Hotel des Alpes Restaurant (Lucerne, SWITZERLAND) ★★★☆☆

I've been dying for some rösti (potato pancake) since we crossed the Italian-Swiss border and finally got my wish in Lucerne.



Located across the street from the Reuss river with front row seats to the Kapellbrücke wooden footbridge, Hotel des Alpes Restaurant is a lounge and restaurant on the ground floor of the 3-star hotel.



We had a full day of action already so just a quick meal before we crash.



Piquant chicken wings - Pretty tangy and working well with the homemade wasabi mayonnaise.



Tagliolini with prawns - Thin egg noodles tossed with lemon pepper, cream, baby-spinach and prawns. This wasn't bad and honestly, we were too tired to start getting picky.



Crispy Rösti - Yes, I finally got my wish! A vintage Swiss-style (or German, I could never tell!) potato cake with spinach, crispy shallots topped by a fried egg. There was a version of this with beef but I think I will just be a vegetarian for one night.



Just when I was finishing up my rösti, little guy began to wake up from his sleep. So we quickly order something for him and while we waited for his dish, I brought him out to see the swimming ducks. A special moment for daddy and son.....

Food Rating: 4/10
Price: $$$
Address: Rathausquai 5, 6004 Luzern, Switzerland
Tel: +41 41 417-2060
Website: www.desalpes-luzern.ch/en/Restaurant

Bistro Gentiana (Davos, SWITZERLAND) ★★★★☆

The more time I spent in Davos, the more I realize it's more than just a renowned ski resort town. It's pretty hard to imagine a small town with such quintessentially beautiful Swiss mountain scenery was once chosen as a tuberculosis treatment centre back in Victorian times.



We spent the entire afternoon up in nearby Rinerhorn. It was really a lot of fun especially for the kids because it's almost like a park up there.  




There's a small petting zoo called Rinerhorn Alpine Petting Zoo up on the hill.



A trip to Switzerland isn't complete without a cheese fondue dinner so I went searching for a fondue restaurant online and a lot of positive reviews pointed in the direction of Bistro Gentiana.



Bistro Gentiana is a little family-run Swiss-French restaurant in a beautiful Swiss chalet setting. Looks like we're in for a special treat.



Snail soup (Fr 14.80) - A Gentiana speciality which also marked my first time having snail soup. This was very creamy (and milky) with nice subtle flavors from the snail. Some crispy croutons put the icing on the cake.



Burgundy snails (Fr 34.80) - These weren't bad especially when they came with homemade garlic butter and herbs. I gave the herb butter a lot of credit for its grassy flavors making the snails even more delicious.



Classic cheese fondue (Fr 29.8) - Mom's having classic cheese fondue for the first time and she's a little nervous about it (and understandably so). Didn't take long before we all started dipping our toasted bread into the melting cheese. This was pretty nice and cheesy without going over the top. I could taste some white wine (probably Chardonnay) in there too for the extra kick. 



Just when we thought we were done, the owner of the restaurant came over for a chat and he told us the best part of the fondue was still there in the fondue pot, referring to the brownish cheese crispies sticking to the bottom of the pot. This was almost like the rice crispies in our Chinese clay pot rice but a lot more flavorful and cheesy of course. So we did what was told by putting some of these on top of the left-over bread. Sooo good~!  



After such wonderful cheese meal, we took a slow walk back to our car and I slowly drove back to our hotel wrapping a relaxing day in Davos.



There was a special feeling about dinner tonight and what set it apart from our other meals on this trip? Atmosphere and service. Tonight, it felt more like we're dining at someone's house. The whole thing was really warm starting with the vibe and throughout the night, the service which was really provided by just one single individual. It's almost like him playing host to all of us at home and teaching us all we needed to know about cheese fondue. It was a night I'll remember for a long time.




