The Progressive Menu—Swiss Style!

From playing host to mainland Europe’s only tea plantation to having the world’s first vegetarian ‘butcher’ and a chocolate factory manned by a single person, Switzerland is full of some of the unlikeliest of culinary surprises that make up the perfect progressive dining menu.    

By Raul Dias

I distinctly remember my very first encounter with the term “progressive dining”. It was a decade ago—after a sweltering hot April day spent traipsing around Bangkok’s shopping malls—that my local friends suggested an encore. But with a foodie twist. What they proposed was a jaunt across the bustling megalopolis where we’d have drinks at one place, appetisers at another, mains at a 1 Michelin-starred restaurant on the other side of the Chao Phraya River and end with a movable (quite literally!) dessert feast at Bangkok’s coolest new ice cream truck in the backpacker haven of Khao San Road.
Born in the US of the late 1980s as a sort of dining scene hybrid of the 70s potluck dinner and known  multifariously as a “safari supper” and a “round-robin”, a progressive dinner originally involved successive courses prepared and eaten at the residences of different hosts in the same area. And while my 2009 version had ‘progressed’ to involve different neighbourhoods in the same city, it’s safe to say that my recent 2019 upgraded Swiss iteration of the term involved something a tad different…  

  

Course I
Wine with Chips, perhaps?
With a legacy that stretches back to the 14^th Century, Domaine Zweifel is a winery that’s unlike any other I had ever visited. For one, it is located in the Limmat Valley just outside the city of Zurich in Zurich-Höngg, a short 15-minutes bus ride away from the city’s main train station. And though it isn’t surprising that Zurich is the largest wine producing area in eastern Switzerland, it is almost unfathomable to have a full-fledged vineyard so close to the city center. The family firm not only makes some truly fine-tasting, easy-on-the palate wines like the smoky Räuschling and the refreshing and light Pinot Gris but is also the producer of Zweifel, Switzerland’s number one brand of potato chips. The slightly spicy paprika flavoured one making for the perfect amuse-bouche when paired with their crisp Sauvignon Blanc.    

Course II
A Starters and Mains Veggie Wonderland
Having never heard of products like ‘Facon’ and ‘Noix Gras’ before, I lost my mock meat virginity at what is claimed to be the world’s first veggie butcher aka. the Hiltl Shop along Zurich’s St. Annagasse street. Chomping down on a fat piece of ‘bacon’ made from tempeh which is a fermented soy bean mock meat and a sliver of melba toast topped with the hazelnut substitute for the goose liver foie gras, I tried hard to mediate the conflict my mind and taste buds were having a go at. Both imposters were that deceptively authentic tasting.
An all vegetarian meal of cumin-dusted roasted cauliflower soup and saffron gnocchi was what followed next door to the ‘butcher shop’ at its sister concern—Haus Hiltl on Sihlstrasse street. This Guinness World Records-certified restaurant is believed to be the world’s oldest vegetarian restaurant having opened its doors in 1898. And while I was told that it welcomes all sorts of diners—including callous carnivores like myself—it banishes away those with a propensity for wearing fur. ‘nuff said!      

Course III
A Chocolate Overdose
Imagine a place that is just like Willy Wonka’s magical factory, but one where Willy Wonka and his posse of Oompa Loompas all fuse into one single person. For dessert of all things chocolate, I headed down to Zurich’s Überlandstrasse street for the one man show that is Taucherli Chocolate. Be it the chief chocolate maker, innovator, packer, marketeer, or supplier, Kay Keusen is all that at this one-man-run artisan chocolaterie. With a tasting of everything from the brand’s roasted rapeseed and spicy Christmas special chocolate bars to the deliciously dark 77% chocolate lollies made from Colombian cocoa nibs, Taucherli Chocolate reinforced my belief that dessert is truly the best part of the meal.

Course IV
Holy Cheese!
For my cheese course, I found myself in the beautiful winter paradise of Engelberg a short two-hour train ride away from Zurich via Lucerne. Just like its name—Engelberg (“angel mountain” in German)—almost everything in this tiny little Alpine town revolves around an angel who was said to have appeared in the dream of Duke Conrad von Sellenbüren in 1120 directing him to construct a monastery in the village. And today, nestled in the shadow of the mighty Titlis mountain, it is the attached cheese factory that is drawing in cheese aficionados by the droves. The show cheese factory is a rather unique one in that it is the only Swiss cheese factory located in a monastery and the only one that can produce the famous Engelberger Klosterglocke soft cream cheese that takes its trademarked bell shape from the monastery’s bell.

Course V
Tranquili‘Tea’…
Given my predilection for a nice post-prandial cup of green tea, I set off to the town of Ascona in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino to get my fix. Now, while Switzerland might seem like the unlikeliest of places to have its own tea plantation, Monte Verità that looms above Ascona has its own story to tell. Once the spot where revolutionists, artists and philosophers used to experiment new ways of life, Monte Verità or “The Mountain of Truth” is also the place that has mainland Europe’s only tea plantation. It was here at the very end of the “Il sentiero del tè” tea path, surrounded by the lush tea bushes that I got my share of the refreshing sen-cha green tea at a quaint little Japanese tea hut in a traditional tea ceremony that made me believe that I was more in Sapporo than Switzerland!  

