Dining at the 3-star Michelin Restaurant Hôtel de Ville in Crissier/Switzerland

Chef Franck Giovannini at the helm of THE country’s gastronomic institution:

If there is an iconic temple of gastronomy outside of France, it must be the three-starred Michelin Restaurant Hôtel de Ville in Crissier in Switzerland’s west! The story of this dining-spot in an unassuming town near Lausanne is truly unique. Since chef Frédy Girardet first got three Michelin stars back in 1994, three more chefs succeeded and have kept this award to this day, and this without interruption. Moreover, all of them stuck to the three-flavor rule that Frédy Girardet established during his work at Restaurant Hôtel de Ville in Crissier.

I always knew that I had to visit this iconic restaurant at some point in life. Now the time had come. My husband surprised me with a reservation at this gourmet temple, to celebrate an anniversary.

And we made this “pilgrimage” on our way to Paris (see my post about staying and dining in style here).

Before coming to the actual dining experience, I have to go into some related details. First, there will be some lines about Switzerland’s three-star Michelin restaurant scene. Second, I have to let you know more about the fascinating story of this palace of haute gastronomy.

Switzerland’s 3-star Michelin restaurants

In total, there are four dining-spots in Switzerland having received three Michelin stars. The one that got this award first was – of course – the mentioned Restaurant Hôtel de Ville in Crissier. That was back in 1994, when Frédy Girardet was at the helm. At the time, he was already 58 years old and retired two years later.

The second dining-spot to be honored with three Michelin stars was Restaurant Schauenstein in Fuerstenau in the Grisons.

That was in 2010, and Andreas Caminada became Europe’s youngest three-star chef at 33. I have dined here twice, in 2012 and in 2020. While I was intrigued by his creative, modern cuisine on my first visit, this was less so on my second. While everything was technically immaculate, it was too much on the predictable side. When going to such a highly decorated place, I want to be surprised. And in my view, he did not completely accomplish in this respect. See here my post about it.

The third in this row is Restaurant Cheval Blanc at Hotel Les Trois Rois in Basel.

This venue is under the lead of German chef Peter Knogl. He got the third Michelin star in 2015 for his French haute cuisine with Mediterranean and Asian influences. At the time of the award, he was 47 years old. I have not dined at this restaurant so far, so I cannot comment on how it is. Friends of mine were here once, and they were not overly enthusiastic about it. But that does not have to mean anything. I will let you know about my dining here in case I manage to do so in the time to come!

And just recently, Switzerland has received its fourth three-star Michelin establishment. This is Restaurant Memories

at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz by chef Sven Wassmer, who is only 35 years old. This award is highly merited! My husband and I had a fantastic dinner here in summer 2020 (see my post). We were deeply impressed by the chef’s puristic modern alpine cuisine!

Now to my post’s actual topic, Restaurant Hôtel de Ville in Crissier.

Restaurant Hôtel de Ville in Crissier, THE culinary institution in Switzerland

I start with the dining-spot’s story, continued with some practical information before coming to the dining experience.

Restaurant Hôtel de Ville’s fascinating story

Benjamin & Frédy Girardet: 1955 – 1996

I have already given some hints in the introduction. This venue has a long and eventful story, with four big chefs at work here. It all started with Frédy Girardet’s father Benjamin who opened his own restaurant at the former Hôtel de Ville de Crissier back in 1955. At first, Frédy Girardet, born 1936, as his youngest son showed no intentions to follow in the footsteps of his father. He became a typographer before he had some kind of revelation when having dinner at the Troisgros brothers in Roanne, a three-star Michelin establishment since 1968. This was a life changing event to him and made him change his professional career.

When his father died in 1965, he took over at Restaurant Hôtel de Ville in Crissier and created his own style, inspired by the nouvelle cuisine. He established one golden rule: never more than three flavors on the plate. After years of hard work he got the highest award in 1994, three Michelin stars. Two years later, he retired and handed over the management to his sous chef, Philippe Rochat.

