Parmigiani hosted dinner at SIHH: Hotel d'Angeterre

Unusual review today. This is a catered event at Hotel d'Angleterre in Geneva. Hosted by Parmigiani Fleurier, a most unusual watch brand who makes watches of the most exquisite quality. I will cover this more like an event report...to give my foodie readers a glimpse on what happens within the watch collecting community, when a brand entertains.

The evening began at the Parmigiani Booth inside the Salon Internationale de Haute Horology (SIHH), an invitation only event staged annually in Geneva. A presentation of the pieces which are new was done. This is customarily known as the presentation of the novelties.

The group was greeted by Michel Parmigiani himself, still active and very much involved in the creation of the beautiful watches.

Marcia Marzzocchi, General Manager of the Americas was doing the honours of presentation.

The group comprised of important and noted collectors, as well as web journalists.

Another view of the group

We then travelled by chartered coach from Palexpo where the SIHH was being held, to downtown Geneva, to an old, but beautifully refurbished hotel - the Angleterre.

And dinner began...a sumptious 7 course dinner, with beautiful wines. I attach a copy of the menu suggestion for info. (need pdf reader). With the menu, and the wine list, I leave the reader to follow the dinner courses. Needless to say, the dinner was wonderfully delicious. Fresh ingredients, lovingly prepared. Wines suggested were perfect.

So we start with the amuse bouche

Scallops with truffles, wrapped in a green leaf enclosure

And foie gras

Lobster was next


And a palate cleanser of champagne granite

We paused to then present the big pieces...the striking watches and the tourbillons...major complications. And the group went weak in the knees...oooh and ahhs were heard...

The main course of veal was served in the midst

But as we ate, most were fascinated by the watches. Michel, Marcia, Jean-Marc (Jacot...CEO of Parmigiani Fleurier), myself, Marco Gabella and Alex Friedmann (co-organizers of the event with me) went around explaining the key and salient features of the watches.

We were so absorbed in the discussion...

That after the cheese course

I forget to take photographs of the food, and was totally engaged with the discussion on watches. Mind you, it was almost midnight already, and most of us had flown in from far away and suffering from jet lag, but you could not tell by observing the animated discussions and the fascination of the timepieces. The hotel wait staff must be wondering when we would finish our dinner...and finally, at close to 1am, we decided to give them a break and go back to our respective hotels to rest.

But highly recommended. Cooking and the food was excellent. The wines were great. And the service excellent.

Traditional Swiss meals: Les Armures in Geneva

Les Armures, one of the favourites of my watch buddies when we come visiting during the Salon International de Haut Horologie (SIHH). Some of them love the place so much, they stay at this little boutique hotel up the hill just by the old town of Geneva. The name refers to the gunnery just behind the hotel, with its ancient guns originally trained to protect the city against its enemies.

But a quaint little place this is. As one enters, the whiff of cheese is rather strong. This was, afterall Switzerland, and this restaurant is one of the places to enjoy raclette and fondue. But I am fond of neither, but have still grown to love this place...for it serves great lamb and other delicacies.



The occassion this time was dinner with Laurent Ferrier and his team, after a successful launch of his Gallet Tourbillon watch, and a new peek-a-boo timepiece shown earlier that day at the Geneva Time Exhibition (GTE).

I started with a French Onion Soup:



A thick, rich onion soup...stewed till the onions have caramalised and profuses a sweetness to the broth, a thick layer of toasted breadcrumbs, covered by a layer of cheese and baked. For those who love cheeses, this was absolutly delicious. Wonderful aromas of the onions infuse gently with the cheese. Excellent, and one of the best French Onion Soups I have had in a while.

As a sample, a plate of rackette was served:



A melted lump of cheese...eaten wrapped around a potato. For the cheese lover, again this was a slice of heaven. I like cheese, but am not totally crazy with it, so one serving of this rackette suffices to satisfy...and it was indeed satisfying. But connoiseurs will eat 5 or 6 servings in a meal. A heavy meal indeed.

Raclette is actually from the French term to scrape, and the traditional method is to start with a semi-solid piece of cow cheese, and with the aid of a flame or heat source to melt the surface. As the cheese melts, a small knife is scrapped into the diner's plate. In Les Armures, this was already done in the kitchen, and the ceremony of scraping or racler (French) is not performed.

For my mains, I had the rack of lamb:



This was served medium rare:



and with potato rosti...another Swiss favourite. Rosti is kind of like a hash brown, but often served covering the entire plate.

The lamb was from New Zealand, and as fine as it ever was. Tender, flavourful. Rich tasting. The rosti was well done...a crisp and rich crust over the starchy interior.

Swiss food is rather rich, with lots of cheese, butter, potatos and heavy meats (sometimes). And for traditional Swiss, Les Armures is certainly a good option for Geneva.


