No Expert …but I know what I like – Food Blog, Restaurant reviews – Page 48

Omero – arugula to die for!, I don’t think so!

Omero has lots of positive reviews, I would definitely ignore them, this place is not worth the taxi fare to get to the foothills of Florence. One noisy guest could be heard at the top of her voice saying “the arugula was to die for”, she must have been a Vegetarian, as nothing we ordered was worth shouting about.

We could not get out of the place quickly enough, we did not even bother with dessert, instead we struggled to get a waiters attention for the bill and a taxi back to civilization.

Marks out of 10

Food 3

Service 3

Ambience 3

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Beccofino’s – it’s about consistency!

Beccofino’s Ristorante on the south bank of the Arno, just west of the Ponte Vecchio is another restaurant that was great on the first visit and mediocre on the second. No wonder the Michelin Man is so keen on checking for consistency.

The room is very cold, more New York than Florence in style, but on the first visit due to the quality of the food that could be ignored.

Marks out of 10

Food 7 then 5

Service 6 then 5

Ambience 4

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Eating and Drinking Guide (Lausanne & Ouchy)

LAUSANNE

OUCHY

If you fancy a trip to Lake Geneva, Lausanne is a great place to use as a base. Here is a list of some useful restaurants and bars in Lausanne and nearby Ouchy.

Beau Rivage Palace Hotel – in Ouchy, do not bother with any of the hotels restaurants*, instead have a relaxing drink or two and some bar snacks on the terrace overlooking the lake.

*Update: Anne-Sophie Pic is now running the Gastromic Restaurant here, so maybe it is worth trying the distinct food of France’s only female 3 star Michelin chef. Especially now the Restaurant has been awarded 2 Michelin Stars.

Alternatively you could have lunch on the Beau Rivage’s paddle streamer while it makes its way across the lake to Evian, dessert is served on the return trip.

Charlies Place – comfortable bar and restaurant in the centre of Lausanne, good cocktail list and free wi-fi. CLOSED

Click here for more information

Diva – pleasant bar near Lausanne station that does superior bar food.

Click here for more information

Pur – trendy restaurant, bar and club in the Flon.

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Bistro de I’Hotel de Ville, Vevey – have your cake and eat it!

We spotted the Bistro de I’Hotel de Ville when we were exploring Vevey. It is situated in a small square next to the town hall and I would go back to Vevey just for this place. It was perfect, tasty inexpensive food, nice local wines, friendly staff and fabulous pastries for dessert.

This is one of the few “non Gourmet” restaurants to find its way into the Best of the Best category.

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Pur – urban chic in Lausanne

Pur is in the Flon, the “trendy” part of Lausanne, “edgy” is a better description, but that is part of the charm. We found it by accident, it was a wet evening and it was next to the Cinema – see www.pur-flon.ch

We never made it to the Cinema as Pur turned out to be rather special. The food is imaginative, the service friendly, the way they light up the terrace at night is superb, you can just visualise this place in New York’s East Village or London’s Soho.

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Parc des Eaux Vives – a bit of a surprise! (Closed)

My first visit to the Michelin starred restaurant at Parc des Eaux Vives, a small 5 star hotel on the shore of Lake Geneva was with some trepidation. After some disappointments on the culinary front in Switzerland I expected to spend too much money on mediocre food.

The table had been booked a month in advance for Saturday lunch time, we arrived at the beautiful venue, got escorted to the lovely dinning room and found we were actually the only guests, it did not bode well!

As soon as the amuse-bouche and the amazing seaweed bread arrived we knew we were on to a winner.

We finished off a delicious meal and moved to the terrace overlooking the gardens and the lake, taking time to enjoy a small bottle of PX .

So as the first experience was so fabulous we returned, this time staying as guests in the Hotel and much too my surprise they had actually upped their game. The restaurant was still not full, just a few tables set up outside on the small terrace, which made for a lovely atmosphere. The food was superb, and beautifully presented, this place really merits its two Michelin stars.

We also tried the Hotels more informal restaurant “The Brassery”, which was OK, but nothing to write home about. Oh yes and they upgraded us to a suite, so all round it ended up being great value for the money.

UPDATE : March 2010 – This restaurant has sadly closed. See :-
Genevalunch.com

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