Le 3 Rive Gauche, Grand Rue 3, 1204 Geneva

This reliable bistro is a real gem in the midst of the vieille ville, which is in dire need of more good but affordable restaurants.

It is beautifully decorated, the servers are pleasant, fast and efficient, and the food is reliably good. They offer a daily lunch special for CHF 20 or a 2-course daily menu for CHF 32.

After our conference on the history of Geneva today at the Société de Lecture, we hopped down the street and had a plat du jour, which consisted of a thick, perfectly cooked slab of salmon trout, steamed potatoes cooked to perfection, and steamed spinach.

They also have great baguette, which is another thing that is hard to find in local restaurants. Definitely an address to save in your telephone memory.

Opening hours: Monday through Friday, 12:00 to 14:00 and from 18:30 to 22:30. Tel. +41 022 810 29 29. Site. (Please note that the hours listed on the site are not correct.)

L’Office, rue Richer 3, 75009 Paris

Refined, modern, light cuisine for around 30 euros a head for a 3-course meal. Red bell pepper velouté with foie gras, duo of sea bass and scallops with a frothy, light cream sauce, and a to-die-for chocolate moelleux. Can purchase foie gras, onion jam, and other homemade goodies to take home with you. Short but sweet wine list.

Opening hours: closed Sundays and Mondays. Open for lunch on Thursday and Friday from mid-day – 2.30pm. Open for dinner from Tuesday – Saturday from 8 – 10.30pm. Tel. +33 01 47 70 67 31.  Metro Cadet (line 7) or Bonne Nouvelle (lines 8 & 9).

Le Soupçon, place du Bourg-de-Four 8, 1204 Geneva

Modern, light cuisine. Best steak tartare and homemade shoe-string French fries/chips in Geneva. Of late, the chef has been more inventive than ever, but his creative tricks are not always a success. Wide selection of wines by the glass, rather in the style of a wine bar.

Opening hours: closed Sundays. Open for lunch Monday through Saturday 12:00 PM to 14:00 PM and for dinner 19:00 H to 22:00 PM. Tel. +41 022 318 37 37. Parking St Antoine, tram/bus stop Rive (lines 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 12, 16, 17, 20, 33, 36, A, E and G). Site.

Counterpoint: Suggested to two friends that we have lunch there today, and they both immediately said that it was a victim of its own success and flatly refused to go.

La Famiglia, rue du Faubourg Poissonnière 71, 75009 Paris

The pizza crust is reliably good. Steer clearly away from meat dishes, which are heavy and old fashioned. We ordered the antipasti, which didn’t have much to do with true Italian antipasti, apart from the oil-laden, over-salted eggplant/aubergines. The owner strongly recommended the daily special, spaghetti alle vongole, and practically forced us to order it. The 8 or 10 clams were fresh enough and edible, but the pasta was so salty that we just left it. Good place for a pizza, but don’t venture any farther afield. The owner is a friendly, pleasant guy, but nice is just not enough when it comes to what’s on my plate.

Opening hours: closed Sundays. Open for lunch Monday through Saturday 12:00 PM to 14:00 PM and for dinner 19:00 H to 22:00/22:30 PM. Tel. +33 022 318 37 37. Métro Poissonière.

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