Guy With A Blog: The Raclette And Fondue Are Next

Since we both look forward to weekends and brunches, Art and I decided to scour around Makati for little known places, as far as the particular meal time was concerned. We weren't looking for champagne or any other frills that some places offer as attractions, we wanted hearty, breakfast fare, period. (That would most definitely include eggs and pancakes.)

Our search brought us to The Old Swiss Inn, a veritable institution to longtime Makati residents, having been in existence since 1946. Since we now call this place home, it was only fitting that we visit places that have already made their mark here. I was actually a bit surprised when this place turned up in my (online) search because the extent of my knowledge of Swiss cuisine is limited to chocolates and cheese, which, of course, that country does exceedingly (both) well.

Their Breakfast Buffet seemed to be geared for an international clientele, and it was confirmed because we noticed a lot of guests from the Somerset Olympia who were presenting stubs for breakfast. I was hoping to see what a traditional Swiss breakfast would consist of, but while I would be denied knowing that in the spread that the Inn offered, it nonetheless provided us with what we always look for: hearty, breakfast fare.

We started off with greens, which we were (pleasantly) surprised to be able to top off with salmon and tuna. Both vinaigrettes were excellent (although there were no labels) and perfect if you were eating salad as a way to watch your weight because they didn't have any fat-full dressings. Mention the word salmon and I am pretty much happy, it being one of my favorite foods and what a great bonus that it comes highly recommended by any nutritionist.

We also had the soup, Cream of Mushroom. The moment I poured it into my bowl, I knew this was nothing like the canned variety, seeing all those black specks, more like little chunks, really, of actual mushrooms in a silky yet thick liquid. This was excellent: I dare you to only have one serving.

Breakfast is not complete in our book if eggs aren't included, so the omelette was a given. It arrived in a huge plate, fitting because their omelette was large, and quite delicious. I forgot to ask if they had scrambled eggs as well, but the omelette was both chunky and savory.

I made sure to order pancakes, since I haven't had them in a long time, and while these were also huge (one cake was as huge as my face), these were a bit of a miss because they were a little bit dry and not too flavorful on its own. Of course, the accompanying syrup and butter makes it complete, but I try to have pancakes on their own.

The main dishes consisted of Beef Steak Filipino, Linguini Al Funghi and Cocktail Hungarian. Definitely a downer in the variety department, which I compensated by getting more salmon and tuna. The beef steak was very good, and while the sausages were okay, the pasta dish was cold, and Art had to ask one of the servers to heat up the serving tray in order to make it warmer.

We opted to skip the entire bread station (I saw croissants and some other pastries) and just went for the fruits to end our meal. Coffee and tea are included in the spread and were much appreciated for a coffee fiend like myself. Considering that this had a price tag of PhP 325 (net), we were pretty much filled up and set.

I requested to see their regular menu and was gleefully surprised to see so many words I could not understand - yes! Actual Swiss cuisine! So, a return trip is definitely in order, for two things: to partake of a cheese appetizer called Raclette (and when I mentioned in Facebook that we were just at Old Swiss Inn, friends immediately replied with "I LOVE their fondue!" so there's that also); and based on that, to see if I wanted to start filling up a Gruzi Card - I mean, wouldn't you want prices like these?