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Published on August 19, 2007

If you're thinking that Swiss cuisine means only fondue, you should drop by Chesa and sample chef/owner Thomas Nowak's offerings.

Fondue in all its glory is indeed on the menu. Nowak has dedicated an entire page of the menu to fondues, from beef bourguignonne (Bt520) to two kinds of cheese fondues (Bt460, Bt510) to a fondue chinoise (Bt520) and even two kinds of raclette (Bt460, Bt510).

For the beef bourguignonne, the beef is imported tenderloin. The meat is so fine that even the most cooking-challenged amongst us would find it hard-going to produce a leathery morsel. The fondue chinoise is, as the name suggests, a Chinese take on the Swiss dish.

Nowak serves a finely flavoured beef stock in which to simmer morsels of beef tenderloin.

Should you not wish to enjoy the fine beef, Nowak is quick to add that you can alter the ingredient to anything you fancy - chicken, pork, seafood, even ostrich.

All the fondues are accompanied by a range of sauces - pesto, garlic, curry, cocktail and what Nowak calls "Thai chilli". If you're a sauce-lover, any one of Nowak's fine fondues is for you.

And if you're a cheese-lover, either one of the raclettes will please.

On Nowak's specially imported electric table-top grill, you can do your own melting. The dish is accompanied by boiled potatoes, gherkins, pickled onions and other condiments.

The fondue is great, but if you come with lots of friends, you can enjoy Chesa's other offerings. With his cuisine, Nowak avoids the flamboyant, using traditional cooking methods (as well as experience and skill) to create dishes that have a special something about them. The fresh salmon tartar (Bt230), for instance, is enhanced with lemon juice, olive oil, fresh dill and basil that bring out the flavour of the fish. You really can't take just one bite.

Nowak is a crowd-pleaser, and he's constructed his menu to please as many palates as he can, from spaghettis to steaks and the range in between. He has his own Swiss speciality, capuns (Bt230), bacon, onions and cheese wrapped in Swiss chard - "a sort of Swiss dimsum," he smiles.

On weekdays (except public holidays), Chesa offers a set lunch, which Nowak changes every week. For an appetiser or soup and a main dish, which extends from carbonnade of beef to a vegetarian potato gnocchi and several other choices, the tariff is Bt300, Bt330 with dessert.

He's also planning ahead to October, when Chesa will offer a game-season promotion.

It's worth dropping by, if only to relax with one of Nowak's tasty desserts.

He has a deft wrist with the sweetness, not too sweet, not too tart - as with all his dishes, just right.

Laurie Rosenthal

The Nation