"French Cuisine" Restaurants in Switzerland
Seasonality, only the best produce, craftsmanship and a flair for perfect flavour and aesthetic compositions characterise Franck Giovannini and his team. The excellent wine list, the elegant ambience and the perfect service complete the pleasure.
L'Atelier Robuchon brings haute cuisine to the counter - directly on Lake Geneva, in the elegant The Woodward Geneva. The open-plan kitchen becomes a stage, with precise cooking, lightness and depth. True to the philosophy of the eponymous legendary chef Joël Robuchon.
High above Lausanne, Franck Pelux serves French fine dining with rough edges between the mountains and the lake. Intense in flavour, clear in technique - such as poached sea bream or gnocchi with caviar. Sara Benahmed's service is also highly professional.
Jérémy Desbraux and Anaëlle Roze's new restaurant looks elegant and sophisticated, we notice as we eat the amuse-bouches: we start with mushroom tartelette, salmon blini, a cheese-filled air cushion and the Totché cake typical of the region. We opted for the tasting menu, with an à la carte menu for those with a smaller appetite. The first course is appropriately staged for the Jura: Beans are served on fir branches under a glass with a bean vinaigrette and a mousseline of fir shoots. After the artichoke à la barigoule (Provençal style, stuffed with ham and mushrooms) with a hearty bedstraw broth comes Chef Jérémy Desbraux's signature dish: the surprise egg with a summer mushroom rim and meadow queen emulsion. How he prepares it remains his secret. Our discussion about the egg is interrupted by the next course, moules marinières with a ratatouille juice. A course with depth, followed by another fish course: a trout marbré with a lemon verbena broth. Fantastic! The main course is a perfect fillet of beef with reduced dark berries and a layered salad. We skip the cheese course, even though the cheese trolley is certainly tempting. The pré-dessert reminds us of the altitude of the Jura: the strawberries - served with farm milk and croquant - are only ripe here at the beginning of September. As a brilliant finale, Valais apricots are served as a warm Amandine tart, accompanied by elderflower ice cream. A dinner for which there are simply no words.
In the Fribourg foothills of the Alps, the kitchen is dedicated to natural cuisine in which wild herbs, mushrooms and vegetables from the surrounding forests play the main role. The precise menus follow the rhythm of nature. Great finesse and a keen sense of the terroir characterise the style.
Oh yes, someone's really in the mood! Victor Moriez is the new head chef at "Le Pérolles" right next to Fribourg train station. After years at the "Restaurant de l'Hôtel de Ville" in Crissier, the "Valrose" in Rougemont and the "Alpina Gstaad", he now has the chance to show what he can do. The full menu comprises nine courses, the best snack beforehand is the crispy, intense AOP tartelette with three Fribourg originals: Vacherin, Gruyère and Jambon de la Borne. The start of the menu: Scallop, bitter orange, marigold. He serves the muscle of the scallop in a tempura wrap! Then the chef delights us with a black truffle flan, served with a rocket and truffle puree, young rocket sprouts and pickled olives, as well as an olive and mushroom tapenade. The sauce: a cuvée of mushroom jus, truffle cream and rocket oil. To clean the plate at the end, there is a bao bun filled with rocket puree. Great class. The wine goes perfectly with it: L'Art-Vine by Alex Stauffer - an elegant Valais Petite Arvine. Pike-perch, lobster, chicken "Patte Noir", but perhaps the best course is vegetarian: Moriez fills shallots baked on salt with a leek puree and a brunoise of raw potato, shallot and leek greens. It is accompanied by deep-fried leek greens, potato fondant, burnt leek and black garlic. Licorice notes in veggie jus. The simplest ingredients - everything brought out. A dish that you would expect to find at the veggie temple "Magdalena". Unsurprisingly, host Julien Ayer, son of long-time "Pérolles" chef Pierrot Ayer, says: "My father was already there for dinner and was very happy."
L'Aparté in the Hôtel Royal is a small gourmet temple with just 15 seats. Chef Armel Bedouet starts each menu personally at the table and presents wonderful dishes made from the best French produce such as fish from Brittany, fine poultry and duck breast.
Le Murenberg celebrates classic French cuisine. Those whose gastronomic home is in the Grande Nation will be spoilt here with fine tasting menus. The "Breton weeks" with seafood fresh from the Atlantic are a highlight.
"Learning on the job" is the premise of the Lausanne Hotel Management School's restaurant. From the realisation of carefully compiled menus to perfect service - the students at this talent factory of Swiss hospitality prove their skills day after day.
The restaurant in Fribourg's old town is a gem. In this beautiful location, Frédérik Kondratowicz serves generous, seasonal cuisine that also has plenty to offer vegetarians. The composition of flavours and textures is always surprising.
La Pistache combines the grandeur of the traditional Balm restaurant with light, modern cuisine. There is plenty of sophistication on the plates, the wine list is well thought out and the elegant ambience makes this place a reliable address for enjoyable evenings.
A contemporary powerhouse of French cuisine with soul: in Cheseaux-Noréaz, Maryline Nozahic has been cooking seasonal classics (ballottine, lentilles, bisque) with constant curiosity for over ten years. Her husband Loïc also acts as host. Wonderful terrace with a view.
Stars, artists and heads of state have all dined and been spoilt at Le Bocca. The French-inspired cuisine is elegant and creative. Only the finest ingredients are used to create gastronomic highlights with the utmost care and craftsmanship.
No one will ever be able to say that chef Yannick Crepaux didn't put enough thought into it. On the contrary! What he cooks as part of Shinrin Yoku ("forest bathing") is full of inspiration. "Eat the Tree" or "Symbiotic Relationship" are examples on the menu.
Metal was once processed here. Today, the industrial building at the railway station houses a restaurant with industrial chic that combines brasserie and gourmet cuisine. The market-fresh cuisine is guaranteed to delight the palate. The classic desserts are worth a sin.
In the historic centre of Fribourg, La Cène offers Moroccan-influenced cuisine with recognition value. The "Inspiration de la Semaine" lunch menu offers variety at a fair price, while the "Éclosion des Sens" menu changes every month in the evening - balanced and sensual.
Sensory delights are guaranteed in the colourful ambience of Le Café Suisse. Chef Marie Robert's dishes bring variety to the plates. The produce used is fresh from the market and seasonal, and prepared with playful lightness.
On the shores of Lake Neuchâtel, chef Marc Strebel cooks with a close eye on local produce: lots of herbs, fish from the lake, vegetables from the farm - modern in inspiration but down-to-earth in realisation. The terrace with a view of the lake is a wonderful place to relax.
The cuisine here thinks far beyond the region: Mediterranean and Asian influences are combined with classics without appearing contrived. This results in dishes that arouse curiosity and surprise again and again - a sophisticated interplay of textures and flavours.
Clément Bourgeois' gourmet restaurant offers French fine dining at its best. The multi-course menu "Laisse toi faire" combines the best seasonal ingredients to create a harmonious and delicious whole. It can be paired with fine wines on request.