Philippe Rochat: 1996 – 2012

Philippe Rochat, born 1953, had started working at Restaurant Hôtel de Ville in 1980. He became head chef in 1989 and married marathon runner Franziska Moser, Switzerland’s best one, in 1995. Only seven years later, she died in an avalanche. Philippe Rochat was not granted a long life either. In 2015, he fainted when bicycling and died too.

To his merits at Restaurant Hôtel de Ville, he kept to the three-flavor rule, his predecessor had established. Yet he made his butter and cream based cuisine lighter. When he took over from Frédy Girardet in 1996, it was not easy for him. There were days when no guest showed up at his restaurant, although he did everything the same way as before. From what I read, he seemed to be a quick-tempered person yet one that meant well. Soon, success returned. After 16 years as head of restaurant, he stepped down in 2012.

Benoît Violier: 2012 – 2016

Then it was up to Benoît Violier, a Frenchman, born 1971. He had worked together with Philippe Rochat since 1996. After becoming sous chef in 1999, he took the reins at Restaurant Hôtel de Ville in Crissier together with his wife Brigitte 13 years later. While he was deeply attached to the dining-spot’s values, he also drew on simple flavors spawned by best seasonal produce. In addition, he was a passionate hunter and perfected Philippe Rochat’s game menu.

Unfortunately, his time as head of the dining-spot was short. In 2016, he committed suicide, without leaving a farewell letter. There were rumors that he had allegedly been the victim of a million-dollar wine scam. Yet there was no confirmation of this. His widow Brigitte continued the business and oversaw the dining room management. Franck Giovannini, the former sous chef, took over as chef. In 2018, she stepped down and Franck Giovannini became responsible for the whole restaurant.

Frank Giovannini: 2016 – today

Franck Giovannini, born 1974, said once that Benoît Violier had been more than his boss and his colleague for many years. He pointed out that he also had been his best friend. Franck Giovannini began at Restaurant Hôtel de Ville back in 1995. He had stayed loyal to it for 25 years, only interrupted by two years in Boston.

As to his style of cooking, he still respects the principle of only three flavors on the plate. In addition, he puts emphasis on using more local products, offering more “vegetarian only” dishes and reducing the butter in his creations. The fourth three-star Michelin chef in Crissier still uses traditional techniques. Everything is made à la minute. There is no cooking meat at low temperatures such as with the sous vide method. But of course, he constantly evolves and improves everything he makes. He wants to surprise with flavors, not with spectacles, yet he points out that aesthetics are also important.

As to Franck Giovannini’s personality, I can say that he seems to be an amiable, affable person. After our dinner at Restaurant Hôtel de Ville in Crissier he came to each and every table, shaked hands with all his guests and talked to them. He vividly told the one or other thing and asked whether the portions were sufficient – which we could affirm.

That was it to the Restaurant Hôtel de Ville de Crissier’s intriguing story … We will see what the future does hold in store for this iconic place! Now to some practical aspects and to the experience when having dinner here.

Securing a reservation at Restaurant Hôtel de Ville in Crissier

Getting a table at Restaurant Hôtel de Ville in Crissier does not seem to be an easy thing right now. From what I hear, they are fully booked twice a day at the moment for the foreseeable future. And if you want to have a reservation on a Saturday evening, you have to wait until next summer to receive one! As the chef let us know on our visit they had never been so busy so far. Maybe that has something to do with the “revenge travel/dining phenomenon” … Be it as it may, you definitely have to make your booking at Restaurant Hôtel de Ville in Crissier well in advance as they are much in demand at the present moment!

I imagine it is even more difficult to secure a seat at the Franck Giovannini Guests’ Table. It is located in the kitchen and comprises of six seats. Sitting here allows you to watch all the action inhere. This must be impressive as 24 chefs are at work, all with their “toque et torchon”. To receive one of these extremely popular seats you have to get in touch with the restaurant by phone.

