The German part of Switzerland

After leaving my friends, I headed to Basel to base myself for the next four nights, rather than changing cities each day. Fortunately I still had a few days left on my Eurail pass which I desperately needed for Switzerland because the trains are very expensive here compared to the rest of Europe.

I stayed at the YMCA one block back from the train station and it was one of the best hostels thus far. The rooms were extrordinarily clean and there was a full kitchen available for guests to use which was a welcome relief because the food is also very expensive.

Actually, I'm just going to say it.... all of Switzerland is expensive if you are travelling in the $A even with the $A at its current record high.

Rump steak at A$73/kg

On my way to Basel, I took a detour to the capital, Bern. As it was a Sunday, all the shops were closed but it was still nice to walk around, see the river and the Bear Pit.

View from the bridge in Bern

On Monday, I took a flying visit to the Rhine Falls and Zurich for the day. The falls were quite spectacular (more than I was expecting) and the water was the most amazing blue/green.

Rhine Falls

Zurich is very picturesque and I followed a self-guided walking tour advised by the tourist office which was quite enjoyable. On the way, I walked past Teuscher chocolates, my favourite, and had to sample as they are not available in Australia. I asked the sales assistant how long the chocolates would last as I would like to take some home as a gift but when I told her I wouldn't be home for many months, she just laughed. So, I had to eat them myself and will just have to tell my family how great they were and how I was thinking of them.........

The "gift-table" at Teuscher

Tuesday's excursion was to Mount Titlis and Lucerne. The weather cleared and the skies were crystal clear for the ride up to the top of Titlis (3020m). Once at the summit, there is a snow park for tubing and sledding which was quite fun. Lots of falls but lots of fun.

Looks cute, but nigh impossible to stay on when bolting down the slope

The view from the top of Mt Titlis

Lucerne was simply stunning and I think it is my favourite Swiss town thus far. It is a perfect blend of old and new and stunningly beautiful.

Lucerne

On Wednesday, I explored the city of Basel. It was two months since I left Australia so I also ensured I made two special exercusions to celebrate the occasion. The first was to Harry Potter (in English). The cinema was old (art deco or baroque style - I'm really not good with architecture) and stunning; the perfect venue.

The second was a visit to CrossFit Basel. It has been over two months since I'd set foot in a gym and I wanted to see how it differed from my home gym, CrossFit Brisbane. The good news is that I still had a fair amount of fitness left and held up OK during the workout.. They also had a set of scales at the gym and despite the vast amount of food I've consumed, I haven't put on any weight (yet).

Post work-out

The bad news was that, as I expected, I felt like I'd been hit by the proverbial bus the day after and the day after that; every muscle aches and although I am not injured, I am very very sore.

Philippe Rochat, Switzerland

Regarded as the finest restaurant in Switzerland with three Michelin stars, Philippe Rochat is the epitome of French fine dining in the country and considered by some as one of the best in the world.

After being advised that Chef Rochat will retire and close the restaurant next year, I booked a table so I that could see for myself what all the acclaim was about, accompanied by Thor, a relative of some friends of mine.

In short, the food was sensational. Each course was better than the last as the meal progressed building to the meat course which was spectacular. It was, without doubt, some of the best executed dishes I have ever eaten and up there as one of the great meals of my life, food wise.

However, something wasn’t quite right and I’ve spent the last few days trying to put my finger on what it was. I should be beaming and I’m not. I couldn’t wait to get home after eating at Arzak, Etxebarri and Le Chantecler to write about it, but it has taken me nearly a week to commence writing about Philippe Rochat. Why?

It certainly wasn’t the food. The meal started with an amuse bouche of Guacamole d’avocat “Hass” aux piments ibériques which was light and clean on the palate with a strong iberico flavour.

The next course was simply magnificent: Grosse langoustine de Porcupine au citron de l”Atlas Sallcornes iodées de la baie de Somme which was one of the highlights of the meal. The langoustine tail had a wonderful crunch with the coating (which I think was rice) and the lemon “custard” was the perfect contrast. Of course, there was the now all-too-common foam that didn’t add much but it didn’t distract either. Perfectly executed, wonderful flavours, interesting textures, you couldn’t ask for more.

Following on was Consommé estival de bolets et giolles acidulé au balsamique blanc: a set jelly-like mushroom soup. I should have hated it; but loved it. The texture was a little off-putting to the eye, but close your eyes and it was delicious.

Next up was Filet de gros turbot de I’lle d'Yeu aux artichauts épineux jus barigoule à l’huile des côteaux nîmois: cooked fish in a broth that tasted mainly of tomato and olive. The fish was cooked perfectly and the broth was very nicely balanced.

Another hero dish was next: Moules e bouchots du Saint Michel au curry Madras. The curry flavour was strong enough to complement the sweet mussels but did not overwhelm. I loved this course and its innovation – the preparations were classic but mussels and madras curry are an unexpected combination.

