An ancient industrial zone which used to be the Suchard chocolate factory. Now a Japanese restaurant, all in red, is built over the 30m silo. This is Masaru Kobayashi's kingdom. A chef from Tokyo who worked under the guidance of Kiyomi Mikuni for ten years, a star in Japanese cuisine who worked with Frédy Girardet, Alain Chapel and Michel Troisgros.

A Franco-Japanese heritage. « Fusion cooking » inspired by the desires of the host and guests. Chicken thighs with Devil's miso sauce, Japanese foie gras fritters, shrimp salad, veal rice with soya, wasabi crème brûlée with berries. In total, a dozen different themes for meals between 50 and 95 francs. Daily lunch specials for 20 francs.

The story of the Rhinoceros: in 1998, the ancient silo was bought by «the Blue Man,» alias André Kuenzy, a trained architect.

by Alexandre Truffer, ©RomanDuVin.ch 2007

The small village of Cressier possesses true character. An indisputably majestic castle overlooks the village, and many ancient houses have old sheen walls. This doesn't mean that it's some sort of open-sky museum. On the contrary, the town resounds with the cries of children playing in the fountain in the central square.

The wine-making path leaves the village for the vineyards that spread out along the limestone hill. Hiking uphill, you discover the contours of Lake Bienne and Lake Neuchâtel, as well as the Entre-Deux-Lacs region.

The path is well marked with signs and green and red posts. Another trail, a bit more challenging, goes through the forest and around the Jeanjacquet Castle. This manor was certainly worth seeing from up close, but the three vicious watchdogs guarding it don't give curious passersby much freedom.

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Asphalt is known for all sorts of healing and gustatory properties, such as lavender scent, and menthol fragrances that soothe migraines and colds. Le Café des Mines, located directly on the asphalt mine site, invites you to experience some of these benefits, such as ham cooked in asphalt. The meat is hermetically wrapped and dipped in the boiling hot substance. In this manner, the dish becomes saturated with scents characteristic of asphalt, and is something which miners prepared in the olden days to celebrate Sainte Barbe. You will not come across this dish anywhere other than in this ancient wood depot which has been transformed to resemble a 19th C. mine.  

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A Sainte-Barbe menu at Le Café des Mines for 25 francs 

Traditional jams to enjoy! Anouck Wirth, who runs the establishment, has always loved simmering fruit, flowers and tasty ingredients to make sweet jellies and jams. She honours originality and adds dandelion, poppy, marjoram and acacia into surprising and succulent ingredients. She carefully chooses her fruit and combines them with all sorts of flavours, such as vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, mint, rosemary, thyme and basil, and she resorts to the magic of absinthe - this is green fairy country - to give life to certain red plum and strawberry combinations.