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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.
- 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
- 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
- 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!
- 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
- 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