El Catrín, Mexican Restaurant

Today, I’m taking you to El Catrín, a cool place that’s still not very well known, to eat Mexican food in the heart of Pâquis, a popular and lively district of Geneva.

I have wanted to try the cuisine of the El Catrín for a long time, as it is reputed to be the best Mexican restaurant in Geneva. After our meal, I can tell you that I am impatient to discover the other dishes on the menu.

We went there in February for lunch. They offer just one dish of the day at lunchtime, so, to choose “à la carte”, you must go there in the evening.

The decor is exotic and warm, with a Latino atmosphere: wooden tables, pretty little tropical trinkets and the food is served on colourful aluminium plates, I found the idea really original!

I can never resist having a cocktail and chose a Margarita. This must-have Mexican cocktail is a refreshing drink made with tequila, triple Sec, lime juice and salt on the rim of the glass.

The menu of the day was “Zucchini soup” and “Pastel Azteca con pollo” a dish of very thin corn tortilla with an exceptional melt-in-the-mouth texture, and succulent, spicy stuffing (corn tortillas, sweet corn, chicken, beans, chipotle adobado peppers, and grated Chihuahua cheese).

Our meal was absolutely succulent and well prepared. If you crave for Mexican food and dishes from Oaxaca make your mouth water, you now know where to go…

This post, like all my blog posts, is not sponsored.

El Catrín

7-9 Rue Richemont

Pâquis, Geneva

Tél.: +4176 770 15 54

Open Tuesday-Saturday

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen (2017)

“When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.

It’s about a jealous wife, obsessed with her replacement.

It’s about a younger woman set to marry the man she loves.

The first wife seems like a disaster; her replacement is the perfect woman.

You will assume you know the motives, the history, the anatomy of the relationships.

You will be wrong.”

My thoughts: Those who are fans of psychological dramas will adore this domestic thriller. I adored this book and found it totally captivating! It’s the best psychological thriller I’ve read so far this year. This novel has been sold in 30 countries and Hollywood has bought the film rights.

It was written by the duo of Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, and became a bestseller. This is a difficult book to review since I can’t tell you much for fear of giving anything away. I can just say that this is the story of two women. The first is Vanessa, Richard’s ex-wife, who is obsessed with her successor, a beautiful, younger woman who is about to marry her ex-husband. Then there is Nellie, the new wife-to-be, who feels safe, loved and protected by Richard, a good-looking, financially successful man, with an imposing personality...The story is told from the points of view of Nelly and Vanessa, who are very alike (apparently...) on the outside and who love the same man.

Strawberry and Madeleine Delights

Hello everyone!! Today, I thought of sharing this recipe for those who want an attractive and tasty dessert without spending hours in the kitchen. It is a spring recipe made with delicious and fragrant strawberries. This quick, fresh and delicious dessert is sure to make everyone happy!

Ingredients for 4 persons

250g mascarpone 

350g strawberries

50g icing sugar (about 3 tbsps) 

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tbsp sugar 

4 madeleines (35g per madeleine)

Dark chocolate grated, to taste (I used Crémant 50% cacao)

Just crumble the madeleines (you can buy them at the bakery or supermarket) in the bottom of the glasses, cover with whipped cream (whisk the mascarpone with the icing sugar and a teaspoon of lemon juice) and add the strawberries on top (having previously mixed them with the sugar to make syrup). Finally, sprinkle the glasses with grated dark chocolate.

If you prepare the dessert in advance the madeleines will become more moist.

Happy Spring!

Tea at Ladurée Quai des Bergues

Ladurée has 3 shops in Geneva. The one I am featuring is the boutique, restaurant & tea room opened in 2016. The 280 sq metre shop has a fairy-tale decor and an Alice in Wonderland atmosphere. It is fabulously and magically decorated in pastel colours. Once you enter this land of gorgeousness, you don’t want to leave.

This is without a doubt a superb place, the perfect setting to have quality girly time, or it can be a great spot for a Sunday brunch. 

Here one feels glamour, sitting by large windows viewing the iconic Jet d’Eau (depending on where you are seated) and drinking a cup of tea accompanied by pastries.

It is divided into three areas: the pastry shop; the tea-room; the restaurant (classic international meals). The waitress told me that they have after-work functions on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. These evenings are animated by a DJ to make them more festive.

In February I went there to have tea and cake. I choose a Réligieuse and a Jasmin tea. The SO friendly waitress offered me to try/taste their most requested dessert, the French Pain Perdu.

