We know that pretty much everyone is open New Year’s Eve, but what about New Year’s Day? Outside of hotel restaurants and Chinatown, here’s a list I compiled of decent brunch and dinner eats for January 1, 2012.
Tag: lunch
For my first meal back on Swiss soil, I opted to have lunch at a Michelin-starred restaurant: Le Chat Botté at the hotel Beau Rivage. Framed by an intensely blue sky of a sunny spring day, the blindingly white and stately hotel faces Lake Geneva and the ever-familliar Jet d’Eau. A fitting start to my trip.
Since the spring, Porchetta & Co has declared a soft-shell Saturday every few weeks or so. On-offer: a delicious sandwich of panko-crusted and fried soft-shell crab.
With the humidex bumping temperatures up to a cool 48°C, this might not have been the best day to venture outside for eats. But I left my air-conditioned sanctuary and braved the hot winds to see what this La Carnita pop-up taco shop was all about.
The colourful and tasty Tuscan bean salad (siding the Pavarotti sandwich) at Fabbrica.
It was a warm afternoon and I was seeking something lighter. While I’d usually pass on a chicken sesame salad, the green papaya listed as an ingredient seemed to catch my fancy.
I finally made a second visit to Khao San Road and eat some favourite dishes from Chef Nuit’s previous restaurant.
Brightly-lit and comfortable, this cute space offers reasonably-priced roasted chickens (grain-fed and free-range), as well as “other species” (as listed on their menu). Everything is separately-priced, allowing you to craft your own meal.
The Gabardine is a polished American bistro with elements that make it more casual: epoxy-lacquered wood tables, white walls, patterned white tin ceiling, mis-matched dishware, and a chalkboard. I stopped in recently and enjoyed some lunch in this bright and airy space.
Fabbrica has been getting a lot of flak from foodies regarding its prices. While not the cheapest card on the block, it is, however, one of the few Italian restaurants of note in the area. Though the decor tries a little too hard to be rustic-yet-cool, it’s still a nice space to loiter in. Just get someone else to foot the bill.