Where to stay when dining at Restaurant Hôtel de Ville in Crissier

I mentioned it, Crissier is a somewhat humble town. It is neither touristy nor affluent. So, there are no options to stay in style here. And Restaurant Hôtel de Ville is not a hotel as one might assume from its name. The fact is that a hôtel de ville is a town hall and not a lodging option.

The best thing when having dinner at Restaurant Hôtel de Ville is to look for an accommodation in Lausanne.

It is Switzerland’s forth largest city with quite a few of upscale hotels. Check out my guide to luxury hotels in Switzerland as to accommodations here. For details to two of them, check out my correspondent blogposts: Hotel Beau-Rivage Palace (my post)

and Hotel Royal Savoy (my post).

This time our choice fell on Hotel Royal Savoy (our second stay) as we wanted to take the bus on the way to Restaurant Hôtel de Ville in Crissier. And for this purpose, it is more conveniently located than Hotel Beau-Rivage Palace. In addition, we had a recent stay (our second too) at the latter. If you feel adventurous enough to go for the bus option, you need about 30 minutes to reach the dining-spot. The bus station (Délices) is directly in front of the hotel. There is no direct connection, you need to change the bus once. When arriving at Crissier Centre you leave the bus, and the restaurant is one minute away.

If you want to save yourself trouble and prefer the car over the bus, take a taxi or a Uber. My husband and I did the latter on the way back to the hotel. You need about 13 minutes for the drive.

How is it dining at Restaurant Hôtel de Ville in Crissier

Location/Ambiance

Once arrived at your destination you find yourself in front of a quite impressive historical building.

It is located in the town center. Under the sign of HOTEL DE VILLE you find another one with the chef’s name, FRANCK GIOVANNINI, that is clearly stated above the entrance. You are friendly welcomed by a team member. While waiting the reservation to be checked you already note the host of servers in charge. The hallway is bustling with activity! Imagine, 58 persons work here at Restaurant Hôtel de Ville in Crissier …

In terms of dining rooms there are two of them. The smaller is named Room Frédy Girardet,

the larger Room Philippe Rochat.

In addition, there is also the Private Room Benoît Violier, the Franck Giovannini Guests’ Table – as mentioned above – and The Smokehouse (for having a cigar).

Once my husband and I were seated in the Room Philippe Rochat, there was time to have a look around. It is a gorgeously elegant room kept in subdued hues. What I found striking were the oval sideboards in various sizes and the modern chandelier in the same form. We liked the chairs, which were not only comfortable but also nice to look at.

Staff/Wine list

As I already let you know, staff is plentiful. All are dressed in dark suits. There is a permanent coming and going of servers and sommeliers. This happens in relative quietude, you do not hear any loud words. And do not expect them to chat with you. They explain the dishes to you, in few words and not in many details. To sum up, service here is rather subtle and understated.

After the (almost) obligatory glass of champagne, there was no more talk of wines by the glass. A wine pairing did not come up neither. Not that we asked about it. Everyone around us ordered bottles or half bottles of wine. And so we did this too. It goes without saying that wine prices are high but this should not come as a surprise. A bit unfortunate is the fact that the wine list cannot be found online. If you do not want to break the bank, quite a few good Swiss white wines seemed somewhat competitively priced (around 100 SFR/US$).

Food menu

You can make your choice out of an à la carte menu or two multi-course menus. As to the former, starters are available from 70 to 120 SFR/US$, fish dishes from 90 to 120 SFR/US$ and meat courses from 90 to 110 SFR/US$. Cheese from the cart amounts to 40 SFR/US$, desserts are available between 30 and 45 SFR/US$.

As to the multi-course menus, you can opt either for the Discovery Menu at 315 SFR/US$, consisting of eight dishes, or the Gastronomic Menu. This costs 390 SFR/US$ and has ten courses, known to the guests. My husband and I went for the Discovery Menu where the kitchen decides what to serve. We let the server know that we would not like Veal Sweetbread as main – it was on the à la carte menu. He assured us that this was not planned for our menu. So, that was no problem.

