EAT FILET DE PERCHE IN FRONT OF THE JET D'EAU 2020

EAT FILET DE PERCHE WITH A VIEW OF THE JET D’EAU

La Voile

by Chené Koscielny

It’s only Geneva’s most famous landmark but finding a restaurant with a good view of the Jet d’Eau is surprisingly difficult.

At least that’s what we thought – until we discovered La Voile – literally within spitting distance of our favourite water jet and serving some of Geneva’s best-known dishes, including the famous Filet de perche.

You couldn’t ask for a better location – a great spot to take family and friends from out of town or to treat yourself to the tourist experience in Geneva.

SUMMER VIBES

We start our ‘tourist in Geneva’ evening sipping a striking blue cocktail aptly named the Jet d’Eau, on the terrace of La Voile. This is a great spot for watching joggers, lovers, dog walkers, picnic goers and families strolling to and from the lakeside. The restaurant is on the busy Quai Gustave-Ador, but it feels cool in a Miami kind of way. We couldn’t get any closer to the iconic fountain and we feel like we’re on holiday in an exotic location…

Heck, my husband even seems a bit more romantic than usual.

FILET DE PERCHE – NOT FROM THE FREEZER

You can’t pretend to be a tourist in Geneva without eating Filets de perche, but finding a decent version of this dish is not that easy and you often have to go to Hermance or Morges or even further afield for perches that aren’t from the depths of the freezer instead of the lake.

This is where La Voile wants to add value– serving fresh perches, as well as other high quality and symbolic Swiss specialties, right next to the Jet d’Eau. The emphasis is on quality produce.

WHAT TO EAT

By now the sky is turning a gorgeous pink and we move inside, but the view is as stunning because of the huge glass windows.

I start with a perches tartare prepared with avocado and a mango vinaigrette – (the perches for the tartar actually come from a farm in Valais). It’s my first perches tartare – so, I can’t compare it to anything, but it has a lovely, fresh taste. (CHF36)

My husband enjoys a beautifully presented goat’s cheese and beetroot salad (CHF17) served with yummy home baked bread. For the main dish, I enjoy the filets du perche with a lemony butter (these ones really are from Lac Leman, the chef assures us) and served with a trio of delicious sauces – chimichurri, tartar and delicious spicy “thousand lakes” sauce. It also comes with a generous portion of spicy fries. (CHF46)

The last time I had filets de perches meunière at a well-known restaurant, I couldn’t eat for 2 days afterwards because it was so drenched in butter.

This time, the fish is delicately cooked with a light buttery taste, but without overdoing it.

Delicious.

My husband has a matured rib-eye steak, which is served with broccoli, but the meat is tender and yummy. La Voile also serves different versions of the Swiss potato dish – rösti, which would be a good side for this dish.

TOBLERONE CHEESECAKE, OF COURSE

A perfect way to end a touristy meal is the impressive Toblerone cheesecake – generous enough to share – which tastes as good as it looks. A MUST order, in my opinion.

Other options include Ovaltine tiramisu, milk rice and chocolate mousse.

A MOROCCAN MASTER CHEF IN GENEVA

You’d expect the chef to be Swiss, but you’d be way off.

Chef Alireza Azmayesh, who is Moroccan, Swiss and Iranian, grew up in Morocco and was originally a jeweler with a penchant for cooking. After being a finalist in the Moroccan Master Chef TV series in 2017, he enrolled in a cookery course at the Ritz in Paris, before moving to restaurant kitchens in Geneva. Since then he has worked at Black Tap, Voisins 105 and Khozan before being appointed as head chef at La Voile in October 2019.