Cafe de Bourg de Four, Geneva, Switzerland

Our last post on our trip to Switzerland.
As with most things, our trip around Geneva was mostly about the food. We'd discovered Cafe de Bourg de Four earlier while in search of something gluten free for lunch.
It is situated in Place de Bourg de Four along with several other cafes, restaurants, choclateries, and we were directed to Cafe de Bourg de Four when we asked in other cafe if they did anything that wasn't made out of bread. Unfortunately by the time we headed over the place was heaving with what looked like everyone on their lunch breaks from work. The menu looked great, and it indeed had the bread-less item of Rosti on the menu.
This was another classic Swiss dish that we were on a mission to try before we left Switzerland.

We returned the next day, early enough to get a table before the workers entered.

The restaurant was deceptive in size, going back quite a long way. It had lots of vintage posters on the walls and ceiling which added to the character of the place.

Ceiling posters

We didn't really need much time to look at the menu as we both new what we wanted to order: Rosti. There were, however, several Rostis to choose from. With egg, with cheese, with ham, with all of them etc.
This was our last meal in Geneva and Switzerland so we opted for the Rosti with cheese, ham and egg, and to balance things, a green salad to start.

Green Salad

Rosti with ham, cheese and eggs.

Barbara told us that Rosti is best made the day after Raclette, as the left over boiled potatoes work very well, and in fact recipes that we have since looked up and tried all say to leave the par-boiled potatoes to cool completely.

The Rosti was lovely, everything I'd hoped. Crispy on the outside and with lovely melted cheese towards the centre. I hadn't really expected a big slab of ham on the top, I thought it would have been within the grated potato itself, but maybe that would make it a different dish? It was very filling, and I couldn't eat it all. But it was a very satisfying meal and saw us right through our journey back to Manchester.

Le Perron, Geneva, Switzerland

Interesting place mat

Our first evening in Geneva certainly was a windy one! We'd checked in to the hotel, eventually, after the obligatory phone call to the bank to say that yes it was us attempting to use the card abroad, and in fact we have told you this already. Anyway, we wrapped up warm and headed out to see what culinary delights were on offer in the city.
All the guidebooks and things we had read pointed us to the old town, so after a rather blustery crossing of the river we headed up the cobbled streets. We spotted Le Perron in an attractive square, it had plenty of tables outside under a tree canopy, and a rather interesting menu, mainly featuring game. The Wild Boar in particular caught our eye. (Or is it eyes when there's two of you?)
We thought not to eat at the first place we saw, but since this was a Sunday night, we didn't really have much luck elsewhere. Obviously, this being a major European city, there were plenty of places to eat, but it is rather more difficult when things have to be gluten free, therefore quick pizza, pasta, chinese, etc is out of the question.
Anyway, we circled round the cathedral and came back to Le Perron.

Upon entry, we asked "Parlez-vous anglais?" We can understand basic menu items in French, but this was to make the gluten free questions easier. And the answer we got was "Certainly do" in what turned out to be a Harrogate accent. We were shown to our table and were told that the Game dishes were recommended at the moment.

We ordered the starter of the mushroom salad and the pumpkin soup.

What sounded like a plain mushroom starter actually was lovely. A mixture of warm mushrooms with crisp leaves some unknown, but flavoursome shoots, and a balsamic dressing.

The pumpkin soup was not as good as Barbara's version, but came with a garnish of cheese, croutons and cream. Compared to Barbara's this was more "restauranty", creamy and nice, but nothing too notable about it.

For our main course I ordered the Venison, a first for me, which came with what was called traditional accompaniments. And the waiter made sure that there was no flour in the sauce therefore everything was fine. Tim ordered the Stag, after enquiring as to if there was any mountain deer - a guidebook recommendation. The Stag was described as coming with chestnuts and figs.

The main courses looked identical!

Although the venison was noticeably more tender than the stag. Both were served with what may have been quince or apple, fig, chestnuts, pureed something, which if it was potato, had a secret ingredient, a red current jelly and a lovely deep rich sauce. I take it all of the above are actually traditional accompaniments.

Tim's dish came with a side of something which resembled little pieces of pancake. We were told what it was, but unfortunately can't remember, but apparently it was a traditional Swiss dish. It was batter-based and probably cooked in a frying pan or similar in very small amounts, then seasoned with salt. Ed, Barbara, do you know what we mean?

