The week after and before

22 May 2013

Our little ceremony last Friday went well, I did not freeze to death as I had thought I might, and we were able to pull off something personal, small but sweet, under just about two weeks since we got a date set for the city hall.

A special thank you to my friend C who whipped up our professional looking wedding cake, covered with pretty fondant flowers with little red centres. We love you!

Now, on to warmer pastures, though not sunnier, since there are thunderstorms and the occasional typhoon in the part of the world that my husband (!!!) and I will be moving to next week.

Other than my friends, and the town with its pretty lakeside landscape, I will be missing some of the food, most certainly, as I do wherever I go. What are a few of the places I would like to visit before leaving? What do I think I will not be able to find there as easily as here? Well, I had no shame in sharing a cheese fondue last week though we are in the middle of the month of May, but even that we’ll be certainly enjoying in the Philippines, as you can just about find everything there now, especially in the big cities (okay, maybe not the meringues with double cream from Gruyères which we indulged in post-fondue, pictured below).

The filets de perches, we are planning on having this week end by the lake with my in-laws. I wanted to take my daughter for delicious roësti at the Café du Bourg de Four in the old town, where I have had some of the yummiest specimens in Geneva. Other than that, maybe a couple pastries at Ladurée and some hot chocolate at one of the numerous artisanal chocolatiers in town. Also I can’t help but want to return to Brasserie Lipp, though it is French and a branch of the Paris restaurant, because for me it epitomizes the food and ambiance which cannot be recreated in South East Asia (except maybe at that small restaurant near Patpong on a good night) and the food is always exceptionally tasty.

Tonight, I treated myself to a plate of chanterelles (something I might not eat as often there), simply sautéed in butter and olive oil, and remembered why I didn’t want to run a fine-dining, or restaurant gastronomique, where the product needs to be travaillé, literally “worked at” before it is presentable. I remember when I was asked to produce an amuse-bouche at a famous restaurant here in Geneva, I showed my chef de partie my idea and she said “ce n’est pas assez travaillé”, meaning to say the taste was secondary to the time the staff spent on working with the product which is what the clients pay for in the end, as well as the product… in this case I couldn’t imagine how adding even one ingredient could improve the taste I just experienced, and for all the entertainment I get from watching shows like Top Chef, I know what I like and what I want to share, and it can be complicated (that is fun too) and it can be as simple as wild mushrooms glistening a little butter and oil.

And for those of you in Geneva next Tuesday 28 May, see you at the bar du Nord (rue Ancienne 66) for a last drink goodbye at 7:00 pm onwards!