Tastes of the Levant
When Yotam Ottolenghi revealed plans to open his
first restaurant outside the UK, the culinary world paused. Here was a chef whose influence had a dramatic impact on modern dining. The way we think about vegetables, the way we season our food, the way we fill our tables with colour and texture: all shifted on Ottolenghi’s axis. Now, that philosophy arrives on Swiss soil within
Mandarin Oriental, Geneva. At the helm is chef Maxime Martin, channelling the Ottolenghi vision through a distinctly local lens. The result is bold, sunlit cooking with flashes of Alpine nuance. The cross-cultural menu draws from the deep wells of the Middle East and the Mediterranean, as well as its close surroundings. Vegetables take the spotlight, roasted over fire until charred and sweet, fermented into brightness or layered with spice blends. Celeriac shawarma has quickly become the must-order, draped in dark spinach
bkeila, sharpened with fermented tomato. Mixed mushrooms are slathered in pickles and tahini. Kimchi fritters are stuffed with Gruyère. Geneva is a new chapter for Ottolenghi with a brilliantly Swiss twist.
