Arakel’s baronomy
Vineyard enthusiasts can rest assured thatArakel ‘s treasures are still impeccably lined up in the restaurant that bears his name, located in the heart of Geneva’s Eaux-Vives district. For almost two years, the young proprietor of this exceptional wine bar has continued to offer a selection of the finest elixirs from the city of Calvin. Like all his colleagues, Arakel Sedef has unfortunately not escaped the countless closures that have affected the restaurant sector in recent months. Far from wanting to rest on their laurels, the entrepreneur and his faithful sidekick Julien Samson took advantage of these forced truces to rethink the concept of the establishment.
Edouard Amoiel – Arakel Sphere
New chef
The health crisis was out of the question! So the duo decided to raise the culinary bar with a menu at last worthy of their superb bottles: a vital culinary boost to broaden the overall experience of this wine bar with great potential. This has now been achieved with the arrival of chef Armando Falco from the Michelin-starred Il Lago restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues. It’s a transfer worthy of an in-between-season soccer mercato, and one that augurs well for future gourmet achievements.
Two weeks after lighting up his stoves for the first time, the chef has succeeded in imposing his style while building a culinary identity all his own. The gastronomic plunge begins with a (short) menu of tempting titles, and a few travel-inspired aperitifs. With a crackling millefeuille encasing a tuna tartare with a pimento/vanilla jam, or a lobster roll and citrus-flavored brioche bread with a shellfish mayonnaise and orange, lemon and lime zest, Armando Falco already shows his potential in just a few mouthfuls.
Edouard Amoiel – Cod / petit-pois variation
Travel, travel
Always offering judicious wine suggestions, the valiant Julien Samson takes charge of punctuating the sequences according to his customers’ desires. The level is maintained with the octopus kebab and its vanilla Greek yoghurt, as well as the Arakel spheres containing a shrimp tartare enhanced by a red Thai curry, lemon and basil. Despite the high standard of the appetizers, it’s the dishes that arouse real curiosity. Has the chef succeeded in producing dishes worthy of a wine bar of this level? The answer is yes! The cod is a real winner… cooked at a low temperature as it should be, the fish is accompanied by mentholated peas in several textures and a potato mousse flavored with anchovies. Superb! The artichoke is a nod to Joël Robuchon, and delivers on all its promises with just a few strokes of the fork. The vegetables are roasted and stuffed with a lightly smoked artichoke cream, embellished with a cloud of yellow curry softened with almond milk.
Baronomy
Without ever leaving the shores of high-flying contemporary cuisine, Armando Falco manages to avoid falling into the trap of culinary trends. Even if a few titles remain in the zeitgeist, such as beef tataki, the chef flies well above the fray. Arakel Sedef and his team have chosen to offer a real food service, and despite the density of business on Rue Henri-Blanvalet, they are ideally positioned. Are we at the dawn of a new genre? Why should a wine bar confine itself exclusively to tapas? Following in the footsteps of bistronomy, could Arakel be the initiator of baronomy? Uncomplicated restaurant cuisine in the heart of a wine bar…
