What denizen of the tropics hasn’t dreamt of “snow and mistletoe” especially when the holiday comes rolling in? At one time, especially as children, we surely had fantasies of frolicking on ice and sleet, and gazing starry-eyed at the falling snowflakes. Of course, such Alpine fantasies must come with a feast of chocolates, and as Julie Andrews had once sung, “crisp apple strudels and schnitzel with noodles.”

THE WARMTH OF HOME
Well, it is heartening to know that we don’t have to travel all the way to our Swiss version of paradise to enjoy the delicious and heartening cuisine from the bounty of Switzerland’s culinary heritage. One simply needs to step inside Chesa Bianca to be transported into the warmth of a Swiss home and sample the country’s edible treasures.

Chesa Bianca, which opened on December 2008, is the brainchild of Werner Berger, a consummate culinary artist who has had years of experience as a chef in various luxury hospitality properties around South East Asia. Mr. Berger was also Philippine Airline’s first-ever Executive Chef from 1977 - 1984.

Chesa Bianca is a cozy restaurant designed very much like a Swiss chalet or alpine home. The walls of pine wood radiate a feeling of cordiality, ease and simplicity. To accentuate the interiors and act as decor are everyday implements that are most probably quotidian finds in the homes and farms of the Swiss countryside such as the heavy, oversized cowbells, skis, and a rustic lateral treadle spinning wheel.

“When he decided to settle here in Manila more than 40 years ago, he saw the need to put up a restaurant that serves authentic Swiss food. His mission was to bring the traditional delights of Switzerland to Manila in order to serve the Swiss community which was in search of real Swiss food. He originally had Bianca’s Café and Vinotek but he saw the need to revamp it. Therefore, he opened the chalet-inspired Chesa Bianca. When Chesa Bianca was built, he created a menu that included curated dishes from traditional Swiss cookery. Mr. Berger is very hands-on with the restaurant operations which includes creating regular food promotions,” tells the restaurant’s public relations and marketing manager, Nadj Villaver.

CHEESE AND MORE SWISS SENSATIONS
“One of the highlights of Chesa Bianca is that we use the best Swiss cheese varieties for our dishes,” notes chef Amby Sales. “Of course, two of our specialties are the raclette and the fondue. A lot of our regular customers, many of them Swiss expats and a growing number of Filipino patrons, come here because of the raclette and fondue.”

Chesa Bianca serves several kinds of fondue — the Traditional Fondue, which uses Gruyere and Emmental; the Wallisser Tomaten Fondue which utilizes tomatoes to give the cheese a silky red color; regional Genfer Fondue, which combines Emmentaler, Gruyere, and Raclette cheeses, flavored with delicate Morels mushrooms; the Moitié-Moitié Fondue, which is a combination of Gruyére and Vacherin cheeses; and the Beef Fondue Bourguignonne made from six homemade sauces served with French fries. On the other hand, cheese fanatics will surely get the ultimate pleasure from the Cheese Platter — a smorgasbord of cheeses such as Gruyere, Emmental and Appenzeller.

Those who truly want to experience the best of Swiss and European cuisines will find ample choices in Chesa Bianca’s menu. To get acquainted with real Swiss flavors, we kicked off the culinary expedition with the Chesa Bianca Platter, a generous tray of air-dried meats from Switzerland such as beef, bacon and Parma ham, which have been thinly sliced. Needless to say, it was a tasty introduction to the magical flavors of Switzerland as presented by Chesa Bianca.

The opulent but affable flavor of Röschti Oberland makes it one of Chesa Bianca’s well-loved offerings. The multi-tiered goodness comes from the fried crisp Swiss rösti blanketed with a layer of smoked ham. This is then baked smothered by Raclette cheese, and topped with a fried egg. The delicacy of the rösti provides the perfect balance to the lively flavor of the smoked ham, and the Raclette cheese becomes even more velvety when the egg is sliced and the yolk dribbles underneath.

To those who aren’t too familiar with the cultural and physical geography of Switzerland, the country is made up of several cantons — administrative divisions that are smaller in size and population than actual provinces. One of these cantons is called Ticino, the culture of which has been greatly influenced by the Italian way of life.

From this region springs the Tessiner Art, or Ticino style of cooking, which resonates with the vigorous and sunny flavors of Italian cooking. At Chesa Bianca, one can enjoy Tessiner Art through the flavorful Rosemary Marinated Chicken (Poulet Tessiner Art). Marinated in olive oil, garlic, rosemary and Cajun seasoning, the chicken is then oven roasted. This is served with mushroom risotto to make a filling and delectable entrée.

A glance at the menu also reveals such choices as the filling Wurscht-Chäs Salat (a Swiss style sausage salad with Appenzeller cheese) and Veal Zurich (tenderloin of veal cooked in white wine, mushrooms, gravy, and cream, and served with potato rösti). The list also includes an abundant variety of veal, pork, chicken and fish marinated in succulent sauces and spices.

“It’s authentic Swiss food at its finest,” says Villaver.

And to bring these flavors to more gourmands and foodies, Chesa Bianca regularly offers a special set menu that changes periodically. The set menu includes a choice of appetizer or soup, a main course and a complimentary cup of coffee or tea for only Php 750.00.

And as I dig into the delicate Röschti Oberland, I knew that my Alpine dreams is far from over. The flavors at Chesa Bianca made me realize that a lot more needed to be explored, discovered and enjoyed to satisfy my Swiss fantasies.