Restaurant
Hotel Les Armures
Rue du Puits-Saint-Pierre 1
1204 Geneva, Switzerland
022 310 91 72

Geneva: Steaks at Les Relais de l'Entrecote

Geneva, Switzerland. I have had a close association with this little city for the last decade...making my pilgramage at least twice, sometimes up to 4 times a year. Indeed, Geneva is an intriguing city to the uninitiated. Cold...not only in the temperatures during the winter months, but also in the attitude of its inhabitants. Sunday in Geneva, most of the business establishments, including restaurants are closed, and the casual visitor is hard pressed. Until you discover the secrets of the city.

I now have several favourites. From Lion D'Or...a little one star Michelin gem tucked away in Cologny, or Brasserie Lipp, or Les Armures up in the hill at the old town. But also at chain stores like Molina, and hotel eateries like the pizzeria at Hotel Mont Brilllant just behind the main train station. But a curious little eatery, right at Rue du Rhone also claims a place in my schedule...

Perpetually full...with a line queuing outside, even in the bitter cold of winter. This busy, very cramped little place has the reputation for the best steaks in Geneva.



There is no menu in this restaurant. The waitress comes by, and asks how you'd like your steak done...and what wine you'd like. That's it.

The steaks are served in two servings...the first dished out on your plate, a generous drizzling of the butter sauce, and a nice helping of fries. Shown below, the first of my two almost identical servings:



No place to entertain orders of Chicago medium-rare...I just confirmed I want it "a point"...medium. The meat was almost perfectly lean, cooked just past medium, erring on the side of almost being well done. As a result, it was a bit tough, but being chewy had its benefits. The meat was tasty, flavourful. And being smothered in the thick, gorgeously rich sauce is quite nice. The fries were shoestring style....fried almost crisp on the outside, and did not feel greasy.

I wouldn't say this is the best steak I have had...but I must say its not bad...and SF42 for a serving, while not cheap, is to be considered rather reasonable in this expensive city. Recommended.


Genève •
49, rue du Rhône
+ 41 22 310 60 04

Pre-Gastronomy in Paris: Lion D'Or in Geneva

with the Lange Owners Group



A. Lange & Soehne, the top end luxury watch brand hosts a dinner every year at the Salon International de Haut Horologie (SIHH) for a collector's group where I am Founding Chairman...the Lange Owners Group (LOG). As a tradition, we have held the dinner on a Tuesday evening at the Auberge du Lion D'Or. The Lion D'Or, or the Golden Lion has 1 Michelin star, 17 GaultMillau points and situated in the prosperous district of Cologny in Geneva.



We take our usual place upstairs from the main dining room, which by the way has a spectacular view of the Lake Geneva. Our little private enclave upstairs can sit up to 25 diners in comfort, but we had the luxury of only having one long table sitting 20.

As is typical of Lange, we started with conversations lubricated by champagne (Laurent Perrier Brut). We talked about everything on earth, from watches (of course!), to suits, to shoes, to roasting coffee at home.



And eventually, we settle down for the food and wine. After the amuse bouche was served, the appetizer of foie gras was presented:



The duck liver tasted very good...freshly made pate, smooth, creamy. Nice flavour. Ably supported by the chutney and crispy bread.



Other than the champagne, the white was superbly matched to the foie gras. This is my first taste of Domaine Vacheron...curious in a watch dinner...to have wine with the domaine name which is the same as Lange's stable mate in Richemont: Vacheron Constantin. This Sancerre was typical of the region's prized wines...medium bodied, with floral notes underlined with a hint of truffle. 2008 was quite a nice year for Domaine Vacheron.

The main course was medallions of veal:



Veal is meat from suckling cattle...who have not started to eat grass or grain, but fed only with their mother's milk. So the meat is rather pinkish, and considered a white meat, rather than red meat of beef. Typically very tender, and not flavourful, this meat is quite popular in Switzerland.



This veal was no different. Tender and mild tasting. It went well with the rice fritters and the light sauce which accompanies. The wine coupling was with the magnificent Les Pagodas les Clos St Estephe 2004. This was a powerful Bordeaux...strong violet hue. On the nose, blackberries and a hint of raspberry pemeates. Very elegant finish.

Dessert was inspired:



The black chocholate was super rich, and very strong chocolatey flavours, creamy, smooth, almost overpowering, but not quite. And topped with a cocoa sherbert, which was just as creamy as any ice cream...quite nice. Not too sweet as is the custom these days, but nice to finish the meal.

An excellent restaurant, in a beautiful setting.



The chef, taking his kudos:




Auberge du Lion d’Or
Place Pierre-Gautier 5
Cologny
Geneva
Geneva
1223
Phone: +41 (0) 22 736 4432
Web: http://www.liondor.ch


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