Review - Les Chevreuils

This is a special place for me as it was the venue for my wedding reception in 2009. I really enjoyed it then but being at a wedding is different to simply eating in a normal restaurant. So, this review is based on my experience here for a meal in April 2011 (described further in my blog "An Anniversary Treat").

This restaurant, which is also a hotel, is located at Vers-chez-les-Blancs near Lausanne, surrounded by woodland and countryside. It also has views of the French alps from it's garden. It might not be the easiest place to find if you've never been there before, but their website offers advice on how to get there. There is a metro station at Epalinges (Croissettes) and a bus that stops just near Les Chevreuils, so it is fairly accessible if you know where you are going.

The building itself is quite old and homely, giving it a welcoming feel. The staff are helpful, especially when it comes to proposing an aperitif or selecting a wine to go with your meal. Ah yes, the meal. That's where Les Chevreuils really excels.

I started my meal with a little amuse bouche of cauliflower purée with mushrooms and green pesto. It took a couple of spoonfulls for me to appreciate it, but I ended up very satisfied.

Foie gras - yum!

After finishing this, along came the entrée - foie gras. The thought of foie gras might make some people feel a bit queasy, but I decided to give it a go (how do you know you don't like it if you don't try it?).

I made a good decision as it was delicious. It was succulent, tasty, surprising, and very, very moreish. I think I accompanied every bite with contented "mmm" noises, which probably annoyed my wife and any other diners who happened to be within earshot.


Beef and some veg



My main course was a a big chunk of beef with vegetables, and this was very nice indeed. The beef was well cooked and vegetables were nice. The sauce added extra flavour to the dish and complemented the meat really well.

I rounded off my meal with the cheese selection, which I was slightly disappointed with as it was a very standard selection (camembert, gruyere, epoisses and roquefort). I enjoyed the roquefort but the others failed to hit the mark. My palate might have been tainted by the deliciousness of the foie gras though, so the subsequent dishes were probably better than they seemed at the time.

Posh-looking food

The food is always presented in the style that you see from famous Michelin-starred chefs on programs like Masterchef, which peak your interest as soon as the plate arrives.

Some of the combinations can be a bit hit and miss though - my wife had vegetables in lemon grass topped with celery-apple flavoured ice cream. It apparently tasted as odd as it sounds.


Overall though, the experience was enjoyable and the food was a delight. The only downside of the evening was when the bill arrived. As you can imagine with food of this calibre, you are expected to pay a healthy price for it. Hey ho, that's what credit cards are for!

Address:       Route du Jorat 80, 1000 Lausanne
Telephone:   +41 (0)21 785 01 01

Ratings:

07 / 10 - Location - pleasant countryside setting

08 / 10 - Food - very good, although some combinations are weird (vegetables and ice cream, anyone?)

05 / 10 - Price - I won't lie, it is expensive to eat here, so if you want a good meal for less you should look elsewhere; if you are prepared to pay to eat well, look no further!

Overall - 07 / 10 - the food is fantastic (if you've picked the right dish) but the prices are rather high.

Review - Holy Cow!

With two locations in Lausanne, Holy Cow! is essentially a gourmet burger restaurant. As someone who likes the kind of food served in McDonalds and Burger King, this is right up my street. In all honesty though, it doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as those fast food peddlers - Holy Cow! is in a league of it's own when it comes to burgers.

I have eaten at the Holy Cow! a few times since I moved here, and I have never been disappointed. My brother-in-law first described the food to me in 2009 as delicieux, and convinced me to try it with him (didn't take him long to convince me, to be fair). The Holy Cow! prides itself on sourcing it's meat locally from the canton of Vaud, and burgers are freshly prepared on site, adding to the succulent taste of the food.


Elvis Blue Cheese pic borrowed
from The Burger Blog

The burgers all have different names, such as the Elvis Blue Cheese and the Smokin' Holy Cowboy (both of which I have tried and loved). The menus are written in French and English, as is their website, and the staff can all speak English to help out hungry tourists.

Meal deals originally came with freshly-made potato crisps as an accompaniment to the burger, but have recently changed to being chunky chips. I quite liked the idea of having crisps with the meal instead of chips, but apparently they changed due to customer demand. Stupid customers...

Price-wise, Holy Cow! is not particularly cheap. I had a Smokin' Holy Cowboy burger and meal for 24.- CHF. Admittedly this was because I paid an extra 5.- CHF to have a double burger, but even at 19.- CHF it's still pretty pricey. However, the old saying that you get what you pay for is certainly true here, as you are paying for sheer quality.

In terms of seating, the newer restaurant has a few tables with benches, but these fill up really quickly at lunch and dinner times. I arrived at 12:05pm once and the tables were already full. The original site has one small area inside the restaurant for eating, basically big enough for about three people, so you are pretty much obliged to take your burger away with you. In fairness, every time I have eaten at Holy Cow! I have eaten my burger elsewhere (which is fine if it is a sunny day).

