David Bowden enjoys nothing more than dining out in the finest restaurants and having his senses stimulated by enticing dishes and iconic beverages. Join him as he takes you on a culinary journey through some of Malaysia’s best places to dine was invited out to dinner the other night to 

Iwas invited out to dinner the other night to a Swiss restaurant in Kuala Lumpur. Like most people, my knowledge of Swiss gastronomic delights was limited to chocolates produced by Nestlé and Lindt and cheeses like Emmental and Gruyère but I have to admit; I was even a little hazy on whether the cheeses were Swiss or French.
Of courses, I was aware of the scenic beauty of Switzerland as like most people I know, visiting this alpine country one day was on my travel wish list.
While intrigued, I was still none the wiser to Swiss cuisine as I entered Chalet Suisse Restaurant in suburban Kuala Lumpur.
Ampang via the Alps
I was greeted at my table by the quietly spoken Manfred Faehndrich who has been involved with the restaurant almost since its inception and now manages and owns it. First impressions are important and the reception was warm as if I was being welcomed into Manfred’s home. The restaurant interior was equally inviting with honey-coloured pine furniture and Swiss knick-knacks covering the walls. Its authentic and rustic atmosphere resembled, so Manfred told me, a typical Swiss restaurant from a mountainous region in the Alps.
Chalet Suisse had that lived-in look; a look of longevity that is understandable considering the restaurant opened in 1996. By KL standards, that is a long time so they must be doing something right and that this was a story that I wanted to pursue with Manfred.
Scanning the menu, I noticed some familiar Western dishes and several uniquely Swiss dishes that I was unfamiliar with. Asking the obvious question, my host rolled his eyes as if he were asked the same question every night. Manfred explained: “When I meet people who aren’t Swiss, they often ask me what is Swiss food and I find it difficult to answer the question”. He explained that Swiss cuisine has evolved over the generations with many traditional dishes. Switzerland also has four linguistic regions - German, French, Italian and Romansh and its food is deeply rooted in specific geographic regions. Manfred concluded that the answer to my question was almost impossible to answer.