Artistry at Addendum

I had my second visit to Addendum today, again with a client, again with a vegetarian client (well, strictly a pescatorian as fish would have been acceptable!) and again I didn't know beforehand. Clearly I'm failing in my duty as a hostess to ascertain my guests' food preferences. I guess I need to ask more pertinent taste questions when verifying restaurant choice next time. Fortunately Addendum has diluted their caveman only menu in favour of a small but perfectly formed meat, fish or vegetable selection and V seemed happy with her albeit limited choice of blue cheese starter followed by braised celery hearts, wild rice and red wine sauce whereas of course I had to go all carnivore. At least I needn’t have worried about V finding the restaurant rather tucked away in the Apex hotel as her hotel that happened to be booked for this trip for coincidently the Apex!

We were given some interesting amuse gueules to whet out appetites. Firstly there were pistachios and anchovy breadsticks followed by little espresso cups of spinach soup. The anchovy breadsticks were a revelation as I’m not a big fan of anchovies, I would insert them with rosemary into slits onto my leg of lamb but I would never let them infiltrate my pizza. And I recall a painful meal in Valencia when I forgot my Catalan menu primer and ended up with a plate of bones with the merest morsel of flesh clinging to them. This time the anchovies were more of a success and just gave the breadsticks an intriguing salty hit.

My starter was a pan roasted wood pigeon, apple, beetroot leaves and potatoes which were all arranged with Addendum’s usual artistry. I particularly thought the pink beetroot ‘crisp’ was awfully pretty against the dark pigeon meat and the green of the beetroot leaves. And importantly it tasted as good as it looked.

For the main I’d been trying to decide between the chicken breast with truffle panisse or braised pork belly but when I heard about the special of roasted & confit duck, creamed celeriac, figs, radish I immediately went for that. And I received another really attractive plate though the radishes look rather like the sous chef’s fingers. But the duck was really succulent so what’s a dismembered finger amongst friends?

And as the portions were just the right size so as not feel too stuffed, V and I were both able to fit in the very elegant dessert of rhubarb bavarois, ginger ice cream, orange sorbet, poached rhubarb.

Then to accompany our latte and Earl Grey we had our pick of some delicious petit fours especially my new found favourite mini macaroons. V called them something else which unfortunately I can’t remember, I know there’s one of the fabulous Ladurée tea salons in Geneva – home of the world renowned macaroons so she may have had them there. I also had a luscious little jelly cube and V the miniature lollipop as it seemed rude to leave them!

I think Addendum is the perfect spot for a lovely little business lunch and very probably any lunch. The food and service are impeccable and you can even entertain a vegetarian there. The plates looks fabulous and the place is stylish and well lit – surely what every food blogger dreams of? Addendum have two very stylish and well illuminated forks.