Loads of information about Holy Cow!, including the menu, can be found on their website.

As mentioned above, there are two Holy Cow! restaurants to choose from in Lausanne, so I have listed both below.

Site 1 - the original Holy Cow!
Address:       Rue Marterey 1-3, 1005 Lausanne
Open:           Mon – Sat: 11:30 – 16:30

Site 2 - the newer restaurant (with better opening hours)
Address:       Rue des Terreaux 10, 1003 Lausanne
Open:           Mon – Wed: 11:00 – 22:00, Thur – Sat: 11:00 – 23:00

Ratings (overall for both sites):

06 / 10 - Location - the Rue des Terreaux site is a ten minute walk from where I work! By car neither site is particularly easy to reach (not many nearby parking spaces)

09 / 10 - Food - I cannot fault their burgers, and portion sizes are very generous, but they miss out on a perfect score because they now serve meals with chips instead of crisps

05 / 10 - Price - the burgers are pretty expensive... but worth it!

Overall - 6.6 / 10 - it is expensive and you'll have to eat your burger as takeaway, but the deliciousness of the food makes it worth the trip.

Following FC Lausanne-Sport to the Final - Part II

Back in the away fans’ end, the FC Lausanne-Sport supporters had all been handed blue flags to give some colourful backing to the underdogs. And underdogs they certainly were – FC Basel had been crowned Champions of the Swiss Super League at this point, guaranteeing them a spot in next seasons’ Champions League competition, while FC LS were in 10th place in the league below their opponents. This would be a pretty tough match for the travelling fans.

As the players lined up on the pitch, the announcement of each of their names over the PA system was greeted with loud cheers and flag waving. A sense of hope began to build amongst the FC LS supporters, creating a rising belief that their unfancied team might actually pull off a huge shock and be crowned Swiss Cup Winners for the first time this millennium. With the noise levels reaching a crescendo, the match kicked off and we were underway.

Following FC Lausanne-Sport to the Final - Part I

In England, you can barely go a few hours without hearing a football-related comment, either in daily conversation with family, friends or colleagues, or through radio or television programs or adverts. Football is ingrained in the English way of thinking, reflecting its status as the national sport. In Switzerland, they are far less fanatical about their football.

Every club still has its die-hard fans, ready to turn up at the stadium each week or traipse across the country to offer their support for the team at away matches. But football in Switzerland is far from being the national sport – tennis, ice hockey, skiing, and other snow or ice-based games take centre stage, with football trailing somewhere behind.

Sixty Days in Suisse - Part VII

Fun, Family and Feasts

The beginning of my seventh week here was a happy one for me as I was looking forward to the following weekend when my parents, Sandy and Bob, were popping over to visit me (and Chris).

I was also still on a high from my exam success the previous week, and from winning at the lotto, and had decided that I would take a break from studying this week (delaying the start of my MCITP or OCA studies) and have a look at what jobs were out there for a talented, hard-working guy like me.

...and some trainers in an old tree

I had already updated my CV with details of my new qualification, so proceeded to apply for several jobs posted on Swiss employment websites, and see what kind of responses I get.

Aside from that, not much else happened during the week, although I did see a pair of trainers in a tree – I guess Swiss Christmas decorations are a bit different to the ones we have in England... maybe the British Christmas from Globus really is different from Christmas here?

The Big Move

Saturday 3rd October was a momentous day in my life - and not just because I woke up at 5am. This was the day I left England behind me and headed for my new life in Switzerland.

Having packed everything in my car on Friday night ("packed" is definitely the right word to use, it was full to bursting), I woke to the sound of my alarm and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, before getting ready for what would prove to be a very long day. I had precious little sleep the night before, caused by a mixture of anxiety, apprehension, and the giant Mixed Grill I devoured at the Corey's Mill Beefeater just a couple of hours prior to climbing into bed.

After I had showered and dressed I grabbed myself a cup of coffee (which was greatly appreciated), I decided to double check my room to make sure there was nothing I had left behind. It was a good job I did, as I ended up loading a lot more into the car, including a ton of clothes and my PlayStation (how would I survive without that?).

Preparing for Moving Day

Chris and I on our
wedding day

Well, here it is - the inaugral article for my brand new blog. The start of what I hope will be a long and enjoyable foray into the world of Internet journalism (albeit at an exceedingly basic and unpaid level).

Where do I begin?



If you have read the description of my blog or the text in the title header above, then you'll know that I am about to embark on the biggest challenge of my life by moving to live with my new wife, Christelle, in Lausanne, Switzerland. As an Englishman who only speaks a little French (enough to hold up a conversation), it is quite a daunting prospect - and one that is both scary and exciting at the same time.