I thought the venison dish was fantastic. Obviously since this was the first time I have eaten venison I have nothing to compare it to, but similar to the Chateaubriand at the Panorama, you could almost cut it with a spoon. After eating this dish and the Chateaubriand I have now decided to order steak rare if it is at a decent restaurant, so it must have been good!

For desert we ordered the Creme Brulee, as my rule is; if Creme Brulee is on the menu, it has to be eaten. And the special of the day being an apple tart.




Both deserts were good, but I thought the Creme Brulee was nothing special. Similar to others I'd eaten. Not really sure what I was expecting though!

We thought the meal at Le Perron was very very good, although on the pricey side. But it did seem that if you didn't eat pasta or pizza then things were expensive.

A taste of Switzerland

Our time in the Swiss countryside was made extra special by the hospitality of our friends Ed and Barbara. They had lined up a number of activities and things to try while we were staying with them. The weather wasn't as hoped but still we did have a brilliant time with them.



Darstetten


We arrived in Darstetten late on the Friday with Ed meeting us from the train station, we then sat and listened to his band rehearsal for a short while before heading for the local bar to sample some beer and wine - much needed after a long day traveling from London. After the rehearsal we joined the band in a few drinks at a different bar.

We had been promised home made Pumpkin soup and Schnapps by Ed, and so when arriving at their house, bowls of steaming orange goodness were served to us. The soup was unlike anything we'd tasted before and we did quiz Barbara for the recipe, and we will try to replicate it another time. She told us that the key ingredients were interestingly orange juice and curry powder. She also served it with roasted pumpkin seeds on top and a spoonful of cream. The Schnapps that then appeared were all homemade by various friends and family members. All in various flavours of late summer fruits; blueberry, blackberry etc. Very fruity, without too much of a kick. A treat indeed. After a couple of glasses we happily rolled into bed.

The next morning, the weather still hadn't lifted, as so over breakfast of toast and as many homemade preserves as you could wish for we discussed where we should go. The original plan was to get up a big hill/mountain, but a quick check on webcams showed about zero visibility up high so we went out for a drive instead.

The first stop was the Callier Chocolate factory where we were told gave loads of free samples. Hurrah! You can't go to Switzerland without eating chocolate, and if it is free, all the better!
The tour of the factory was excellent, with exhibits explaining the history of chocolate and how Swiss chocolate in particular is different than elsewhere. You could even try the raw cocoa beans and nuts that go into the various products. Then came the tasting room.

Even for a chocolate addict like myself, it was difficult to sample one of each product available. It was fantastic! We then spent rather too much money in the gift shop.

On the way back we past through interesting villages, over (what would be, if the weather lifted) scenic mountain passes, and did a bit of a walk witnessing the beautiful autumnal colours of the countryside.
That night was our trip to the Panorama Restaurant, which we have written about here.
Again, upon return, the schnapps came out. And we climbed into bed full content.

The next day we we due to leave just after lunchtime to get the train back to Geneva, so as an early lunch Ed and Barbara prepared Raclette. The Raclette was served with the traditional accompaniments; over potatoes, sprinkled with seasoning, with pickles and cooked with bacon (or in our case sausage) and onion. They had a table top Raclette cooker, upon which mushroom were also griddled. Barbara told us that rather than being a restaurant dish, this is very much a family gathering type dish. We each had a mini pan onto which a slice of Raclette was placed, garnished with onion and sausage if you liked and then grilled until melted. It was then scraped across boiled potatoes. Which were kept warm in a potato warmer like this which I thought was brilliant!

The pickles which were served included gherkins, pickled curried garlic cloves, and homemade pickled marrow. Apart from the gherkins, both the garlic and marrow were new to me and delicious. Perhaps we'll ask for the recipe....The various seasonings included dried Alpine Herbs, curry powder, and paprika amongst others.

Ed told us that sometimes a large block of Raclette is either grilled or warmed by the fire, and then the top layer is scraped off onto the plate, but it seems much easier with a table top cooker as everyone can cook their own portions at the same time.

