LOBSTER ROLL AND A SUPERIOR GIN – WHY NOT?
Lobster & Co, Geneva
by Chené Koscielny and Photos by Caro Blackwell of Tasteofsavoie.com
We’ve been locked up for months, summer was very nearly cancelled and the future is looking shaky to say the least – all excellent reasons to treat yourself to the ultimate summer indulgence – a swanky lobster roll, washed down with a superior gin.
Geneva now has its very own Lobster café – Lobster & Co, which first started life as a vintage food truck serving highbrow lobster rolls at street food festivals and other events.
Due to popular demand, the trio behind the food truck Julien, Toby and Christophe decided to open their own restaurant, as you do in Geneva!
THE VENUE
In the heart of Paquis – nestled between strip clubs and exotic restaurants, the lobster café may seem a bit out of place, but the area is very popular with lunch-goers and tourists from nearby hotels and businesses.
The guys were rearing to go in March and actually picked up their keys on 16 March, the morning everything shut down for COVID–19! This may have been a blessing in disguise, because they used lockdown to add finishing touches to the interiors of the restaurant at 13 Rue de Fribourg and it is obvious that it was a project of love. It is stunning!
The big red lobster painting on the outside window leaves no doubt we’re at the right place and the terrace is very cute.
The interior is trendy with an exposed wall decorated with a beautiful red Lobster & Co wall-art light installation against the wall. The tables have all been engraved with cute little red lobsters! Most of the furniture are revamped vintage pieces.
We love the waiters’ nautical white and blue stripy T-shirts! You can almost smell the sea…
THE CONCEPT
The lobster roll has center stage, of course – inspired by American and Canadian lobster cafés, but with some creative touches from Chris, a French chef from Annecy, who is a hotel school graduate. The idea is to offer trendy street food – with all the trimmings.
THE LOBSTER ROLL
A lobster roll worth its salt needs to have a decent amount of quality lobster meat – not too finely shredded, but with some discernable chunks. Celery, red onion pickles and salad add the crunch and the mayo should be subtle enough, so as to not overpower the main act.
In this case, the lobster is from Canada and tastes fresh and yummy, with some chunks. The mayo is zingy but not too strong and there is a lovely crunch factor ; )
The rolls are very important and we adored these rolls – baked by a partner bakery in Geneva – and similar in taste to a brioche – buttery, slightly sweet and toasted – just divine.
The portion is generous and is served the authentic way on a NY TIMES newspaper page. CHF25. You can share, but you won’t want to.
You can choose to upgrade your lobster roll to king-size for mighty appetites. (add CHF15)
Good luck with that!
ALSO ON THE MENU
We also fancied the King Roll, which is filled with crab, fennel, sriracha mayonnaise and radishes (CHF22.)
We tried the Ceasar salad, which was lovely with parmesan, croutons and radishes, but will probably go for the main act every time. Really, if you’re doing it, do it properly.
You also have a delicious sounding lobster bowl with edamame beans, carrots and avocado topped with lobster for the dieters. (CHF29)
We couldn’t resist the Sundae Maison as dessert – lovely milkshake flavour with hazelnuts – obviously not great for dieting… (CHF9)
APÉRO NIGHTS
The chef will be adding creative touches to the menu, including a langouste recipe in July and we’re very excited about the soon-to-be-announced apéro nights with their superior gin selection, a few trendy cocktails and mini lobster canapés! Watch our 10 things to do page for updates here.
The restaurant offers beer, wine, a selection of superior gins and a few quality cocktails.
MORE INFO
