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T&T21_switzerland
- 1. CAD/US $6.95 ISSUE 21Spring 2016 SWITZERLANDFOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE TO read, LOVE TO eatAND LOVE TO travel Modern P lates Expand your culinary horizons PLUS NORMANDY FLORIDA QUEBEC LAS VEGAS ADELAIDE A GLIMPSE OF GUATEMALA HONG KONG FOR LOVERS ITALY’S PROSECCO UNEARTHING THE AZORES CASUAL CHIC HEALDSBURG
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- 3. WHERE ON EARTH Switzerland PHOTOTHIS SPREAD Geneva waterfront. 39 DESTINATIONS SWITZERLAND APRIL–JUNE 2016 TASTE&TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL
- 4. THROUGHOUT SWITZERLAND, THEREARE MANY restaurants in storybook-cute tourist areas serving up fondue, raclette and chocolate. Giant, piping hot pretzels, with and without sandwich fixings, are ubiquitous (especially from the chain Bretzelköenig). However, if you come to Switzerland hoping to eat like a local, there's a possibility you may never see a fondue fork or huge amounts of melted Gruyère. While those pots of liquid gold can be traced back to the 18th century, and enjoyed a North American heyday in the 1960s and 70s, to get a more comprehensive read on Swiss cuisine, keep in mind Switzerland is surrounded by France, Germany and Italy, along with their gastronomic influences. The terrain that begets happy cows and outstanding dairy products also turns out fragrant and flavourful summertime fruits and vegetables as well as hearty cold weather root vegetables and grains for bread products and pastas enjoyed year round. Although Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe, restaurants and specialty food shops take pains to ensure customers get their Swiss Francs’ worth. From quirky neighbourhood cafés to top-tier dining, and from the French finesse of Geneva, Montreux and Lausanne to the Germanic substance of Zurich and Basel, one thing that remains constant is an emphasis on precision and balance. The best way to describe art-centric Basel's restaurants is "tasteful but expressive" in keeping with the art housed in the city's many museums, including the Kunstmuseum and the Beyeler Institute (both with delightful cafés). However, the award-winning chefs behind such restaurants as the Brasserie at Les Trois Rois Hotel and Die Zunft zum Schlüssel prove that traditional doesn’t have to mean stuffy or bland. Chef Peter Knogl, honoured as Chef of the Year 2011 by Gault Millau, anchors Les Trois Rois Brasserie as well as destination restaurants Cheval Blanc and Chez Donati, with 40 DESTINATIONS SWITZERLAND CAN’T MISS SWISS TASTE&TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL APRIL–JUNE 2016
- 5. kitchens that, well,run like clockwork. The action going on in the glass-enclosed kitchen adjoining the brasserie is synchronized rather than chaotic. Although Knogl’s team must be aware that they’re being watched, they proceed with grace to finish dishes perfectly, down to garnishes and condiment embellishments. The only thing livelier than Les Trois Rois’ famous panoramic Rhine sunset view is my seasonal summer salad. It is emblematic of just how much the Swiss value their local greens. The delicate leaves are graced with a poached egg and lemongrass dressing that accents their sweet, earthy notes. Knogl’s monkfish is smoky and earthy, and presents an interesting paradox that something so subtle can be very expressive. Less is also more with dessert, with just a touch of cake streusel enhancing seasonal strawberries with lime mousse and basil custard. While Die Zunft zum Schlüssel, in the heart of Old Town, initially appears a tourist draw, look more closely and you’ll see the hallmarks of a hip gourmet destination. At the front of the restaurant, you’ll find Gilde, a free magazine from the Guild of Swiss Restaurateurs, with profiles and recipes from Switzerland's culinary vanguard. When I ask the waitress what dish on the menu best represents the direction lead chef Anderas Uebersax believes