GENEVA FONDUE: WHO SAYS YOU CAN’T EAT FONDUE IN SUMMER?

The Fromagerie (cheese factory) Michelin in Grilly (near Divonnes) has nothing to do with the Michelin restaurant guide, but Michelin is the name of the founder of the factory.

The Restaurant des Bergers is on the same site as the cheese cellar, as well as a cheese deli, where you can buy cheese platters for picnics or apèros, as well as any type of cheese under the sun. Here you can discover more than 350 different types of cheese from the most classical to the most original.

Located 5 minutes from Grilly, it is a quick and easy trip on the motorway from Geneva.

We arrive for lunch on a boiling summer day, ready to melt.  The traditionally decorated restaurant is lovely with air-conditioning and the little terrace out the back is inviting and cool with lots of shade.

It’s a very different feel from a heavy winter chalet and the scene is set for a relaxing lunch with a glass of vino and homemade cheese specialties.

We are welcomed by Sandra, who took over the restaurant with her husband Phillipe, in October last year.

We start with a light, summery goat’s cheese salad, featuring different types of goat’s cheese – including blue goat’s cheese, which I never knew existed. It also includes lemon confit, sundried tomatoes and olives. Very refreshing.

Served with huge chunks of bread.

Moving onto the main course, we ask our friendly hostess, Sandra, for suggestions.  The most popular dish, she tells us, is the Fondue Michelin, made from a fruity Comté Vacherin Fribourgeois and Gruyère.  (CHF24)

We also opt for the Malakoff – typical Swiss ball of fried cheese –  (Read more about this typical Swiss specialty in our article 9 Typical Swiss foods to try)  In this case the Malakoff is made of Comté and served with slices of cured dried beef. (CHF22)

Everything comes with a green salad and a generous bread basket.

The fondue is absolutely delicious – creamy, yet light and soooo tasty.  We just can’t get enough! As much as we try, we can’t seem to finish the fondue!  Admitting defeat, we surrender the pot.

PS. If you’re not a cheese lover, there are some other great sounding options, including beef tenderloin with grilled cheesy potatoes and chicken supreme with morel mushrooms and potatoes.

At this point we have to get up to take a break from eating!  We wander around – admiring the massive cheese wheels in the cellar through the windows inside the restaurant. We also discover a second outdoor space complete with petanque area and comfy seating, which looks super inviting.

We so didn’t need this, but Sandra talks us into one of their seasonal desserts – poached apricots with Brocciu (a rich, creamy Corsican cheese) ice cream a think wafer biscuit.

It is light and the flavours are divine.

A shot of strong coffee with a little chocolate helps with the digestion before we hit the highway back to Geneva. Schnapps would be good here too.

Restaurant des Bergers is a very special place – with a cosy, friendy ambiance and it offers an interesting, different outing from Geneva. The food is excellent and because it’s in France – very reasonable for anyone from Geneva.

Take the family and don’t be in a rush. It’s a beautiful experience.

PS. The restaurant also offers a traditional brunch on a Sunday – from 12h to 14h – which looks amazing!

NOTE:

Our meal at Restaurant des Bergers was sponsored. We only write about restaurants we like and which we think our audience will appreciate.