Ottolenghi has a reputation for cooking with bold flavors, vibrant vegetables, and a fresh, contemporary take on Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. His London restaurants are beloved for their roasted vegetables, deeply spiced meats, and inventive salads that make even kids gladly eat their vegetables. Now, for the first time, he’s brought his signature style outside the UK with the brand-new Ottolenghi at the Mandarin Oriental Geneva.
The space itself is airy and enticing, with an open kitchen showcasing the chefs at work and a central bar anchoring the room. The cocktails were on point, making use of unexpected ingredients (fennel, anchovies) and balancing creativity with precision. One of our favorites was the fennel martini, a beautifully herbaceous and unexpected twist on a classic cocktail, and the smoky and spicy Bloody Mary, one of the best we’ve had.
The chefs prepared a tasting menu for us, a mix of Ottolenghi classics and new creations. To start, we especially loved the smoked carrots with escabeche, their deep, almost meaty flavor playing beautifully against the brightness of the marinade. The shawarma of celeriac was another standout—richly spiced and tender, proving once again that vegetables can hold their own as the center of a meal.
But the lamb shoulder with green tomatoes stole the show. Slow-cooked to perfection, the dish was served with a spicy green sauce and pickled kumquat, adding just the right balance of heat and brightness. The braised carrots, similarly adorned with the same bold green sauce and kumquat, were an unexpected delight served atop addictive lentils.
Dessert was a lemon pavlova that struck exactly the right note—not too sweet, beautifully balanced, with the slight bitterness of lemon rind cutting through the meringue’s crisp exterior and pillowy center.
If you’re in Geneva and looking for a meal that’s exciting, vegetable-forward, and full of bold, balanced flavors, this is a must-visit. Whether you’re perched at the bar with a cocktail in hand or watching the chefs at work in the open kitchen, Ottolenghi’s first venture beyond the UK delivers everything you’d hope for—and more.
Note: Mandarin Oriental Geneva provided support for the reporting of this story.