Swiss food is taking, she directs me to Chicken Saltimbocca and Risotto (no doubt taking some cues from Switzerland's Italian side), made with a local Belper-Knollen cheese and seasonal vegetables. Instead of a big platter of heavy, bland food, I find perfectly portioned chicken filets topped with shaved bacon and a risotto with a herbaceous flavour profile. The house-made sorbets and ice creams are also a revelation. Inspired flavours include basil, Aperol and the seductive apricot-thyme. While traditional restaurants and fantastic open-air food markets abound in Switzerland’s largest city, Zurich, the most exciting things food-wise are unfolding in Zurich West, PHOTOS THIS SPREAD CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT The restaurant at Hotel Stochen; Beef tartare at Hotel Richemond; Celebrating jazz in Montreux; Hotel Beau Rivage suite; Cafe Viadukt; Sunset in Basel; Coffee break at Les Trois Rois; Frau Gerolds Garten. 41 DESTINATIONS SWITZERLAND CAN’T MISS SWISS APRIL–JUNE 2016 TASTE&TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL
- 6. SERVES 4 Züri Geschnetzeltes ACCORDINGTO CHEF Rolf Hiltl, this tofu geschnetzeltes, served with rösti or pasta, is as good as the meat version of this classic Zurich dish. Button Mushrooms 400 g Sunflower Oil 2 Tbs Firm Tofu 500 g, sliced Butter 25 g Onion 1 medium, finely chopped Tomato Purée 1 Tbs White Wine 200 ml Cognac a dash Double Cream 400 ml Vegetable Stock 150 ml Fresh Lemon Juice 1 Tbs Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste 1 CLEAN the mushrooms and slice thinly. 2 HEAT the oil, gently fry the tofu over low heat and set aside. 3 IN the same pan, heat the butter and gently fry the onion until golden brown, taking care not to burn it. 4 ADD the mushrooms and tomato purée and continue to fry. Add the white wine and cognac, stirring while the liquid reduces. 5 ADD the cream and vegetable stock, and continue to cook until the sauce has the required consistency. 6 LASTLY, add the tofu and season with lemon juice, sea salt and pepper. PHOTOS THIS SPREAD FROM TOP LEFT Winemaker Patric Fonallaz; Chef Rolf Hiltl; Hotel 25 mixologist. 42 DESTINATIONS SWITZERLAND CAN’T MISS SWISS TASTE&TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL APRIL–JUNE 2016 Cook it
- 7. where barren industrialspace has been transformed within in a decade into everything that’s right about modernism in interior design and food. A perfect day in the new neighbourhood starts with a retail fix at Im Viadukt shopping area (shops and restaurants artfully built into the arches of the area’s old viaduct), then moving on to the various art galleries. Happy hour is best spent with the impressive cocktails and nibbles at Frau Gerolds Garten and the 25h Hotel Zurich West. Dinner at Restaurant Viadukt not only inspires because of its contemporary ‘country’ cuisine with ingredients culled from the nearby food market, but also its AIP (Work Integration Project) vocational program whose manpower keeps the hip food-art- and-music venue going full tilt. This makes my crisp apple-jicama salad and veal sausage with couscous all the more delicious. If there’s one spot that epitomizes Zurich’s reconciliation of old and new, it’s fourth-generation Haus Hiltl, established in 1898 and credited as the first vegetarian restaurant in the world. From the multi-storey open kitchen to a sleek dining room, convivial ‘coffee house’ area and a menu that covers all continents, there’s literally something for everybody, including those who normally would never go anywhere near a vegetarian café. Current owner Rolf Hiltl, who has been expanding the enterprise’s colourful SERVES 4 Pumpkin Risotto with Honey and Rosemary CHEF ROLF HILTL recommends Sauvignon Blanc for cooking the risotto as well as to accompany the meal. Diced Pumpkin 300 g Cooking Oil 3 Tbs Fresh Rosemary 2 sprigs, chopped Olive Oil 2 Tbs Onion 1 medium, finely chopped Garlic 1 clove, crushed Arborio Rice 500 g Bay Leaf 1 White Wine 200 ml, divided Vegetable Stock 800 ml Honey 1–2 Tbs Pumpkin Seeds 20 g, toasted Mascarpone 2 Tbs Parmesan 15 g, grated White Wine 50 ml Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste Fresh Rosemary Tips to garnish 1 IN a non-stick frying pan, brown the diced pumpkin in a little oil. Add salt, pepper and rosemary, then set aside. 