Archives for “Shopping” tag

It might be unusual to discover a boutique that sells clothes, shoes and accessories via one’s hair stylist… but it was a Thursday evening haircut that sent me sallying forth the following Saturday to discover Wunderchic. What’s the connection? On Thursday 30 May at 19:30, Wunderchic will be providing the clothes for a summer hairstyles and fashion show at the hair and beauty salon L’Éphémère (check the l’Éphémère article). How could I not be curious?

Wunderchic turns out to be an enchanting, tiny boutique run by a friendly and enthusiastic saleswoman. The selection of brands on display is limited to just a few well-chosen brands, tastefully displayed, so that the overall impression is one of freshness and quality.

The clothes are not cheap but are obviously selected with care and there are some beautiful pieces on display. A frothy white cotton shirt and peach-coloured dress particularly caught my eye; I also spent some time admiring some very cute colourful sandals and beautiful silk scarves. I’m looking forward to seeing how Wunderchic is displayed at L’Éphémère on 30 May…

There are many cafés selling books and bookshops serving coffee in Geneva, particularly in the Plainpalais area, but I find that this specimen, perhaps less widely talked about than some of its counterparts and more focused on the books than the coffee, is a particularly intriguing place to while away some time.

Don’t come with a specific title in mind, for exhaustive is not the most adequate description here; the collection is random in both its nature and its distribution. At my last assessment, a six-volume edition of Guy de Maupassant’s short stories shared a shelf with a biography of Nicolas Sarkozy, and a mushroom encyclopaedia rubbed spines with a eulogy to 15th- and 16th-century Swiss art.

But if you’re the sort of person who enjoys a few minutes of esoterica every once in a while, you’ll love it. The new, second-hand and antique tomes on sale here cover a variety of subjects, but the section markers are for guidance only; the real name of the game is gentle, open-minded browsing followed by a hassle-free rest in one of the shop’s comfy chairs. The cheerful owner will be pleased to stick the kettle on while you dive into your selection or use the free wifi.

Like many of its counterparts in the world’s great cities, the food hall at Globus is much more than what it says on the tin. Each counter or section has an assistant waiting to help those in need of advice concerning ingredients and varieties, and each of them will take the time to dispense their knowledge with good humour and discretion.

This is not a one-stop shop-the selection of fruit and veg, for instance, or fish, or meat, is undoubtedly wider at Manor (check out the Manor article)-but your less mainstream desires are likely to be satisfied here. In dire need of some basil paste? You’ll find it at Globus. Desperate for some crystallised violets? Baking section, second shelf down on the right. You get my drift.

I come here when my shopping is all but done so that I can enjoy the experience, taste some of the morsels which are usually offered to the curious as they wander round, and find anything that’s too out of the ordinary to be found in Geneva’s other grocery outlets. That’s not to say that the more run-of-the-mill offering is not excellent, however; after a hard day at work or a tough day’s sightseeing, grab a few extra-thin slices of serrano ham from the cooked meats counter and a selection of fresh stuffed pasta from the nice lady at the deli and you’re away.

Two criticisms frequently levelled at Geneva are that its local and international communities fail to integrate and, in a slightly more prosaic vein, that there is nowhere to go shopping on Sundays. The food market at Plainpalais (check out the Plaine de Plainpalais article) casts both statements in a dubious light: it is a delicious cocktail of the local and non-local, and does indeed open on Sundays (and Tuesdays and Fridays too).

On sale is all that could be expected of a Swiss market and quite a bit more besides. Vying for space with stacks of fruit and veg are mushrooms, flowers, meat, fish, dairy and many, many varieties of cheese. The local and the international are equally present: I come here to find Gruyère or Emmentaler, but also reblochon from neighbouring Savoie, smoked Italian scamorza (if I can work out what to do with it) and a good old slab of cheddar.

The market comes in handy whenever cooking seems a chore: whole roast chickens swizzle on their spits beside stalls selling Moroccan delicacies, Bosnian hamburgers and Spanish churros; the offering changes constantly, and visits here can be a culinary education in their own right if you’re happy to take what comes.

And yes, I must admit I do breathe a sigh of relief on Saturday evenings when, as the supermarkets close for the rest of the weekend, I realise that it’s only a few hours until Plainpalais will be filled with brightly coloured produce and steaming pans of delicious Sunday fare.

This relatively new arrival on Geneva’s culinary scene-it opened only in 2011, which is new for Geneva-has already been accepted into the hearts and homes of many a local foodie. I came here out of sheer curiosity on the recommendation of a colleague, and was glad I had. The name belies the variety of the wonders within: in addition to the star of the show, there is also a varied selection of other Italian dairy produce, with ricotta and burrata to satisfy the savviest of palates, or so my reliable Italian informant suggests. A handful of other products, including specialty dried pasta, are on sale in the corner.

Having said all of that, I come here for the eponymous mozzarella. It is made every morning in the adjacent room, completely by hand and in the full view of passers-by, who can confirm that the only bit of modern kit that these people rely on is the enormous water boiler at the back of the kitchen. Otherwise, it’s traditional methods all the way. The result is an incredibly light and creamy addition to any dinner table. The owner insists that the cheese should be bought and consumed on the same day. There are plaits and balls of varying shapes and sizes, but I recommend getting there early and having them slice off a chunk of one of the large slabs which they produce at the beginning of the day; the phrase ‘melt-in-the-mouth’ was surely invented for this.