If you should be interested in knowing how many dishes we got from the à la carte menu, all but two (rillettes of perch fillet and pre-dessert – apricot and hazelnuts – were part of it. Compared with the Gastronomic Menu, three were identical (cheese was one of them). In the following, you find the details to each and every course.

Discovery Menu (8 courses at 315 SFR/US$)

In contrast to the Gastronomic Menu, you will get here surprise dishes, as indicated above.

1. Rillettes of perch fillet

If you wonder about rillettes, this is meat or fish – as here – , chopped or shredded and preserved. Compared to pâté, it is less smooth and made with other than organ meat. As to the perch, this is the most popular local fish, but unfortunately it is rare too. So, doing it as rillettes seems to be a good way of preparing it. They came with a Dézaley wine sauce and were served with crunchy fennel and black pearls (caviar).

2. Bouchot mussels

Bouchot mussels stem exclusively from France. They are small, meaty and have a yellow or orange flesh. At Restaurant Hôtel de Ville de Crissier this high-quality shellfish is obtained from Brittany. On our dinner, they were cooked “marinière” with Chasselas wine plus basil and paired with local zucchini.

3. Summer mushrooms

There were three small crepes with a mushroom placed on each. Shavings from Jura bacon plus a smooth gourmet emulsion with Pinot Gris wine completed the dish.

4. Back of brill

The meaty brill belongs to the same family as the more known turbot. Here in Crissier, they roast the back of brill on the bone. After that, the server debones it at the table

and arranges it with cucumber and tomatoes as well as with a tomato reduction on plates.

5. Langoustines

Langoustines from France are combined with local beans in this dish. The shellfish is seasoned with coral and it is accompanied by a a carcass oil (instead of a traditional sauce).

6. Lamb

Fillet of lamb from the canton of Grisons (Alps), wrapped with farmhouse bacon, was served alongside a gourmet jus on the basis of basil and pesto.

7. Cheese selection

A cart was rolled to the table, and you could make your choice out of an immense selection of cheeses of perfect ripeness.

Of course bread was another part of this course. By the way, it is made for the restaurant by a nearby bakery they own. There is a fine array of rolls, which are a feast for the eyes and the stomach. And the server was generous as to serving sizes. He did not arrange the cheese portions on the plate in a way that you got the impression that you should stop after three of them.

8. Apricot pre-dessert and peach dessert

Apricots in unison with caramelized hazelnuts and white chocolate made the start. They were followed by a white peaches meringue flavored with candied cherry pulp and citrus peels.

Overall performance

First to the food, which is of course always the most important thing when dining-out. And it goes without saying that expectations were high with such a highly decorated place as Restaurant Hôtel de Ville de Crissier. And I can say that they delivered food wise! When coming here you are in for classic French cuisine. Though it is a modernized version of it where the use of butter and cream was reduced. In addition, constant evolution and advancement is an ongoing process at this gourmet temple. Yet the cuisine’s centerpiece remains, first-rate French cuisine deeply rooted in its traditions without neglecting modern trends.

When dining here, expect immaculately done food made with best ingredients and artistically presented. The cuisine impresses with flavor and sophistication, not with spectacle and wizardy. If you look for perfectly executed dishes, this is your place. However, if you are a fan of gimmicks and show effects, Crissier might not be your first choice. I have very rarely had creations so far where everything blended so magnificently as at Restaurant Hôtel de Ville in Crissier. Not only the number of flavors (not more than three) was just right but every one of them had its time to shine. And the portions were big enough so that a taste sensation could develop.

When having a look at other aspects than food, the whole shebang, there is not much that you will keep in memory forever. Everything is perfectly orchestrated, from the welcome, the dinner sequence to the farewell, yet done with (elegant) restraint. The only one who seemed approachable was the chef himself when showing up after dinner to shake hands and to have some words with his guests.

It seems that the food is in the center, and everything has to submit to it. What I missed at the end of the evening were not the absent goodies – never mind – but a print-out of our menu, remember, we had the surprise menu!

Date of visit: September 2022

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