Veritable Swiss feast at JP Bistro

JAKARTA (JP): All lovers of Central and Northern European cuisine have a veritable feast in store for them over the next four days if they happen to wander into the JP Bistro at the Aryaduta Hotel.

This is all because the chefs in that fine restaurant are taking the trouble to stage a Swiss food promotion (running until Aug. 12) which, as I had the pleasure of finding out recently, is well worth making the time to visit.

With a population of seven million souls and a grand total of 23 highly autonomous cantons (something akin to states in a federation), Switzerland is about a whole lot more than cuckoo clocks and numbered bank accounts.

Over many years the country has established an enviable reputation in the hospitality industry, with thousands of students from around the world (including many from Indonesia) flocking there annually.

As a country situated in the heart of Europe, Swiss cuisine has drawn inspiration from the renowned culinary traditions of its neighbors, as well as having produced many culinary masterworks of its own.

As in most of Central and Northern Europe, potatoes, dairy produce and large quantities of meat and poultry play significant roles. This, of course, reflects the need to stock up on the carbohydrates to keep winter at bay, as well as the fact that the country's alpine terrain is eminently suitable for dairy farming.

Fondue is a popular Swiss family meal and is widely served all over the country. From the French-speaking canton of Valais comes raclette, another melted cheese dish which many claim is even more delicious than fondue (unfortunately, neither of these dishes was on the menu at the JP Bistro).

The Swiss, like their German and Austrian neighbors, are big sausage guzzlers. The most succulent is probably the fat Zurich version, while St. Gall produces a famous bratwurst. Given the importance of sausage in Swiss cuisine, it was thus equally unfortunate that, like the fondue and raclette, sausage was also almost totally absent from the a la carte selection.

In fact, the menu as a whole was very restricted, with a choice of only four starters and four entrees on offer. Even worse, despite Switzerland being famed for its chocolate and desserts, only two desserts were included.

However, all the dishes the chef had opted to put on the menu were well-chosen and sounded perfectly mouth-watering.

After much head-scratching and gnashing of teeth, my partner eventually decided on the potato soup (Rp 26,000) for her starter while I opted for the Buendner barley soup with smoked bacon and saffron (also Rp 26,000). Both were delicious, although both were also a little on the cool side.

The potato soup was differentiated from kindred soups served all over Europe by a large chunk of Emmenthal cheese slowly melting at the bottom of the bowl which, according to my companion, produced a slight tartness that supplied the defining flavor of this particular soup.

Meanwhile, I was thoroughly enjoying my Buendner barley soup. This was as hearty a broth as they come, with carrots, onions, leeks, celery, and chunky, chewy barley, and cream all mixed together in the blender and set of with saffron - altogether a highly satisfying coalescence of flavors and colors.

For our entrees, we decided with some difficulty to forego the pasta and potatoes in cream with paprika, and the poached grouper on a creamy dill-parsley sauce (the other two entrees on the menu).

Instead, my dining companion ordered the veal emince Zurich (Rp 80,000), while I plumped for the beef medallions with tomato and cheese (Rp 80,000).

I suspected that the veal emince Zurich would probably turn out to be what I have always known as geschnetzeites nach Zurcher art, a dish of finely sliced veal tossed in a very hot pan, and then smothered in a creamy mushroom sauce. This turned out to be the case and, once again, according to my companion, the chef more than did himself proud.

The dish was served with a generous helping of rosti, or what they call hash browns in North America. With a perfectly browned skin and fluffy mashed potatoes inside, the rosti received a major thumbs-up from my companion.

Upon chancing a nibble, however, I felt that it could have done with a little bit more of the basics, namely salt and pepper.

Perhaps the chef was undercompensating after listening to so many complaints by Western diners about excessive saltiness -- a common problem in many a kitchen in this part of the world, where copious quantities of salt and chilis seem to be the order of the day.

As for my medallions of beef tenderloin, medium was how they were ordered and perfectly medium was how they arrived, served up with smooth and buttery mashed potatoes.

The tenderloin more than lived up to its name, while as with the potato soup, the Emmenthal cheese once again provided a slight but noticeable tartness that contrasted admirably with the sweetness of the meat. It would be a very demanding critic indeed who could find any bones to pick with the chef over his excellent tenderloin. However, as with the rosti, once again I felt that the potatoes, which presumably came from the same pot as the rosti, could have done with a little more in the way of seasoning, but it was merely a minor complaint.

The two desserts listed on the menu were caramelized nut tart (Rp 25,000), and apple fritters (also Rp 25,000). After tossing a coin, I took the tart while my companion got the fritters.

The tart, filled with walnuts, was accompanied by a dollop of delicious fresh cream, and was generally well-received by an at- this-stage struggling reviewer. As for the fritters, they consisted of deep-fried apple rings topped by icing sugar and accompanied by the chef's homemade ice cream. Once again, they were well-received, albeit with difficulty, by my already- satiated companion.

Compliments to the chef all round! And, by the way, there's also a Swiss buffet starting at 5 p.m. on Saturday for those eager to experience more of Swiss cuisine than is available a la carte.

Swiss Food Festival, JP Bistro, Aryaduta Hotel, Jl. Prapatan 44-48, Jakarta, tel. 2311234, (all prices quoted above are exclusive of a 10 percent service charge and 11 percent tax). (Bill Blade)