A brief history
Café du Soleil has been in existence for 40 years and is the oldest bistro in Geneva. The tables are bolted to the floor and our establishment is protected. Genevans, tourists and locals alike have come to eat the best fondue in Geneva. Now it's your turn!
The Fondue du Soleil
The Gruyère used to make our fondues comes from the village of La Roche in the far north of the Gruyère district.
The cheese is then selected and matured in the cellars of Muller & Fils, master cheese makers at Les Halles de Rive, for a period of 7 to 8 months.
This GruyèreAOC is then prepared by our chefs and transformed into the delicious fondue for which Café du Soleil is famous.
What is Malakoffs?
During the Crimean War (1853-1855), many Swiss soldiers fought alongside French and English troops at the gates of Sevastopol, which was strongly defended by the artillery of the "Fort de Malakoff". The siege of the city lasted over a year, and the soldiers organized bivouacs during which they fried slices of cheese in a frying pan.
In 1880, during a reception at his villa in Prangins, Prince Jérôme Bonaparte organized a meal in honor of veterans of the Crimean War. As a starter, a young couple from Bursins served slices of Gruyère cheese coated in batter and cooked in butter. To mark the occasion, they named the dish "Malakoff".
After the prince's death, and given the success of their recipe, the couple decided to share it with their cousins Alfred and Rose Larpin, who were then innkeepers at Eysins.
