We had the privilege to discover Chez Kei by accident last Saturday evening. It was after 10pm and every restaurant including Chez Kei were shut. But the door was open so we tried our luck. Lily greeted us and the rest is a history of...hospitality and warmth. Alain and Lily invited us to stay after dinner for drinks with their friends, and this reviewer is now also charmed by this dynamic couple. The following review is fair, despite this context.
Chez Kei epitomises the success of the Chinese diaspora to integrate into European culture. The couple is first generation Swiss of Chinese descent of Hakka and Cantonese extraction. The restaurant was founded by the young couple more than 40 years ago. It is their attempt to develop and deliver fine dining in Geneva.
If their repeat clientele is anything to go by, they have succeeded. People have been coming to Chez Kei for years, and succeeding generations have followed suit. The decor is from the 80s, tasteful and opulent. The front dining rooms has velvety black walls adorned by painted masks, the rear dining room is a lightbox of exquisite Chinese art.
The food is traditional Chinese, albeit adjusted to the Swiss palate. I ordered traditional dishes such as chicken with cashew nuts and Singapore fried noodles. Both were good interpretations with amazingly fresh ingredients. The desert that day was caramelised fresh strawberries served with mango and lime sorbet; beautifully divine.
If you are ever in Geneva, and wish to sample Chinese fine dining, relatively easy to find in Asia but rare in the West, think of Chez Kei. Knowing Alain and Lily, they will do their utmost to charm your socks off; as they did with me. My best ever accidental discovery in all my years reviewing on TripAdvisor. Must try and do leave me a comment if you do.More