LA TABLE DES ROYS
by Vivian Holding
A friend told me about La Table des Roys (thank you, you know who you are!) when I was racking my brains for a good restaurant to celebrate my son’s 20th birthday. The restaurant has now been firmly added to my list of favourite restaurants and is more proof of the power of the grapevine!
La Table des Roys has been around for only one year – run by the delightful Ludovic and Marie-Paule Roy Roy (he’s the very talented chef, whilst she charms the front of house). After many years working in renowned establishments (notably the Hotel Bristol), Ludovic decided to set up his own restaurant with his wife and voila! La Table des Roys was born.
High customer expectations
“The creation of ‘La Table des Roys’ has allowed us to be in direct contact with our customers, to show off my kitchen skills with menus created using selected seasonal products and for us to offer the best customer service in a relaxed atmosphere”, says Ludovic Roy.
Gordon Ramsay would be impressed!
An amuse bouche of foie gras sushi served with a wasabi ice cream, was brought to the table whilst we enjoyed an aperitif and perused the menu.
Hallelujah! Gordon Ramsay would be impressed, as like me he hates long and overly fussy menus. Theirs is a small but impressive menu that consists of four starters, four main courses (two fish, two meat) and three desserts.
From our table, we could see Ludovic and his team create our meal in the open kitchen. I chose the escalope of foie gras, served with pumpkin puree and a fresh pumpkin chutney, filet of bass with crayfish and slices of steamed leeks, leek puree and pureed potatoes (which had been siphoned into the cutest little lidded dish) and exotic fruit burger (see photos).
Marie-Paule was an absolute delight, offering just the right amount of attentive service (she speaks English, along with the other members of waiting staff on that evening). She explained how the business started, mentioning the gastronomic workshops they run every Monday night – which are right up my alley! Watch this space for a review of the workshops. Ludovic later came over to see what we thought of our meal, the kind of personal service that often only happens in Michelin starred establishments – at least in Geneva.
Our meal was perfect, not too heavy, fresh and very well balanced. If you do go to try out this restaurant (and you absolutely should!) and you get the chance to chat to the Roys, please mention you heard about their restaurant through the thingstodoingeneva grapevine.
OPENING HOURS
Open Monday to Friday from 10am-2pm and 7pm-10.30pm, sadly closed at the weekend. For menu pricing and more information on the courses they offer contact:
7 rue du Nant, Eaux-Vives, 1207 Genève. Telephone: 022 736 64 13.
