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Ginette, located in the heart of Gemmayze, has been the talk of town for sometime now. This funky and trendy concept space hosts a coffee shop and restaurant, an art gallery, and a boutique... all in one location hidden behind tall green trees that offer a calm shade for anyone dropping by. I've been here many times but have never for lunch. Let's see what this place has to offer.
On the terrace and the ground floor area, you will find the eatery serving healthy salads, Delicious sandwiches and a wide selection of mouth melting desserts. You will then discover the store, which features an endless slate of high-street labels along with younger street-style designers.
On the mezzanine area, you will find Ginette Art Gallery, under the collaboration of NANZUKA UNDERGROUND, the contemporary art gallery in Tokyo, Japan. Finally Ginette also showcases USM, the Swiss-based company specialized in modular furniture systems.
Choose to sit on the terrace, which blends perfectly well with the busy environment or sit inside where a cozy yet relaxing space is filled with thick timber tables, white placemats, metallic tissue stands and a stand where salt and pepper mills along with an olive oil pipette decorate the table.
- Ginette was designed by the architectural firm of Raed Abillama Architects. Abillama has created a clean slate where the available space and furniture are adaptable to the specifications required by different designers and artists
- Access the space before going down two stairs to the restaurant
- On the left side is a display of cakes in front of the open kitchen
- At the end, a shop selling the latest trendy items
- The restaurant is lit with some design lanterns
- Six tables can host up to 38 guests in total, other than the 25 sitting in the terrace
- The boutique has a black ceiling other than the white one over he dining space
- In the kitchen three chefs dressed in white helped by a barista in black prepare food passionately
- On the ground floor is the store area. This features an endless roll of high-street labels, along with younger street-style designers. According to its publicity, Ginette aims to provide a continuously evolving shopping experience focused on the discovery of unique and distinctive products – and producers. The selection offered covers fashion, jewelry, watches, cosmetics, as well as exceptional objects such as limited-edition cameras. And, for lovers of literature, there is even an assortment of books
Lunch started with a selection of labneh, zaatar and tapenade served with some toasted bread sticks: Premium quality oil and Tapenade without Garlic, I loved it! I enjoyed the colored carton straws served with soft drinks. I also liked the menu that's printed on a large A2 paper.
The menu:
- Breakfast
- Open face sandwiches
- Panini
- Ginette Specials
- Salads
- Quinoa's
- Soup of the day
- Desserts
- Fresh Juices
- Water and Sodas
- Illy Caffe
- Dammann Freres tea
- Ice cold drinks
- Wine selection
- Beer selection
While eating you are surrounded with a unique fashion retail outlet, hoping to provide a space for artists and designers from differing fields to encounter one another, as well as the clientele. This way, Ginette’s atmosphere will be one of ongoing mutual discovery.
I expected more... Lunch:
- Croque Ginette: Emmental, grilled zucchini, tomatoes, bechamel sauce topped with a fried egg served with salad, 18,750L.L: It is good until you bite into the cold tomato that adds an unneeded sweetness and unpleasant feel. I would have had a perfect texture without the tomato
- Roast Beef: Australian roast beef, arugula, parsley and radish 29,750L.L: This is nice, fresh and generous; The mustard flavor with crunchy toasted bread that's enjoyable. Just when you think that the experience is done, the pepper tickles your tongue adding a touch of finesse. I loved this plate's generosity and presentation
- Goat cheese salad: Warm goat cheese, dried figs, pine nuts, arugula and balsamic glaze 22,000L.L: Thick goat cheese pieces served on round slices of bread presented on a bed of rocket leaves and slices of dried fig. I loved the mix of grilling, felt by the pine nuts, the sweetness the figs add and the lemon strength making this simple creation an enjoyable one.
- Smoked Salmon and Potato: Smoked salmon slices served with a potato salad, potatoes, green onions, parsley, mint and olives 26,000L.L: This potato and salmon salad is simply dull. A bizarre kind of salad where the only thing with taste is the salmon. The potatoes need salt, pepper, lemon and maybe mayonnaise. It's not something I personally recommend.
- Pan Bagnat: Homemade bun, tuna fillet, eggs, tomatoes, sucrine and olives with mayonnaise served with salad 24,000L.L: It's sad to mix a tuna that dry with a bun that soft and good. What looks like a tuna burger can be an innovative creation... But sadly it was super dry and hard for me to swallow. The tuna needs some kind of marination, lemon or maybe a sauce that blends the ingredients together. I liked the freshness of the vegetables, the sweetness added by the tomatoes and the eggs for an interesting flavor. But the tuna... Please!
- Chicken Quinoa Salad: Quinoa, grilled chicken slices, dried cranberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, mint and parsley 24,750L.L: Same problem as the Pan Bagnat: a dry piece of chicken and a salad that needs to be juicier. I enjoyed the freshness of the vegetables but that's not enough. The salad needs more... More of everything. More cranberries, more sauce, more flavor and more cooking time for the quinoa
- Croque Monsieur: Emmental, ham and bechamel sauce, served with a side salad 21,000L.L: Good, not innovative. Nothing to write home about but a generous portion to be fair and surely premium ingredients. 21,000L.L ? duh!
The best part of this exclusive eatery is their desserts, try their red velvet cake or their carrot cake. Equally popular, pass by any afternoon for a latte and a piece of cake heaven.
Dessert:
- Chocolate cake: It's great but can be excellent if the chocolate is a bit more consistent
- Banana Cream Pie: Mouthwatering... That's worth an article on its own.
- Cheese cake with raspberry sauce: A good chocolate cake, perfect banana pie but the cheese cake is to be fine-tuned. I didn't like it at all; It's too soggy and needs more consistency and definitely more personality
- Tarte Tatin: This upside-down tart with its caramelized apples in butter and sugar is served warm on a crunchy pate sable. I loved it. That's simply the best thing I've had today
The minus:
- Food is way too expensive! 60$/person! in a caffe, to eat simply sandwiches... is not too logical and that without alcohol
- The ingredients are here, the knowhow is here but every single plate lacks something. Here and there, a hint of salt, some lemon, a bit of baking, crispiness... A lot can be improved, reaching perfection
