Expat brings bites of Switzerland to Beijing

Shelves full of Swiss products cover the front wall next to a large, white deli counter, showcasing more Swiss products for sale and pastries, made in-house or exclusively provided by local Italian restaurant Opera Bombana. At night, the area turns into a bar, a suitable spot for enjoying a glass of Swiss wine or a mini authentic cheese fondue－a bubbling blend of Gruyere and white wine, served with pieces of soft bread to dip.

Troesch leaves the kitchen under the watchful eyes of a skillful duo: Swiss food and beverage manager Ewan Christopher Wyss and Chinese executive chef Kevin Cai. The restaurant hosts events and offers menus for business lunches and weekend brunches in addition to the standard menu.

"We really want to make people discover Switzerland," Troesch says. Supporting that goal: a plentiful selection of fine Swiss wines and spirits, and the use of imported Swiss products including milk, cheese and chocolate.

Within a few minutes of sitting down, my table is already full of starters: gazpacho (cold tomato soup from Spain), a sampler platter of meats and cheeses, and buttery Swiss bread made fresh each morning. Poured in front of us as it is served, the refreshing and cool gazpacho, with its spiced-up medley of pureed fresh tomato, cucumber, onion and bell pepper, is ideal for the hot summer day.

The sampler platter features a basic green salad, a zesty hunk of Australian beef tartare (with a kick of Tabasco and mustard), salty strips of marinated Norwegian salmon, such air-dried Swiss meats as rohschinken (ham) and bundnerfleisch (beef), and a select amount of Swiss cheeses such as the semi-hard Tete de Moine.

The cheese selection in Beijing is very limited, he says, because fresh-milk cheeses are currently unavailable to be imported. But he hopes that this will change soon so that he can provide a more diverse representation of the cheeses in Switzerland.