The meal was accompanied with violet tea, as Barbara said that tea is the drink of choice for Raclette. She also said that Rosti is generally made the next day with the left over boiled potatoes, as they are best left for a while after boiling for the perfect Rosti.

After stuffing ourselves with the lovely Raclette was settled down to a game of Jass - the Swiss card game. I won't try to explain the rules, as quite frankly I don't think I remember them all, but it is to do with card counting. Ed gave us a deck of cards, and a list of the various scores and rules, but we haven't tried to play it yet ourselves. No doubt when we do, it will involve a couple of texts to the Ed and Barbara household to confirm the rules!

After being dropped off at the train station to begin the next part of our Switzerland trip in Geneva we thought about the things we'd done. It seems that many of the dishes that we ate and were told about are completely seasonal, and in the village many things are local. There isn't a lot of bacon available, and meat is rather expensive. Rosti, Raclette, Pumpkin are all generally eaten in the autumn. The Schnapps would have been made when the fruit was in season, and the pickles made to preserve the seasonal veg. Even the favourite desert of Barbara's, the Vermicelli, is seasonal.

I wont talk at great length about each day in Geneva, as this post is rather long already, but will mention a coffee and cake stop in the city. After a large lunch at an Italian restaurant we were wandering around gazing into the windows of chocolate shops and delis and saw a large coffee shop/choclaterie. We though it would be rude not to go in. 

The delights on display looked fantastic so we sat down an ordered a coffee and a cake in the bustling tearooms.

I ordered the famous Vermicelli and Tim had a vanilla slice. Both were lovely, rather large and just what was needed! Both had chestnut as a prime ingredient. The Vermicelli being mainly chestnut puree or paste with bits of cream and meringue at the bottom of the cup, and the slice had a layer of chestnut puree within the cream. Another example of the seasonal use of ingredients.

Our short trip to Switzerland was fantastic, and despite the weather, we probably did pick the best time of year to go. The colours of the countryside were beautiful, and when the cloud did lift there were glorious blue skies. Also the seasonal food available was great, it's not all just chcolate and cheese! With Rosti, Raclette, pumpkin, marrow, chestnut, preserves and later the game available in the Geneva restaurants, all being seasonal specialities. We will definitely return to Switzerland and spend more time in the countryside, as this does seem to be where the "real" Switzerland is.

Panorama Restaurant, Hartlisberg, Switzerland

Our first full day in Switzerland was a mixture of experiences. Firstly being woken by cowbells in the morning was wonderful then all the delights offered at breakfast by our friends Ed and Barbara were lovely. We will report on the various local and interesting things we did and ate in another post.

We spent the rather cloudy day out in the countryside, up hills, on mountain passes, and wandering round picturesque villages, while building up an appetite for what was promised to be an excellent meal at the Panorama Restaurant.

Ed had booked the table in the bistro part of the restaurant as everything else was fully booked, but still this promised not to disappoint.

We arrived, and what would have normally been a stunning view, was somewhat clouded, but still impressive.

View from the restaurant

We were shown to our table and given menus. Unfortunately, only in German, but we did have our translators with us. The waitress spoke excellent English, and anything that we needed help with Ed and Barbara could obviously translate.

We were offered an aperitif of sparkling wine which the waitress described as similar to Champagne or Prosecco. For me, those being the magic words, we ordered a glass of the cranberry and one of the the apple based wines while we looked over the menu. Both of which were lovely and were served with breads, butter and oil.

Cranberry aperitif

There had been a slight mix up when booking the table as Ed had asked if they could serve the Chateaubriand in the Bistro - a dish which they always order on each trip there, and the restaurant took this to be a pre-order for the four of us rather than just for two. This perhaps actually made the choice of food easier! We'd never tried Chateaubriand before, and only vaguely knew what it was. With the normal checks of whether there is flour in the sauce proving negative, we were more than happy to go along with this. It was a little on the pricey side, being 62CHF per person, but Ed had described that eating out, and in particular, ordering meat in Switzerland was more expensive than in Britain. And after all, it is not every day we're over in his part of the world for a nice evening out.
We tried looking at the starters menu, but Ed warned us that the Chateaubriand was rather filling, and that we should actually leave room for desert. And anyway, not recognising a single word of German meant that every single ingredient needed to be translated for us, and some words didn't really seem to translate that easily. We decided against a starter.
We picked a Swiss wine, a white Merlot, on the recommendation of the waitress, and when it came Ed was offered the opportunity to taste the wine, with a separate tasting glass. Never seen that before, very impressed, and it was duly noted. The wine was excellent.
Shortly after placing our order, "A small gift from the kitchen" arrived. A little amuse bouche of beef carpaccio and mushrooms with Parmesan cream.

