As the Hôtel de Ville de Crissier received yet another 19 out of 20 points from the prestigious Gault Millau guide, Franck Giovannini, now in charge of direction, is determined to keep the spirit of this legendary restaurant alive. And he is rising to the challenge brilliantly.

The first thing you notice as you approach the legendary Hôtel de Ville de Crissier building is the name Franck Giovannini proudly displayed over the entrance door. “It’s a very strange feeling seeing your name displayed like that,” reflects the man now at the helm of the restaurant that has been run by Switzerland’s finest chefs. “I’ve always felt at home here. For 24 years now, I’ve lived and breathed my job with the passion of a mission, a source of pride. Now my role is to ensure this fine establishment continues to shine, so there’s no room for error.”

On the menu for fall

A role and challenges the chef lost no time fulfilling, since he just released his new autumn menu, as well as his wild game menu. “Fall is a season I particularly enjoy, and especially hunting. While food is grown and controlled by man, game is a truly wild product. It’s very different and irregular. You are the one who has to adapt to the product, when generally speaking it’s the opposite. The flavour of the animal depends on what it has eaten.”

The starred chef admits to having a weakness for the texture and flavour of large furred game, which is why you’ll see Roasted saddle of venison, crushed green pepper with “Fine des Grisons” wine and Fillet of red deer prepared with tangy red berries on the wild game menu alongside Woodcock roasted in a casserole, rich salmis on baguette and Hare “à la Royale” in the style of the Hôtel de Ville.

Giovannini wrote down his ideas for the dishes several months in advance. “I’ve always loved experimenting with cooking. I generally get started on the fall menu right after the summer one, in mid July. Creating a menu requires a month of writing and a month of testing.” Franck Giovannini derives his inspiration through contact with the food. “The real challenge is not to repeat the same things, so you can evolve naturally.”

According to the chef, the house signature is key to restaurant’s success. “For us to continue to shine, we have to focus on simplicity of taste. Our aim is to have products of excellent quality that we then enhance without altering the flavour.”

For those with a penchant for game meat, the chef’s autumn menu has some flavourful surprises in store. “It’s a very rich season,” enthuses Franck Giovannini. Seafood dishes like Saint-Jacques scallops take pride of place, but it is also the season of mushrooms and elegant white truffles.” Fine food lovers will dazzle their taste buds with Italian-style eggs “en surprise” with white truffles from Alba “PR” or Saint-Jacques scallops pan-fried with local endives, zesty jus with  citrus and Dézaley white wine .

 

On the chef’s agenda

One of the chef’s upcoming events is the Grand Prix Joseph Favre on November 25 at the CERM de Martigny. Initiated by the late Benoît Violier, the cooking competition pays homage to the distinguished Swiss chef Joseph Favre, founder of the Académie Culinaire de France. Each edition brings together 5 carefully selected candidates who are to present a menu of an amuse-bouche, a main course and a dessert.

The 8-member committee chaired by Franck Giovannini names the 13 members of the tasting jury and the 4 members of the kitchen jury. One particularly notable candidate this year is Cécile Panchaud, chef garde-manger and entremetier at the Hôtel des Trois Couronnes in Vevey. She has known Giovannini for several years now, since she won the Best Commis prize by his side at the Bocuse d’Or Europe chef championship when she was only 18.

Will she follow in the footsteps of the man who now heads one of the world’s most-renowned starred restaurants?

To book your table: https://www.restaurantcrissier.com

For more about the Grand Prix Joseph Favre: https://www.gpjosephfavre.ch/en/