Le Tablard, learning to last
We had to dare to take over this arcade. In Carouge, some addresses seem to carry the weight of past attempts, of halted impulses and unravelling histories. And yet, there are those who try. Because in the end, without risk, nothing happens.
A heartfelt story
Opened two years ago in Carouge, the Tablard is rooted in its environment, in the Cité sarde. It’s a neighborhood like any other that lives, sometimes doubts, but never really forgets. One building site follows another, landmarks change – Yeast has closed, Le Flacon has dissipated, others have arrived (with their big clogs) – and in this shifting decor, some hold on. They adapt, they cope and, above all, they move forward.
Le Tablard is one of them. As for the proposal, it has never really wavered. It’s rather in the kitchen that things have sometimes sought their just measure. Passing hands, adjusting intentions and, inevitably, fluctuating readings. Nothing unusual for such a young address. There’s something sincere, almost naïve at times, in this determination not to be a classic wine bar, without totally breaking away from it.
Real sharing
Behind the project, Martin Burrus, known for his Bleu! cheese shop not far from here, has imagined an open, lively place, free from unnecessary rigidity. In the dining room, the duo of Mattia Baldissara and Julià Vassort set the tone: communicative energy, a formidable sense of welcome and the ability to make the moment light.
In the kitchen, Mathieu Dolatyari plays a score designed for sharing. Real sharing, not just a trend. Here, a croque-monsieur arrives as an aperitif, almost as a wink. You slice it, pass it and, suddenly, the table makes sense. Afterwards, we navigate between a beef tartare served on marrow bone, a generous pork shank and freer detours – an escapade to Spain with calamaretti and an Iberian soubrassade, before returning to Switzerland with malakoffs spiced up with spinach shoots and chervil. All this, without dogma and with precision.
Spring evening
At Tablard, sharing is not a concept, it’s a reflex. Fine weather helps. The terrace opens up, glasses fill up faster, discussions get longer. And it’s easy to understand what the place is trying to become: a rallying point, a street corner where people come without thinking too much. The wines are another pleasant surprise. The wine list has gained in precision. It remains accessible and varied, without renouncing a few fine bottles for those who want to go a little further. Here again, the balance is right.
On this spring evening, friends, family and tables were alive. A kind of joyful, almost necessary disorder. Le Tablard moves forward with an energy that’s well worth paying attention to.