Beef Carpaccio with mushrooms and Parmesan cream

Again, this was a first for me. I'd never had Carpaccio, as I've always been a bit scared of it. This was nice, and for me just the right amount of raw meat. The mushrooms and cream sauce were very tasty, although the edible flower didn't really taste of much. At least I hope it was edible! The flowers we'd tried in the garden of Northcote were very distinctive in flavour, but this didn't stand out. But anyway, I'm not really complaining about what was actually just a garnish on an amuse bouche!

The main event. The Chateaubriand arrived, and looked spectacular.

Chateaubriand

The vegetables were perfect, each seasoned well, and carrying its own flavour, the foaming Bearnaise was creamy and light, and even the three little dots of mango wowed the taste buds. The meat was beautiful. And as Ed had said, you could practically cut it with a spoon. Extremely tender, juicy and flavoursome. The outside charred slightly and the inside rare and succulent. I have since read that Chateaubriand is the ultimate experience in beef, and I have to agree. This perhaps was the best plate of food I have ever eaten.

The plates were cleared away and we were wondering about what delights to expect on the desert menu from this restaurant.

Since returning from Switzerland I have done a bit of research on this place. There were a couple of accolades displayed outside the main entrance, but nothing that I recognised, or actually can remember, but I have since found out that the Panorama's restaurant Cayenne has been awarded a rating of 16 out of (perhaps the impossible score) 20 from Gault Millau and rated with Bib Gourmand and as Moderately Comfortable in the Michelin Guide. I have read that Gault Millau rate restaurants on their food rather than on the food and surroundings as Michelin does, and in my mind this food well deserved the rating. I say this purely as an ignorant customer as I haven't noticed if I've eaten in any Gault Millau rated restaurants before, and our only Michelin awarded experience was that at Northcote a couple of years ago. The food, to me, was on par with Northcote.

Anyway, back to the meal. As i mentioned before, we can't speak or recognise any German and Ed and Barbara had been translating for us. They were now whispering away in German, so we thought something fishy was going on. The waitress had put down another knife and fork each, and Ed said they were wondering why the desert menu was taking so long.
It then became apparent.
Another plate of the beautiful Chateaubriand came out.

Chateaubriand

Again, this was as before, superb. But I can no longer say it was the best plate of food I'd ever eaten, as technically there were two. Ed and Barbara then explained that the menu said that it was a two-plate dish and that they'd missed that too the first time they came. Our excuse is that we can't read German, don't know what theirs was! I was aware that Chateaubriand is a very expensive and fine cut of meat, and that it is served for more than one person, but I assumed that meant it was for two people or more. Is this the norm is restaurants, or is it usually a two-plate dish?
Needless to say, I now know what the word for "two" is! This is why we were talked out of a starter!

After finishing the main, and "sitting with the wine" for a bit, the waitress brought out the desert menu. Barbara pointed out to me which was the selection of ice creams and explained the selection. I'd already decided on this dish before we came as it had been recommended.

Ice cream selection

The ice cream and sorbet selection was a lovely light way to finish the meal. Each giving a refreshing clean taste.  Other deserts ordered were; Modern style Jelly with prunes and an Armagnac buscuit (above left); Chocolate Monolith with lychee sorbet (above right).

Coffees were then offered, and came accompanied with a choice of hand made chocolates. We each chose one - to Ed's dismay, we were offered more than one each, but we had spent some time earlier in a chocolate factory with as many samples as you could eat, so thought best to stop at one.

The meal, and dining experience at the Panorama was one of the best I've had, even with the view not being as hoped. The view as we left showed the lights of Thun and the surrounding villages and roads, but unfortunately not the mountains.

Clear view from the restaurant.
Via Google Earth, published on Panaromio by swissmountainview.ch

I would recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting the area, but for a special occasion. It is on the pricey side, but I think, for a one-off, well worth the money.