Café Gourmand in Geneva

A warm and inviting restaurant with a bright Indo-Moroccan decor. The aroma of exotic spices welcomes you in as soon as you enter the front door. We went for a Monday lunch and nearly every table was occupied. Café Gourmand is a small restaurant run by Bea and Sergio, there is one waiter and one sous-chef. Attention to detail is paid especially in the cooking department. It was recommended we order the 55 Chf "Menu Gourmand" and we started things off with an outstanding and very unusual apero made with ginger and fruit juice. The spice from the ginger is surprising and you will almost think you are drinking a high-octane cocktail but in fact there is no alcohol in it at all.

Here is Sergio's recipe:
"COCKTAIL DE JUS FRUITS AU GINGEMBRE FRAIS"
200 gr. fresh ginger
6 oranges
1 small pineapple
6 mango
1 lemon
cane syrup to taste
Pass the fruits through a juicer, add syrup to taste and leave to rest in the fridge for 6 hours. Serve cold in a champagne flute with a cub of ice.

The first course was a very nice pasta dish called "Linguine Camélia", it was a spiced saffron tomato and cream sauce with filets of oranges and tiny shrimp served over linguine.

The main course was slices of filet of beef in a spicy cream-based sauce served with steamed Basmati rice and steamed spinach.

Dessert was the decadent "Fondant au Chocolate" which was like a warm and very rich chocolate mousse.

We had a lovely glass of Chasselas de Peissy AOC "les Perrières" Genève at 3.20 a deci and a second glass of a delicious Syrah-Grenache, Pont du Gard 2003 vigneron d'Estezargue at 4.90 a deci. I always feel a good house-wine speaks volumes about the restaurant.

Although we had the 55 Chf menu, there is a daily special that starts at only 18,50 Chf and So you could get in and out with the plat-du-jour and a glass of wine for under 22 Chf and that is really a bargain for Geneva!

Sergio manages to cook a very successful French-Indo-Arabic fusion and it was a pleasure to be there and he and Bea made us feel very welcome.

Café Gourmand
35 rue des Bains
1205 Genève
Tél: 022/328 56 56
hours:11h30 to 15h00
and 18h30 to 24h00
Closed on the week-end
http://www.cafegourmand.ch