Le Café de Certoux, that’s all!
We may no longer realize how lucky we are to have a Geneva countryside brimming with beautiful, charming inns. When it comes to culinary quality and wine references, the Café de Certoux is undoubtedly at the head of the pack. Long under the stewardship of Bernard Livron and his sister Marie-Hélène, the chef handed over the reins of this elegant country house to his two faithful acolytes on January 1, 2019. A healthy and intelligent handover that allows this gastronomic landmark to write new chapters in its history.
Edouard Amoiel
Siphoned paella
While a few autumn sunbeams give us the gift of being out and about, the aperitif is still taken on the terrace. It’s a delicious moment of life, when the choice of dishes from a bourgeois menu is made outdoors. A comforting moment, while sipping a few tears of Chasselas from Domaine de la Colombe in Féchy, the Paccot family’s winegrowing stronghold. The menu is dreamy and includes a number of current culinary references: ceviche of sea bream and mango, crispy gyozas of rabbit and noodles (called “noodles” on the menu) or octopus a la plancha, chorizo and siphoned paella. Original! Sébastien Vaillend’s commitment to modernity is as subtle as it is technical.
Edouard Amoiel
Even if gastronomic news is discreetly coming to the Café de Certoux, it’s the suggestions of the moment that are calling out. For example, how could we fail to be seduced by this seasonal offering of poêlée de cèpes en persillade? In the company of a die-hard epicurean, it would be a crime of lèse-majesté to pass up the fricassee of frogs’ legs. Lightly garlicky and marbled, this typically bistro-style delicacy is best enjoyed with the fingers. The pleasure of cooking sometimes goes against the grain! It’s a loup en croute de sel for two that quickly wins unanimous approval. Sublimely cooked, pinkish at the bone as it should be, it is first presented in the dining room, masterfully uncut, and served in its simplest form, topped with a magnificent beurre blanc. This gourmet moment confirms the talent and experience of our chef.
Parenthèse libre
Let yourself be carried along the road to the Café de Certoux. Not as an imposed, imposing pilgrimage, but as a free, carefree culinary interlude. Doesn’t appetite come from moving?
Café de Certoux, 133 route de Certoux, 1258 Perly-Certoux. Phone +41 22 771 10 32