Passion-Fruit, Pineapple and Coconut Réligieuse:  this consists of two choux pastry cases filled with cream with a subtle hint of exotic flavours, glazed with passion-fruit flavoured fondant. It was such a delicate combination of passion fruit and pineapple with grated coconut –  it was difficult  to imagine it would taste so amazing. 

French toast with maple syrup (pain perdu) is Ladurée’s most requested dessert. Mousseline brioche soaked in a cream composed of egg yolk, milk and vanilla, fried in salted butter. It is served with maple syrup and whipped cream. It is rich and delicious, I would say it is perfect for Sunday brunch…

Jasmin Tea served in a silver pot, so chic….

I really had a great morning there, the pastries were fantastic, the tea perfumed and hot, just the way I like it.

This post, like all my blog posts, is not sponsored.

Ladurée Quai des Bergues

Rue du Mont-Blanc 1

1201 Genève

Tel.: +41 22 716 0606

Non-stop service & opens on Sundays!

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (1989)

This book is beautifully written and “unputdownable”. I wasn’t sure that I would like it when I first started reading, but I’m so glad that I persevered (after the 2nd chapter I was completely immersed in the book).

As the story unfolds, a host of events multiply and allow fate to intervene. I had a lot of fun reading this novel. I love Esquivel’s imagery and style, which are strikingly raw and simple, but also the mysterious and magical setting for the story and I found every character to be amazing.

Like Water for Chocolate (original title: Como Agua para Chocolate) was a number one bestseller in Mexico and has since been translated into more than 30 languages.

The book follows the story of Tita de la Garza, the youngest of three daughters of the tyrannical and generally unpleasant widow, Mama Elena. According to Mexican tradition, Tita’s lot in life, as the youngest daughter in the family, is to remain unmarried and care for Mama Elena until the latter dies.

Tita falls in love with her neighbour Pedro at the age of 15 and when Pedro asks Mama Elena for Tita’s hand in marriage, Mama Elena refuses because of an inhuman tradition. Instead, she suggests that Pedro marries Rosaura, Tita’s elder sister. He accepts this only in order to be close to Tita, whom he loves enormously.

From then on, as a passionate and skilled cook, Tita uses her cooking talent to secretly express her heartache and desire for Pedro through the food she prepares. This is the only way she can express herself because Mama Elena is watching them closely to see that they behave... Later on, we learn that Mama Elena had her own hard struggle in life and a lot of frustration too.

All of the chapters begin with recipes that are woven throughout the narrative to create a metaphor for Tita’s emotions. These recipes are methodically detailed. This allows us to dive into the beauty of ancient Mexican cuisine.

This is definitely a marvellous novel that I urge you to discover.

March Monthly Round Up

LIFE LATELY: March was a very boring month. For a start, both of us got sick. When I recovered, I only felt good by hibernating at home! I nevertheless visited the Museum of Art and History in Geneva…but apart from that, I was longing for spring to come and our gardens and parks to be full of blossom.

GENEVA POSTCARDS: In the first week of March, Geneva looked like Siberia: freezing, cold and snowy. I took these morning photos of my neighbourhood.

BOOKS: My March goals were to review some old reads that I will be posting in May. The beautifully written, macabre and fascinating The Collector by John Fowles. The very powerful memoir Amores da Cadela “Pura” by Margarida Victória (English title: The Loves of the Purebred Bitch). The magnificent The Great Tea Rooms of Britain by Bruce Richardson.

ART LOVER: Museum of Art and History (2, Rue Charles-Galland)

The Museum of Art and History is a huge museum of over 1 million exhibition pieces, capturing the history of Western culture and civilisation from ancient times to the present day. Museum entrance is free for everyone.

Konrad Witz (Rottweil 1400 - Bâle 1447)

Jean-Étienne Liotard (Genève 1702 - Genève 1789)

Sir Thomas Lawrence (Bristol 1769 - Londres 1830

BOOKSTORE: Les Recyclables (53, Rue de Carouge)

This is an inescapable and friendly place for lovers of reading and good food,  where you can buy second hand books (often in perfect condition). This bookshop-café pairs literary taste with culinary artistry.

What is coming next? Well, warmer and longer days suitable for outdoor life, getaways, after work drinks on café terraces and seeing our markets and parks filled with colourful and pretty flowers. I wish you all an amazing Easter holiday.