The Allure of Swiss Cuisine

CEBU, Philippines — The Philippines celebrate Independence Day on June 12.  The United Sates hold it on the Fourth of July. And the Swiss celebrate the Swiss National Day on August 1. Filipino-Americans observe both Independence Day and Fourth of July. Swiss citizens with Filipino partners celebrate both Independence Day and Swiss National Day.

Marco Polo Plaza Cebu is the destination for all those events, through the hotel’s renowned Culinary Journeys.

Last August 1 was the 12th year of celebrating the Swiss culinary festival at Marco Polo Plaza Cebu. It was “Swissness from A to Z” at the Café Marco, from Alpine-dried style meats to Zurich-style sliced meats. I joined a select group of lifestyle journalists to this year’s celebration with a lunch buffet prepared by an all-Filipino team of chefs, headed by the first Filipino Executive Chef of Marco Polo Cebu, Juanito Abangan.

At the Salad section, the following greens were available: Swiss Wurstsalat (Sausage & Potato Salad), Beetroot Salad with Citrus Caraway Dressing, Cervelat & Emmentallier Gherkin Salad, Onions Chives, Coldcuts Salad and Smoked Fish with Jardinière Vegetables. Soup was made with Potato, Sausages and Chives.

At the Cold Cuts Section, cheeses, sliced meats and sausages were served. It would not be a Swiss Food Festival if cheeses were not served. I took small slices of Gouda, Gruyère, Tilsitter and Appenzeller and paired it with some Pickled Chilies & Cucumber, Gherkins and Olives. Nice! I did miss, however, the Tête de Moine cheese, made by monks of the Abbey of Bellelay.

I tried the Live Cooking at the Fondue Section where one would dip the bread in melted cheese. I got only two small pieces because the cheeses could be too filling and there were so much more food to taste.

Sausages are another must-try in Swiss festivals and this year, Marco Polo Plaza featured Kielbase, Schublig, Veal Bratwurst and Cervelat, Switzerland’s National Sausage. I had tasting portions of each to reacquaint my taste buds with these delectable sausages.

Main Dishes served were Zurich Style Pork Emince, Spätzle (Dumpling with crispy onion, Gruyère and parsley), Basel Style Salmon, Grison Beef Stew, Bacon & Ham Quiche and Fleischkäse (Baked Meat Loaf). Emince is usually made with veal and creamy mushroom sauce. Pork used in this dish provided an extra rich taste. I made my own testing menu using small portions of the Spätzl, Salmon, Qiuiche & Fleischkäse. The best was the meat loaf because the onion sauce (or was it sausage sauce?) added a second level of deliciousness. I had not tasted the beef stew because, excuse me, it just quickly disappeared.

Lovely desserts like the Wine Tart, St. Gallen Monastery Tart, Schokolade Kuhen (Chocolate Cake) and Swiss Roll were the curtain call to a wonderful lunch.