The meat course was Boeuf Wagyu no. 9 réduction de Merlot aux echalotes grises which was divine. The vegetables were well cooked and nicely presented but the star was the absolutely delicious beef. The fat was marbled and just melted on the palate and the sauce was the perfect; what one would expect from the pinnacle of French cuisine.

The cheese course (Fromage frais et affinés) was actually a cheese-cart wheeled tableside for you to make your selections. I asked for the strongest stinkiest cheeses they had and all were divine.

The first dessert course was Sorbet cassis noir de Bourgogne aux éclats de violettes cristallisées which was my favourite of the two offerings. The blueberry flavour was fresh and explosive and the sugared violets added a nice textural crunch.

The second dessert was Corolles de pêches jaunes de Roussillon rafraichies a la menthe poivrée. The presentation and technique was exquisite for this course but I’m not a fan of mint in desserts so it wasn’t my favourite.

Finally, when we were beyond full, the mignardises (Macarons, pâtes de fruits chocolats pures origins) arrived but we only nibbled as it was simply too much.

Food wise, I think this may have been one of the highlights of the trip thus far. There was no “low point” like some tasting menus and it truly was an amazing experience.

So why the lack of enthusiasm? Perhaps it was the company. Perhaps I’ve gotten fine-dining fatigue on this holiday and would just prefer some freshly baked bread and a few pieces of cheese. I think, however, it was the service.

Now, to be clear…. the service at Philippe Rochat was far greater than the majority of restaurants in the world; in order to maintain its three-star rating, it has to be. But for me, it was simply too cold, clincal. No one smiled, no one elaborated on the menu descriptions, no one looked like they were happy to see you or enjoying themselves. There was an abundance of wait-staff (I counted about six) but you never knew who your waiter was and who was the runner or the bread guy. Due to the cold demeanor of the staff, I found the service to be stuffy and suffocatingly formal; it's hard to relax and enjoy yourself when you are being watched by an army of wait-staff and everything is so formal.

One of the many waiters plating quenelles of sorbet tableside

The lack of warmth, I think, was infectious. I believe it is possible to maintain excellent service but still keep some warmth, as demonstrated at both Arzak and Akelaŕe (both three star restaurants). It is a shame because the food truly was magnificent and Chef Rochat is deserving of every accolade he has received.

At the end of the day, however, we eat at restaurants not just for the food, but for the experience. And for me, something just wasn’t quite right with the experience. No matter how fondly I recall the food, I just can’t gush about the experience, which is a real shame.

The French part of Switzerland

Switzerland: famous for rolling green hills, crystal clear lakes, dramatic mountain landscapes, cheese and chocolate. In my first few days here I managed to sample all of the key drawcards to this breathtaking country.

The friends I made in San Sebastian at Arzak, Per-Henrik and Annik, were kind enough to offer me to stay with them; an offer I accepted. Splitting my time between the Montreux/Villeneuve region (on the shores of Lake Geneva) and a lovely mountain chalet (address to remain undisclosed) I was fortunate to have the best of both vistas.

During my stay, the Montreux Jazz Festival was on so I was able to spend some time visiting it, as well as riding a bicycle (that was too large for me as my feet couldn’t reach the floor) around Lake Geneva and swimming in its waters.

Lake Geneva

Another day I took the cog-rail up to Rochers de Naye (a 2000m peak near Montreux) and Annik and I hiked down. In hindsight, it was maybe a little foolish hiking down in the wrong shoes, a shoulder bag (so I was unbalanced) and ignoring a “caution, danger” sign. I probably fell over about eight times but only drew blood twice; luckily we made it.

Not an encouraging sign to see before the hike

After we made it down from the peak

I also had the pleasure of experiencing mountain life, waking up to the sound of cowbells, watching the clouds roll across the mountain peaks and relaxing in the thermal baths whilst staying at the chalet.

The chalet

Hanging out with the neighbours

My view at breakfast

There is a marketing campaign run by the tourist board here that says “Switzerland: more than chocolate and cheese” but that was all I had on my mind when I boarded the Chocolate Train, a scenic rail trip to the town of Gruyere and Callier chocolate factory.

My chocolate train

The visit to the Gruyere factory was a huge letdown; the only “tour” component was a juvenile audio guide and a glass screen where you could see some milk being poured into a vat. We were only given a tiny sample of cheese (about five hours after the factory visit whilst we were on the train back).

The town of Gruyere

The Callier factory, however, was excellent. There was an information section at the beginning (similar to a Disney ride where you move from one room to the next with animatronic figures to explain the history of chocolate), a tour of the chocolates being made and a sample room with endless offerings. Extreme amounts of self control were required to avoid becoming that fat kid from Willa Wonka who falls in the lake.

The sample room. There were about a dozen trays like this each with different chocolates to try

During my time with Per-Henrik and Annik, it was so nice to catch up with them again and to have a base for a few days to relax and recharge; I can’t thank them enough.