Eiger Swiss Restaurant

Review:

This week, we will be taking you to the elusive dish from one of the best place in the world, Raclette of the Swiss Alps. Originated from the French word ‘racler’, which means to scrape, this dish was ‘found’ when farmers decided to scrape the melting cheese off a rock so that it won’t go to waste (http://www.raclette.com.au/raclette_info/what_is_raclette.html). It turned out that the type of cheese tasted better when melted.

Raclette is the national dish from Switzerland. I have never heard about this type of cheese-eating mechanism before my friend, Andrea, suggested me to this Eiger Swiss Restaurant. Apparently, Eiger is the only restaurant in Sydney to serve the Raclette. In order to enjoy this fantastic dish, you have to book two days in advance.

Before we go to the menu, I’ll show you what to do with the utensils on the table (it can be pretty intimidating for first time eater). You get a wooden scraper and a scoop-like metal. This is where you need to put your cheese in. Then there was a big double-decked griller in the middle of the table for maximum of eight people. The top is for sausages and the bottom one is for your scoop.

The Raclette came in a set menu for your total enjoyment. The set menu was simple. You will get 200 grams of Raclette Cheese (don’t worry it’s A LOT!!), A selection of Sausages, Pickles (Gherkins and Onions), and Potatoes.

Basically you’ll get a constant supply of these things. First thing to do is to heat up the cheese. Then you mash up the potatoes (or any other way you like). Pour the cheese all over the potatoes. You can add salt, pepper, and – ideally – paprika for your enjoyment. It’s wonderful to see the cheese slides thru the scoop to your potatoes. IMHO, the cheese does taste BETTER when heated up as opposed to eating it straight up.

At the same time, the sausages can be put on the top griller. Since sausages don’t take long to cook, make sure you keep an eye on them. The combination of this food created a (literally) warm feeling on the tummy. You will also get bread for starters, but I strongly suggest you avoid it, unless if you’re a massive eater.

In addition to the Raclette, this restaurant serves full course menu all native to Switzerland. Since my wife couldn’t eat too much cheese at this stage, she ordered Zurich Geschnatzeltes (Shredded veal in wine – mushroom –cream sauce). My friend told me that dish was also one of the national dishes of Switzerland.

The final verdict: I know that for Swiss people this is as close as it gets from home. And for Australian, it’s a great way to experience what the food is like on top of the Alps. However on this hot summer day, it’s a tad inappropriate to have this much carbs intake. Overall, it’s a nice food in a nice atmosphere.

Did you know?

This week’s Andrea is not the same as last week’s! Although this restaurant is only a couple of blocks away from Gioia.

Location:

552 Parramatta Rd, Petersham, NSW 2049

Website:

http://www.eigerswissrestaurant.com.au/eiger_001.htm