Reviews, Guides & Maps
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.
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
For a group booking it will be hard to beat this location, for either the glamour of the venue or the value for money.
When I went to The Park, it was with a group of 12 people, and we were choosing from an early evening set menu that included unlimited wine with the first two courses.
The food and the service were of the high standard you would expect from the Mandarin Oriental, but what really surprised us was the range of options. How many places do you know that do a set menu where 12 people can all have different desserts?.
On the down side, you do have the Mandarin bar next door, so anything you save on the food will most likely get spent on the fabulous cocktails.
You will however need to get in quick, before The Park disappears in the planned refurbishment to fit in Heston Blumenthals new London venture : see Foliage replacement – the Gossip.
Marks out of 10
Food 7.5
Service 7.5
Ambience 7
Looking for an occasion to make a return trip to this oasis in Oxfordshire.
Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saison is just stunning, situated in the village of Great Milton just outside Oxford. You can get a train to Haddenham and Thame station (10 minutes away) or Oxford station (25 minutes away) or if you have money to burn you can always park your helicopter on the private helipad.
The Helicopters were arriving and departing quite frequently when we were there, it was the only thing disturbing the tranquility of the place.
We went for the tasting menu followed by coffee and Petits fours in the garden. One course was a standout (much too everyone’s surprise). It was “stuffed courgettes” – I hate courgettes! I have no idea what they did to them, but the dish was a talking point for a long time afterwards. The rest of the meal was splendid too.
After lunch, weather permitting it’s nice to be able to wander round the grounds, and explore the large vegetable patch and Japanese Garden.
My visit was a while ago, before I started photographing my food and surroundings, which is a real shame. All I have now are my memories, one of the strongest of which is how relaxed I felt on the visit. A visit that encompassed one long sunny Sunday afternoon but somehow felt like I had actually been on holiday for a week.
Marks out of 10
Food 8.9
Service 8.9
Ambience 9
You will find the Mint Leaf just off Haymarket in Piccadilly, it’s an ideal pre-theatre location.
The entrance is a bit off putting, but once you get in, there is a smart bar and very “Modern Indian” Restaurant. The food is off a high standard and designed for sharing. I would recommend you order maybe 6 or 7 of the smaller dishes to share between 2. This being subject to appetite and wallet!. This approach can get expensive, so I would look out for one of the toptable deals that offer a 50% discount, they come up quite often for the Mint Leaf. Some nice wines too – no discount on them unfortunately.
There is also what I can only describe as a Cat Walk in the main dinning room, so I guess you could “pose” here too. The restaurant has 1 AA Rosette, which it certainly merits.
Lambeth Pier Fresco Cafe AKA “The Hut” has to be one of my favorite breakfast locations, it is just a hut on the river at Lambeth Pier with views of the Houses of Parliament.
At first glance you may think tourist trap – they have postcards and cheap trinkets on sale outside. The location is just too good. It’s right next to where the Tourist buses park for River boat trips and Japanese tourists pose next to the red telephone box. Don’t let that put you off, as “The Hut”, which is pretty much a glorified Sandwich Bar with outside tables, does a mean bacon sandwich and is a great place to watch the world go by.
UPDATE : September 2010 – The Hut is now under new management and called Riverside Cafe. It no longer has the souvenir stand and has extended its menu to cover a larger selection of breakfast options.
Marks out of 10
Food 4.5
Service 5
Ambience 5