Le Café de la Paix, a bistro opus
A more intimate, personal atmosphere emanates from this boulevard Carl-Vogt bistro. The menu has been shortened, as if to focus on the essentials of a bistro-style score. The menus feature bistro cuisine with a light Genevan touch, such as oeufs de poule en meurette, foie gras, entrecôte with Béarnaise sauce and cordon bleu, all of which are much appreciated in this winter season. For lunch, we worthily resisted the siren song of the wine industry. That’s for another time. A former chef at the La Réserve hotel in Bellevue, Philippe Durandeau is a skilled and experienced chef. For this week’s menu, let’s push open the door of the Café de la Paix…
Let’s start with the chef’s signature dish: calamaretti “copied but never equaled”, as the menu calls them. Philippe Durandeau offers them without breadcrumbs, simply sautéed and enhanced with a slightly acidic sauce that blends deliciously with the calamari’s juices. A beautiful and comforting seafood starter.
Let’s continue in a lakeside style with fillets of perch cooked meunière-style and copiously served. Accompanied by impressive home fries and slightly crunchy green beans, the main course plays the local card with sobriety… even if the pig cheeks braised in red wine and their creamy polenta were quite tempting.
The fine apple tart was announced and ordered at the beginning of the meal, in order to respect the 35 minutes needed to prepare it. Served generously, this gourmet dessert is accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream, providing a delicious contrast to the warm, still-melting apples.
Enjoy your meal.