2 HEAT the olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic. Add the rice and bay leaf and sauté a little longer. 3 ADD 150 ml white wine and then half of the stock — the liquid should be about 2 cm over the rice; if not, add a little water. 4 SIMMER for 45 minutes, stirring continuously. During this time keep adding some of the remaining stock. 5 ADD the honey, pumpkin seeds and browned pumpkin to the risotto and simmer until the rice is al dente. 6 FOLD in the mascarpone, parmesan and the remaining white wine. 7 WHEN the rice is creamy, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve garnished with the rosemary. 43 DESTINATIONS SWITZERLAND CAN’T MISS SWISS APRIL–JUNE 2016 TASTE&TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL CAN’T MISS SWISS Cook it…traditional doesn’t have to mean stuffy or bland…
- 8. Haute Cocoa: Why SwissChocolate is the Gold Standard THE FACT THAT TRIANGULAR Toblerone bars are a familiar movie theatre treat and Lindt truffles can be found in major North American supermarkets speaks volumes about how the Swiss chocolate industry literally set the bar for cacao-based candy production worldwide. Although Switzerland is not a cocoa-producing country (Ivory Coast, Indonesia, Ghana, and Nigeria lead the world in cocoa bean production), and the Dutch are credited with the invention of cocoa powder, innovations in the 19th century show how Swiss ingenuity brought something good to the next level. 1819: Francois-Louis Cailler develops a recipe to turn gritty cocoa beans into a solid, smooth chocolate bar. 1819: Rudolph Lindt perfects the smoothing process by adding cocoa butter with a machine he called the conche. 1830: Charles-Amédée Kohler adds hazelnuts to chocolate. 1860s: Jean Tobler formulates the Toblerone bar. 1875: In Montreux-Vevey, Daniel Peter develops a recipe for combining cocoa powder with local milk, and voila! Swiss milk chocolate is born and takes the world by storm. approach to vegan and vegetarian beyond his grandparents' ambitions, describes perfecting the restaurant’s offerings as a never- ending work in progress. A just-opened non-meat ‘butcher’ shop adjoining the restaurant and its catering service has kept Rolf Hiltl and his team busy in recent years. By day, the flagship restaurant offers cooking classes for professional chefs and hobbyists. On certain nights, the space becomes one of the city’s hottest nightclubs. Anybody who likes Zurich will also enjoy Lausanne, which shares a delightful convergence of old-world fairytale charm and modernism, embodied by Flon, a revitalized industrial neighbourhood defined by bold colours and shapes. Plan your visit to Lausanne on a Saturday, when the Old Town is made all the more enchanting with its weekly market. Stalls and vendors line steep cobblestone streets, piled high with produce, artisanal cheese, chocolates and baked goods. After scaling streets and pushing through throngs of shoppers, reward yourself with a quiet half hour at Le Barbare, a hidden gem renowned for its sinful, viscous hot chocolate. Museums are another draw in Lausanne, and it should be noted that TOM Café at the Olympic Museum serves crisp, clean sandwiches and salads, while L’Esquisse (“The Sketch”), the fine-dining restaurant adjoining the delightful Fondation de l’Hermitage, lives up to the excellence of the museum, as well as the lush gardens and greenery surrounding the quaint cottage it is housed in. Though L’Hotel’s Friends Café in Flon is more a start-the-evening gathering place, my friends and I appreciated the thought put into the appetizers, including steak tartare (another Swiss staple) housed in tiny terrariums. The crowded but inviting Le Comptoire, meanwhile, is a fantastic late-night destination for craft cocktails. Although the Swiss railway system is one of the most efficient ways to travel from city to city, the most romantic way to travel from Lausanne to Montreux is by boat along Lake Geneva, and by way of Cully, the gateway to the Lavaux region, Switzerland’s wine- CLOCKWISE FROM CENTRE TOP Swiss chocolate; L'Esquisse Hermitage, Lausanne; swiss cheese; Fine dining at Hotel Richemond. 