A Swiss delight

A Swiss delight 

Its not often that Kolkata gets to enjoy delightful Swiss delicacies and so when Swissotel Kolkata Neotia Vista invited Kolkata Food Bloggers for their on-going Swiss Food Festival which is being hosted every night from 7 p.m. till 12 p.m. till the 7th of August 2014  at cafe Swiss I could not resist the temptation to attend it.

Their hospitality is warm hearty and polite to say the say least. The beautiful Enakshi warmly greeted us and we were immediately served some refreshing mocktail which represented the Swiss national flag. Apart from  colour red representing the flag the colour surely gives you a warm feeling.

We soon met the charming Mr.Marco Saxer , general manager of Swissotel who patiently answered our questions about the cuisine from this mountainous heaven. While roschti is a very well known dish there are other hidden dishes which will create a riot of happiness inside your mouth.

I had a hunch that the cuisine of Switzerland like any other country will differ from region to region while being tied by a single thread of culinary harmony and well it turns out my hunch was correct. The wonderful Chef Pranay Kumar Singh explained how the borders influence the distinct taste of the cuisine of each region.

 Balser Zweibelwaehe

 To start off there of course is cheese fondue which is probably the most popular dish from Switzerland which most of us enjoys but then there is so much more .For instance the Balser Zweibelwaehe is a bite sized delight. A delightful layering of Puff pastry, cheese and mushrooms,  its a wonderful start indeed. Then there is sausage on a stick served with cheese and cherry tomatoes and an endless number of appetizers.

Assorted bread 

So there is an amazing collection of bread which Chef informed us is best served warm. You can choose from the rye bread or go with the numerous other fresh and beautiful bread but the Zopf with Chicken and Swiss cheese is surely a winner. There is the ever classic cheese to go with the bread or you can try some chicken liver patte.

Chicken Cordon Bleu 

The entire spread is a sure winner and while I do not suggest that you leave out any dish to be sampled,  here are some which simply took me to a culinary heaven. The chicken cordon bleu with its perfect crispy coating, the melting cheese and soft chicken is a sheer delight and then there is Urner Hafelichabis a spicy lamb stew.

A Bengali's love for potato is legendary with potatoes added to most Bengali dishes and so the numerous dishes which use potato is surely going to make the people of this land extremely happy. I personally suggest the rosti with the melted cheese on top and then there is the delightful potato salad but low and behold the love for potato does not end here for there is Suuri Gummeli and a lot more.

A delightful Salmon dish

Mr.Saxer told us how salmon is almost like a national fish available in most rivers of Switzerland. Then there is Rippli a delightful dish made with pork loin.

Just when you feel you are happily settled in a world of Swiss culinary delights and feel too full the selection of dessert is sure to make you feel that there is another heaven indeed . Choose from the unusual  Swiss Muesli Cream Quark Torte or the very chocolaty Swiss rolls but the premium chocolate used gives this swiss roll a totally superior taste. Then there is Engadine Nut Cake a nut lover's delight or the famous Apple Strudel with Vanilla sauce. of course it doesn't end there there is chocolate fondue and well I suggest you go for yourself and not miss this amazing Swiss culinary extravaganza and before you feel a 5 star hotel might rip you off think again. All this is available for a mere Rs1600 plus taxes per person and with all that imported cheese flown straight from Switzerland and dishes from that beautiful and its a steal indeed.

Well it doesn't end here there is a special Sunday Brunch with a special event which revolves around the one food item which most of us cannot resist, well the ever delightful chocolates on 3rd of August 2014 and the brunch is at a mere Rs1650 plus taxes per person.

This is surely an event which no one would want to miss.