I have only been here perhaps two or three times in total, and have developed a serious love for this restaurant already. Firstly, I had no idea what to expect about Senegalese cuisine having never even managed to try this in London. The restaurant itself has a clean look about it, fairly modern although at the same time nondescript. However, it is not the reason you go there! The menu offers a small number of entrees such as fried samosa-type treats, a section on grilled meats, and then the "specialities", such as Poulet Yassa and Maffe – both stews – which are served with a generous portion of piping hot steamed rice. Side dishes such as plantain are also available for a reasonable CHF 5. The first time I had the Poulet Yassa, I was just blown away. It is delicious. The chicken is cooked to perfection on the bone, and covered in the most incredible sauce that is packed with caramelised onions, flavours and an uncanny vinegary taste that is just so unique and moreish. The dish reminds you almost of a tagine but thicker and even more intense. The steamed rice on the side is a perfect combination, and with a bit of plantain as well (which is fantastic and perfect for sharing), the whole eating experience is a pleasure. I must admit I have not tried any dish beyond the yassa as I am pretty obsessed by that dish, but my other half has confirmed he always has a tasty dish, and perhaps I will venture out to try something else the next time, given there is also fish, beef stew and grills to be tried! All in all, unless you have extra room, a main is more than enough (and the starters are not quite as spectacular-tasting as the mains) and with a beer or drink, the bill is no more than CHF 30-35 per person – a major bargain and less than ten minutes’ walk from the main station!

I was curious about this place after reading some pretty rave reviews online about the quality and authenticity of the Iranian/Persian food here. When you first enter the place, the décor is fairly inoffensive although they could definitely benefit from heating the place. My husband and I ordered a grilled meat and rice dish each – a kebab koobideh (similar to kofte – grilled lamb brochette) and a lamb filet and rice. The rice was plentiful and the meat was well-seasoned. The hot aubergine dish I ordered was probably the highlight though – braised and packed in flavour, and generous in size.

However, the service was very slow (perhaps not a huge surprise in Geneva!) and the brochette dishes were filling, but apart from the serving of roasted tomatoes on the side, it was all a little underwhelming. Perhaps a bit more of a side salad of some sort might have spruced it up, but it was definitely slightly deficient compared to the traditional meat and rice dishes you might get in a Turkish restaurant. However, there is a huge selection of “ragouts” or stews and traditional dishes such as Baghali Polo (saffron rice with dill served with marinated chicken thigh), which I would love to try at some point as this is possibly where Golestan starts to stand out from other restaurants that serve brochettes. In any case, it is cheap and cheerful (chf 70 for 2 people with 2 drinks, 2 mains and a side dish of aubergine) and centrally-located in Paquis, so if you want a quick and tasty fill and some tasty aubergine, go here!

I consider myself a bit of a food explorer, and Geneva definitely tests your resourcefulness in finding little eating gems given how deprived it can seem on that front. Working on Campus Biotech tests your resolve even more - the only options being two rip-off Thai places, a sad-looking Chinese buffet place, an overpriced Lebanese posh restaurant and.... The biotech cafeteria, where you must pray to the food gods for food if you intend to eat after 12.45.

So I decided to venture out in freezing cold to Salsabeel, which I have walked past a number of times on the way to Sagano or the local coop but never been in. Having done some research, I find it is split into the shop/cafe and the sit down restaurant. Good signs when you enter the shop - plenty of students, meaning not expensive. Cleverly the place offers a student menu where for some dishes like chicken biryani, you can get a side salad and drink and eat in for the same price - a mere chf 12. The decor is simple and functional. What is great is seeing lots of people turn up for lunch - lone men, groups of students, and friends. Food is plentiful and chicken served on the bone; the rice piping hot. The vegetable samosa is a good size and at chf 2, even comes with a side of sweet chili sauce :) you can choose from a few curries and the three biryanis are available on thurs and fri only. Now don't get me wrong - this is not Lahore in East London or Tayyab - and the depth is not quite there on flavor. BUT it is a satisfying meal that hits the spot and brings happiness in this food void that is Secheron! And to see Indian/Pakistani food that doesn't rip you off at chf 20 for a curry and is the perfect stopover for a no-nonsense hearty lunch, brings a smile to all Geneva-based foodies I imagine. Keep it up, Salsabeel :) 

A friend had told me that Gaya was pretty good several months ago, but I had never got round to trying it out until colleagues gathered a small group for a birthday lunch. We arrived and were seated pretty quickly, with the staff being flexible and joining two tables together to seat the five of us. One colleague – a bit of an aficionado here – ordered two kimchi pancakes to share and four of us ordered the plat du jour at CHF 24 each, which was 'beef and rice in hot stone bowl'. Ultimately, this was a bibimbap to me, pretty much like others I have had in London but without the egg. It came accompanied impressively by a whole range of sides including kimchi and other pickles, as well as bean sprouts, as well as incredibly good spicy sauce to mix into the rice and a bowl of miso. It was delicious – all of it. From the kimchi pancake, which had a real kick to me and was really well-cooked, to the bibimbap, it was a delight to eat. The stone bowl did a fine job of keeping the dish much hotter than I have usually had, and was plentiful in beef and salad leaves (strange but worked well), which is super reassuring when you order the plat du jour and expect to get measly portions. The Korean tea was nutty and came with a neat little lid that kept it super-warm. All in all, a really enjoyable meal in chic but not over-pretentious surroundings, for about CHF 35 a head. Not bad at all for Geneva and a great flag-bearer for Korean cuisine in these parts.

A colleague had heard about Soup Up and suggested we meet there for lunch. Excited at the prospect of a new lunch place that was more reminiscent of London than the often dated and soulless places you find in Geneva, I turned up on a very blustery day in February and found a light, airy cafe-type restaurant with a simple yet appealing concept - a range of soups to choose from the blackboard, alongside a few nutritious and interesting-sounding salads, the option of a number of desserts and rather oddly, Onigiri - Japanese rice balls. Three soups are regular soups, whereas another two are specials that change each day. I chose the menu (they have a number of different combinations) at about CHF 21 of spicy broccoli and lardon soup, apple crumble and a green tea (soupe + boisson + dessert). Despite being relatively pricey given it is 'just soup', the soup bowl was very generous, piping hot and packed full of flavour. Soup was accompanied by both a small chunk of bread and a generous pile of homemade croutons. The apple crumble was delicious. All in all, the meal was very tasty and justified the slightly high price tag. It was a pleasure to see a lunch venue in Geneva that was refreshingly quirky, urban and innovative and I hope to see it go from strength to strength. What will be interesting is seeing how the place gets on during summer, when soup is not exactly high on people's menus...