Sauvage-style sharing
One Friday evening, on the Plainpalais plain, wrapped up in our scarves and hats, comes the eternal question: “Are we going out tonight?” In the distance, a red neon light pierces the night, it’s Sauvagethe bar run by Noé Jolivald and Xavier Tanazacq, who gave us a call and answered our dilemma. So we take our places around a high table, ready to be guided by the menu.
An open cellar
Before we launch on the dishes, we start by quenching our thirst. Here, the staff don’t just take your order: they take you straight to the cellar, tucked away behind the bar. The principle? Choose your own bottle. Thanks to the team’s sound advice, we opt for a Silice blanc 2023 from Maison des Ardoisières, Savoie. A precise, mineral wine with lovely tension, a perfect match for our selection.
That evening, it was Neuchâtel’s Gabelou who invites himself to our table: a cheese with character, a strong taste, and a subtle white wine note, but agrees ideally with our Silica. Lighter, roasted pumpkin is served with butternut pickles and Greek miso yogurt, for a colorful dish. The pumpkin seeds create a fine balance of acidity, roundness and crunch.
Canaille cuisine
While the noise intensifies and the comings and goings As the time between cellar and kitchen accelerates, a new dish arrives: marrow bone au gratin with pumpkin seed tuiles. A bistro classic, to be sure, but executed with gourmet flair, and our good resolutions!
To conclude our escapade at Sauvage, two new savoury dishes. On the one hand, smoked burrata from Casa Mozzarellaa real revelation, making a pleasant change from the traditional burrata served everywhere. On the other, a homemade pork rillette, delicately molded into a quenelle, with a melt-in-the-mouth texture and straightforward flavor, spiced up with mustard seed pickles. Two perfect proposals to end our bottle… and our evening.
Sauvage is a place for those who love a good atmosphere, fine bottles and plates to share. With its varied wine selection and simple yet refined approach, the bar has become a warm haven for local residents, where they come to celebrate good food and good living.
