It all began 19 years ago. Back then, the legendary chef Joël Robuchon presented his version of a contemporary fine dining restaurant for the first time – with a counter and a view of the kitchen. The Atelier de Joël Robuchon was born. The concept quickly spread around the globe, but only found its way to Switzerland at a late stage. That one of these Ateliers opened in Geneva last year – in the luxury hotel The Woodward is no less than logical: where else but here could this mixture of cosmopolitanism and high gastronomic art be established?
Chef Olivier Jean presents an extensive menu. Going all out à la carte will be pricy, but the three-course lunch menu only sets you back a reasonable 79 Swiss francs. This deal came with a great selection of bread plus an amuse bouche, a mackerel tart with a wafer-thin pastry base and wonderfully juicy topping. The main was a beef with Malabar pepper, kohlrabi and the legendary Robuchon mashed potatoes – the secret of which is an inordinate amount of butter, of course. Between the fish and the meat courses, we also opted for an intermission in the form of a large portion of foie gras au torchon, ordered Patrick Piuze Chablis and were delighted with our dessert of rice pudding with mango and kaffir lime.
If you were to look for weak spots you would not be able to fault the service – but the pricing, especially in the wine list. Bottles for less than 100 Swiss francs are few and far between – but plentiful in the other direction. The 30 Swiss francs we were charged for a glass of decent red wine hurt, as did the nine francs for the good but not outstanding espresso. Nevertheless, the visit to the Atelier was extremely enjoyable.
Reviewed by Werner von Hamberg
