Chesa Bianca - A Swiss Escape Inside Makati

I came here in Chesa Bianca Restaurant together with a friend last May 10 2016 at around 4pm. We were in Makati area and we decided to have an early dinner. The experience was quite unique that it inspired me to write a review about it. One disclaimer though, the last time I made a restaurant review was a couple of years already as part of my culinary studies. Since I wanted to be informative and brief so as not to bore you, I divided this review into small sections.

Ambiance – it was 4 pm, it was pretty quiet and we were actually the only customers at this time (although a few more people started to arrive by 6pm). The place reminded me of a Swiss cottage (yes I have been to Switzerland though only for a week) because of its wooden chairs tables and the overall design of the place. Not an architect so I won’t mention more but feel free to look at the pictures. They played instrumental music that sounded to me like a traditional Swiss folk song. The volume is just right to let you speak comfortably with your companion without needing to raise your voice. I think it’s a wonderful place for dinner dates or business meetings as well. It’s not exactly a “barkada” kind of restaurant unless your group is really craving to indulge or if you are celebrating something.

Price range – you can easily spend around 1000 to 1500 pesos per person here depending on what you order. The servings are quite big though, so if you are willing to share the meal (which by the way I should have, but we ordered separately) you’d be able to enjoy your dinner with a very reasonable price.  I was able to have a chat with the manager miss Gail, and she told me that they actually allow half orders for several food items. She also invited us to try out their lunch menu next time which only cost P670 and includes an appetizer, main course and coffee.... hmmn... definitely will come back for that.

Service – Our server Dian greeted us at the door and attended to our needs quite well. As this is honestly my first time in this restaurant, I asked her for recommendations and the WiFi password :) . I can tell that she really knows the menu as she was able to answer our questions with ease (I know this sounds strange but some servers in other restaurants don’t really know how to answer your concerns when it comes to their menu – that’s why this is pretty important to me). With the way she opened our bottle of wine and presented our dinner, you can feel that you are indeed being served in a classy restaurant. 

Food 

Appetizer: 

Walliser Raclette – Traditional Swiss Style Raclette Cheese, served with marble potatoes, cocktail onions and gherkins.

Translation: 

Melted cheese heaven on a plate! Seriously! I know it’s uncommon for Filipinos to have cheese as an appetizer but this one is something that you shouldn’t miss especially if you are like me and you love cheese. Just how many “cheese” can I write in this paragraph? Cheese, cheese, melted Cheese goodness! Oh well...

 It’s like a mozzarella pizza without the bread layer, and a lot tastier. Just the cheese toppings on your plate with some potatoes that you can dip into it. I bet this would go well with a French white wine but I’ve been looking forward to get a glass of red since last night.

Main Course: 

Sliced Veal Zurich Style (Zurcher Geshnetzeltes) – Sliced veal in mushroom sauce served with crisp Swiss rosti potatoes.

Veal, while not exactly popular here in the Philippines is something that all culinarians know about. It is basically the meat of a young calf usually 6 to 7 months old. Foodies love this meat because it is very tender as compared to beef, thus making it slightly more expensive. 

This main course is heavy and I would really recommend that two people share this as it includes a big serving of Rosti potatoes as well (much like a hash brown). The veal was as expected, really tender and savory. You barely have to chew it. The cream sauce tied everything together and it’s something that I can’t get enough of. Being a Filipino, I can imagine it as a perfect topping for rice. I easily became full with the meal; but as my conversation went by with my friend, I found myself reaching out for just a little bit more until it was all gone.

Dessert

Schoggi Mousse – otherwise known as the humble chocolate mousse. Then again this is a Swiss restaurant and we all know Switzerland for its chocolates! 

The texture of this dessert is the first thing that I noticed. It’s not frozen or too soft. It is firm exactly the way I want it, and it’s really smooth. I have been eating too much sweets the past couple of days (cookies and ice cream – I’m a sweet tooth), but I’m thankful that this particular dessert is not too sweet. You can tell that they used good quality chocolates. I would still recommend that you share this food item as it is also quite large for one person (Or maybe it's just because I ended up eating the whole main course).

Pros:

• Authentic Swiss dining with fine quality ingredients used.
• Swiss cottage ambiance perfect for dates and business meetings.
• Did I mention they have a good wine selection? They do.
• Service meets my expectations for a classy restaurant.
• Based on the food I have mentioned above this is definitely something that I would return to and recommend to my friends.
• Parking is actually available and free even though it’s in Makati.

Cons

• Quite pricey since it can easily cost you P1000 to P1500 per person – but as I have mentioned I would highly recommend sharing your meal with a friend/date as they do have big servings. Or try to order half of the food item as they do allow that in some of their selections.
• I think they are only open up to 11pm so it’s not a place for late dates unfortunately…. Kinda wish they’re open until 2am to be honest. 

To wrap things up: General Score

I don’t really like rating this way, but for those who wants a concrete number I would give Chesa Bianca a solid  9/10

In case you are interested to contact Chesa Bianca, this is their Facebook page > https://www.facebook.com/Chesa.Bianca/