Soup / Foie Gras Amuse Bouche

Pithivier with mushrooms

Cochon laineux en trois parties cuit en basse température, royale d oignon, pomme fruit pour l accompagner, caramel d un cidre, jus de rôti et pesto d oignon vert, sorbet pomme gingembre

Poire avec confit des olives

On the same day I enjoyed a light lunch I had a dinner reservation at the Le Buffet de la Gare des Eaux-Vives in Geneva. Now “buffet de la gare” reminds me of train journeys with grandparents as a kid and basically quick meals in between changing trains. Spiez and Olten are two towns in Switzerland which only seem to exist because they had a Bahnhof Buffet. So I was kind of doubtful as to what place this was going to be. Boy – was I in for a surprise. Arriving at 7:30 the place was empty and we were the first people to arrive. A nice cart was wheeled to our table (which was the second nicest in the back corner of the restaurant) and we we’re asked if we cared for an aperitif. Being the thoughtful people we are, we cared and decided on a Blanc de Blanc (only later did I notice that a glass was charged at a whopping 24 CHF). A small ball of rice with some trufle infusion was the appetizer. A nice twist of simple and luxurious. Also the application of the truffle infusion had a playful twist, since there was a plastic squeezable container you could use. Amuse-bouche was a bit mixed, not a great fan of the foie-gras bit but the soup was lovely. Pumpkin soup and layered on top truffle foam, a nice combination. Next course was a Pithivier (a type of pastry) with mushrooms – the french description was lengthtier and sounded better. It was a terrific pastry, beautifully arranged and all the accompaning components worked with it in a harmonic way. My main course was slow roasted pork in three different pieces with some crunchy onions, some sort of potato, a bit of sorbet and smudges of roast juice, pesto and caramelized cider. Too give it a nice appearence, brussel sprout leaves were strewn over the plate. I like plates where you can take little bits of everything and combine them into different compostions to taste and this was a lovely combination. For dessert I tried a pear and olive combination. After a let down at Greulich with Olives for dessert I wanted to see if it would be better here. The olive and pear worked nicely giving an interesting flavor combination. The only thing off was the Hüppen (cigar shaped pastry), it was chewy and tough. What really excited me about the whole meal is the beautiful presentation of all the dishes. The plating was exquisite, delicate and vibrant. The only downside is, that if just four hours earlier you already had a gourmet menu with cheese and dessert, you feel a bit stuffed after a second one on the same day. Still this has become one of my places of choice in Geneva. The financial hit is steep:

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