44 DESTINATIONS SWITZERLAND CAN’T MISS SWISS TASTE&TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL APRIL–JUNE 2016
- 9. Les Trois Roisand Brasserie les Trois Rois www.lestroisrois.com Restaurant Schlüsselzunft www.schluesselzunft.ch Haus Hiltl www.hiltl.ch Restaurant Viadukt www.restaurant-viadukt.ch Frau Gerolds Garten www.fraugerold.ch Hotel Storchen www.storchen.ch Its 650-year history, river views and breakfast make it worth the splurge. The 25h Hotel www.25hours-hotels.com/en/zurich-west L’Esquisse www.lesquisse.ch TOM Café at the Olympic Museum www.olympic.org/museum/.../tom-cafe Chocolaterie Le Barbare www.le-barbare.com Café Friends at L’Hotel www.lhotel.ch Au Clos de la République www.patrick-fonjallaz.ch Grand Hôtel Suisse-Majestic Montreux www.suisse-majestic.com Hôtel Beau-Rivage www.beau-rivage.ch Hôtel Richemond www.lerichemond.com Savoie/Philippe Chevrier Dinner Cruise www.savoie-philippe-chevrier.ch/fr/ presentation/ producing heartland. Au Clos de la République, overseen by winemaker Patric Fonallaz, not only produces exceptional wines (including international award winners Sauvignon d'Epesses Lavaux AOC and Viognier du Château du Châtelard Grand Cru Lavaux AOC) but presents them against mountainous vistas that fit every fantasy you may have had about a green, floral Swiss summer. During festival times (especially during its world-renowned Jazz Festival), Montreux buzzes with visitors and celebrities (Phil Collins, Tina Turner, Freddie Mercury and Charlie Chaplin) who have made the city their own. The lakeside is flanked with many grand hotels’ including Hotel Swisse-Majestic, our Belle-Epoque lodging, and the Fairmont Montreux Hotel, which catered the 2014 Montreux Jazz Festival's VIP tents, and provides flavourful picnic fare that hits the right notes. Our pre-concert feast overlooking Lake Geneva starts with a selection of seasonal salads, followed by roasted quail breast rolled in Chasselas raisins, zucchini au gratin baked with Gruyère and double-cream cheese, and sausages roasted in a Pinot Gris marinade. These are washed down with Tattinger champagne or a Merlot from local producer Domaine de la Pierre Latine. Although I marvel that Swiss wine is not available on the US market, considering all the accolades, my Swiss-born travel companion, Maja, flashes me a knowing look and says, “We love it so much we want to keep it for ourselves!” Point well taken. It goes without saying that the five-star lakefront hotels in luxury- and-history rich Geneva refute the assumption that hotel restaurants are often an afterthought. Hôtel Beau Rivage’s Le Chat Botte is a Michelin star establishment overseen by Chef Dominique Gauthier, and the Hôtel Le Richemond’s Le Jardin has its own team of Gault et Millau award- winning chefs. However, the ultimate splurge — and the perfect way to wind up a visit to Switzerland — is a cruise on the 100-plus-year-old Savoie around Lake Geneva, with a meal conceived by native chef Philippe Chevrier. Like a Rolex or a Patek-Philippe watch, the quality and engineering of a Swiss culinary journey may not come cheap. However, a well-chosen itinerary is positively timeless and decidedly worth the investment. Los Angeles-based writer ELYSE GLICKMAN’s last story for TASTE& TRAVEL was about Norway. 45 DESTINATIONS Les Trois Rois and Brasserie les Trois Rois SWITZERLAND CAN’T MISS SWISS APRIL–JUNE 2016 TASTE&TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL Restaurant Schlüsselzunft www.schluesselzunft.ch Visit it