A new crowdfunding project has been launched with the aim of reopening a beautiful old café in the heart of Lausanne.
Following its closure in 2016, Le Barbare has been sorely missed by the residents and tourists of Lausanne, who used to meet regularly there during the day for one of its famous hot chocolates, or later in the evening for an aperitif.
Situated on the well-known “Escaliers du Marché” leading down from the cathedral, the café first opened its doors to guests back in 1951. With such a historic location for its address, fans of Le Barbare are keen to retain the café’s link with its traditional and geographic past, rather than see it reopen as office space or other commercial entity with less of a community spirit to it.
To do this, they need to raise money. The café requires renovation if it is to conform with current standards for safety and hygiene, especially in the kitchen area. So three friends and former “regulars” of Le Barbare – a historian, a geographer and an entrepreneur - have come together to form an association to raise the funds, not just for the immediate restoration, but also for start-up capital to get the business up-and-running as a café again.
Since we reported on the launch of Geneva’s new gastronomic restaurant, Le Chef, a couple of years ago, the neo-industrial style restaurant has established a strong reputation for producing high quality, authentic dishes with a global twist. Situated on on the third floor of the public zone of Geneva Airport, with spectacular views over the airport runways and Jura mountains, the restaurant has continued to use local produce from the Romand region to create an exciting and varied menu that changes with the passage of seasons.
The first dining experience of its kind in Switzerland….
Never one to rest on his laurels, Benjamin Luzuy and his team have now decided to embark on a new culinary journey – the first of its kind in Switzerland - with the help of a diminutive animated chef, called “Le Petit Chef”.
If someone were to ask you what food you associate with Switzerland, chances are that you will think of cheese and chocolate. We all have our own favorites…whether it’s Gruyère or Emmental, Lindt or Toblerone…you can’t beat Swiss cheese or chocolate.
However, there is so much more to Switzerland than its dairy products! There are terrines from Fribourg, olive oil from Tessin, apple juice from Thurgovie, honeypots from Zürich, and brandy from Valais, indeed the list is endless…Which is why husband and wife team, Alexandra and Guillaume Schleipen have set up their own food store in Lausanne to showcase the many and varied culinary delights of all 26 cantons within Switzerland.
Bringing everything together
Guillaume told knowitall.ch, “Eight years ago, my wife and I met at the Ecole Hotelière de Lausanne, where we soon discovered we had a mutual passion for food; we simply loved discovering the specialties of the regions we visited all over the world. After we left the hotel school, my wife used to work a lot on the Swiss-German side of Switzerland, and would bring home lots of specialties from this region, which we had never seen before. And it wasn’t just us, our neighbours were equally astonished at the many different types of food my wife would show them! When it comes to food, the “Röstigraben” cultural boundary that many people joke about between the French and German speaking parts of Switzerland has certainly had a divisive effect !”
© EMO-Photo
A traditional Mongolian yurt has recently been installed in the park of the Hôtel du Léman in Jongny, Vaud.
The new yurt will offer guests a unique gastronomic experience, in a tranquil setting at the gates of Lavaux, overlooking Lake Geneva.
With its luxurious array of shimmering colors, and perfect “cocoon-like” sound proofing, the yurt makes an ideal location for anyone looking to celebrate a birthday with family or friends, organize an aperitif with colleagues, or run a motivational evening for their sports team! Measuring up to 50m2, the yurt can accommodate up to 35 people at a time.
On the menu is a special 3-course dinner, proposed by chef Laurent Omphalius and priced at Fr. 85.- per person, which includes chestnut soup (served in the cauldron outside, weather permitting), a meat or fish-based Mongolian fondue, with rice noodles and julienne vegetables. The homemade dessert is a mouth-watering combination of pineapple and coconut rolls with lychee sorbet.
© Point of views
Ideally located in the heart of Geneva, only steps from the lake and the Place des Alpes, Eastwest Hotel opened its doors 10 years ago. To celebrate this anniversary in the chic nomadic style that characterizes the hotel, Eastwest will take its guests on a journey from East to West through 10 exciting destinations. From Switzerland to Thailand via Japan and Denmark, this gourmet and cultural itinerary will make a stopover in a different country each month.
EASTWEST - the spirit of a private home in the heart of Geneva
A boutique hotel of understated luxury, Eastwest has attracted guests for 10 years with its intimate atmosphere and casual elegance in the spirit of a private home. Its refined contemporary setting is a subtle blend of East and West. A choice meeting place for a cosmopolitan Geneva clientele, the restaurant reflects the hotel’s traveling spirit, offering creative, modern world-inspired cuisine. The open-air patio and its wall of streaming water framed by vegetation is a real urban oasis. From February this year, the patio is transformed into a winter garden for the season, offering a new idyllic space that can be privatized for events or dinners under the stars.
