2_1_DiscoverGermany_March15_Issue24:Scan Magazine 1
2/3/15
14:46
Page 15
Restaurant of the Month Switzerland
Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville Excellence as leitmotif for a special dining experience Savour the moment in an exceptional atmosphere. The Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville in Crissier near Lausanne impresses with a 60-year-long succession of legendary chefs, excellent cuisine which awakens every sense, a light, cosy, elegant and modern ambience, 52 gastronomic experts and a remarkable history. TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF | PHOTOS: PIERRE-MICHEL DELESSERT
Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2015, the restaurant has become an internationally famous legend due to its succession of Michelin-starred chefs such as Frédy Girardet or Philippe Rochat. Today it is the turn of BenoîtViolier to oversee the famous kitchens in Crissier. He remains true to the philosophy of the restaurant and his predecessors through a product-centred cuisine, respecting seasonality and emphasising products of local origin. Restaurant owners, chef Benoît and his wife Brigitte combine a modern vision of cooking with the restaurant’s traditions, while bringing a fresh new side and their own character to this symbolic Swiss address.
Benoît’s refined and exceptional cooking emphasises the produce as the key element. Why not try some of his signature dishes, such as the ‘Scarlet’ tomato, pulp and pip consommé with Imperial Oscetra or the yellow and brown wild morel mushrooms from the Auvergne mountains with a meadow mushroom jus? Always on a quest to find the best possible local products and respecting the environment, the team of employees have all been trained in prestigious establishments in Switzerland, in France and abroad. Everyone shares their savoir-faire, professionalism and passion to bring that special dining experience to Crissier.
Visually, Brigitte and Benoît Violier have created something very special too as the restaurant has been completely refurbished. Two new dining rooms have a welcoming and cosy atmosphere, which is on purpose sober so that everyone’s attention can be directed to tasting the dishes. Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville’s leitmotif is excellence as they constantly focus on giving guests the best possible. Believing in simplicity, Benoît Violier often says that a product of excellent quality does not need much to reveal its flavours: good cooking, a good seasoning, and a combination of one or two ingredients and flavours. www.restaurantcrissier.com
Top: Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville’s team. Above: The restaurant’s interior. (left) Yellow and brown wild morel mushrooms from the Auvergne mountains with a meadow mushroom jus. (middle) Benoît Violier (right) and his wife. Photo: lenaka.net (right)
Issue 24 | March 2015 | 15