Travel log

Getting There
There are daily direct flights from India to Zurich on Swiss International Airlines. From Zurich, the extensive network of Swiss Railways gets you to both Engelberg and Ascona—or just about anywhere in the country—in luxury and comfort. Getting a Swiss Travel Pass before leaving for Switzerland is a great idea, as it includes unlimited travel on various modes of transport such as trains, trams, buses, cable cars, funiculars and boats. As a bonus, you also get free admission to more than 500 museums throughout Switzerland.

Stay
Though on the expensive side, Zurich has an excellent selection of hotels to choose from. Two such recommended accommodation options are the super trendy, city-centered Marktgasse Hotel Zürich (Rs 21,200 for two with breakfast, marktgassehotel.ch) and the more luxurious, art-filled The Dolder Grand Hotel (Rs 38,900 for two with breakfast, thedoldergrand.com) that’s a little out of the main Zurich commercial zone, but worth the trek!

Tip
* Why not bathe above Zurich’s rooftops? Sign yourselves up for a rooftop bathing experience at the Thermalbad & Spa Zurich amid the century-old stone vaults of the former brewery. Fresh thermal water bubbling straight from Zurich’s hot springs helps you catch up with some much-needed R&R (thermalbad-zuerich.ch).

(An edited version of this article first appeared in the 3rd August 2019 issue of The Hindu Business Line newspaper's BLink section on page 21 https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/takeaway/progressive-dining-in-switzerland/article28793834.ece?fbclid=IwAR0ksRMPhN19a2w0OxUtcyGOL0lip7Vv4g46dTzAFEHYDqt3u3vZpyYH5RI)

Heaven on Earth!

In the run up the International Day of Happiness on 20th March, Raul Dias tells you why Engelberg, Switzerland is one of the happiest, most fun places on earth thanks to some divine, angelic intervention and Mother Nature at her most beautiful best. 

By Raul Dias

I’m not a huge fan of train travel. But whenever I find myself in Switzerland, I always have a change of heart. Bucolic little towns with steepled churches and a countryside dotted with perfect little farm houses and barns whiz past you, leaving a blur of green with specks of yellow from the wild daisies popping up every now and then. However, my recent late winter trip to Switzerland showed me a totally different side to the country. 
The train ride from Lucerne to Engelberg is all of the above save for the last 10 minutes. Just after you pass the station of Grafenort, a dark, depressing tunnel suddenly seems to swallow up the entire train for around seven minutes, leaving you wondering if there is any light at the end of the tunnel. Quite literally! And then, all of a sudden, your eyes try their best to adjust to the blinding beauty they are forced to witness. A veritable mountainous winter wonderland awaits you, just as the train pulls up at Engelberg’s tiny train station all sheathed in a fuzzy snow blanket. “This is divinity at its best”, you hear yourself say. Without realising that in the case of Engelberg this is very much the case.

The angel angle
Legend has it that it was the voice of an angel that ordered the founding of the medieval Benedictine monastery in the town and thus its name became Engelberg or “Angel’s Town”. A huge, imposing structure the monastery is the all-important axis around which the entire town pivots. It finds itself represented in some of the most interesting ways. Take for example, my very first stop, the Show Cheese Factory at the monastery.
Dating back to the 17th century, the most important source of income for the monastery and the people of the valley of Engelberg was cattle and cheese trade. Cheese was carried on mules over passes in the Swiss Alps. Traders from Engelberg would journey over the Jochpass to the Grimsel hospice, where they would meet up with their Italian counterparts, in order to trade cheese for wine and silk.
Today, the happy, ever-smiling staff at the well-appointed Cheese Factory take pride in demonstrating to visitors from around the world the ancient art of cheese making. It is here where fresh milk, coming from cows which feed in the lush Engelberg pastures and surrounding Alps, is used to produce the delicious Swiss Monastery Cheese, particularly the very popular Engelberger Klosterglocke soft cream cheese that takes its bell shape from the monastery’s bell that tolls promptly on the hour to this very day.

Soaring high!
Another great calling card that Engelberg hold close to its heart is the ultra-popular winter haven of Mt. Titlis. A short 10-minute walk or a 3-minute bus ride from Engelberg’s train station and you find yourself at the base of the cable car valley station to go up Mt. Titlis. The new 8-seater cable cars whisk you comfortably from Engelberg directly to Stand station. You then take the world’s first revolving cable car, the Titlis Rotair, to the summit station at 3,020 metres above sea level.
Once at the top Titlis keeps up to its promise of being the ultimate in winter fun. Boasting more than 80 km of slopes, most of which are snow-sure, the ski area offers plenty of variety from off piste to the more controlled free style skiing. What’s more, you are guaranteed of enjoying all the snow action from October through until May.
And if skiing isn’t your thing then you can let off some steam in the snow park at Trübsee Alpine Lodge. Just grab a snowtube, minibob or balancer and whiz down the piste, whipping up a mini blizzard as you go. At 3,041 metres above sea level, the Titlis Cliff Walk is not just one of the newest attractions up the mountain, but also Europe’s highest suspension bridge. Once you ford the bridge you can take a walk to the vantage point at Stotzig Egg and admire the view of Engelberg below.   

(An edited version of this column first appeared in the 17th March 2019 issue of The Free Press Journal newspaper's Weekend section on page 3 https://www.freepressjournal.in/featured-blog/why-engelberg-in-switzerland-is-truly-heaven-on-earth/1483218)