Food Rating: 6/10
Price: $$$
Address: 53 Promenade Davos Platz, 7270 Davos, Switzerland
Tel: +41 81 413-5649
Website: www.gentiana.ch

Opening Hours: 11:30am - 8:00pm (Thu - Mon)

Pulsa Bar & Lounge Restaurant at Grischa DAS Hotel (Davos, SWITZERLAND) ★★★☆☆

Grischa is a brand new 4-star hotel just getting its feet wet in the heart of Davos this month.



It's situated at the foot of Jakobshorn Cable Car with Davos-Platz Train Station just across the street. Very good and convenient location ideal for travelers.



There are some solid dining options at the hotel too, including Golden Dragon (Chinese), Monta Grill (You guess it, it's a grill restaurant), Leonto Sushi (Japanese), Pulsa Fonduestube (Traditional fondue restaurant) and Pulsa Bar & Lounge. During the soft-opening period when we visited for lunch, only Pulsa Bar & Lounge was open for business.



Pulsa Bar & Lounge Restaurant is a bistro style restaurant serving mostly light bites in a cozy and casual atmosphere.



I would have loved to enjoy a drink or two at the bar first, before jumping to lunch but.....



This guy obviously had a different idea altogether. 



Caesar Salad (CHF 22.50) - Crispy romaine lettuce with croutons, parmesan chips and chicken breast. Not a bad way to get our late lunch started.



Chicken Ballotine (CHF 31.00) - The stuffed chicken was pretty decent but what I like most about this dish was the "tagliatelle" made with fresh vegetables (mainly carrot).



An intensely rich vegetable broth was poured on top to give the vegetable tagliatelle some wonderful flavors to work with.



Grischa Pasta Hit (CHF 35.50) - Another pasta dish but this was "real" homemade pasta. And we're suppose to DIY with the four dipping sauce (seafood, lobster, tomato-basil sauce, and pesto).





Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: Talstrasse 3, 7270 Davos Platz, Davos, Switzerland
Tel: +41 81 414-9797
Website: www.hotelgrischa.ch

Restaurant Edelweiss (Geneva, SWITZERLAND) ★★★☆☆

Our one and only meal in Geneva of course had to do with cheese fondue and there were a couple of good choices in the heart of the city.

But I ended up choosing Restaurant Edelweiss at Manotel because it also offers live music and entertainment.

Traditional setting in an authentic 2-story chalet. We knew we're in for an unforgettable night.

To secure the booking, we had to make a small deposit online which we had a couple of months in advance.

Care for a drink (grape nectar)?

I love Traditional Swiss Rosti but this wasn't the best I ever had. The crispy exterior wasn't evenly-browned enough and it's not airy like some of the better ones I had. It did work well with the pork sausage (which surprisingly wasn't grilled) and mustard sauce though.

I thought the cheese fondue was way better but we were still full from afternoon's feast so just the bread and nothing more.

Food Rating: 4.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Place de la Navigation 2, 1201 Genèva, Switzerland

Tel: +41 22 544-5151

Website: www.hoteledelweissgeneva.com/fr/restaurant/

Le Dézaley (Zürich, SWITZERLAND) ★★★☆☆

Located near the Grossmünster in a 13th century historic building, Le Dézaley is considered by many as the best fondue restaurant in Zurich. Originally opened in 1903, it serves specialist Swiss dishes like fondue and homemade sausages.



We elect to check this place out at 6pm and looks like that nobody comes earlier than us.



The all-wooden design (almost all word) gives it a very cozy vibe. Very inviting.



Turns out they are not a one-trick pony. Apart from different kinds of fondue, Le Dézaley also offers snails, sliced meat, perch fillet as well as seasonal dishes like venison.



We kicked things off snails in herb butter which weren't bad at all.



Cheese fondue is a must-do here without question. This is based on Le Dézaley's traditional recipe and it goes so well with the baguette.



Burgundian beef fondue with various sauces (out of the picture on the left) and French fries. This is seriously time consuming affair but well worth the effort. 



Next stop, we head over to Fussen.....

Food Rating: 5/10
Price: €€€

Address: Römergasse 7, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
Tel: +41 44 251-6129
Website: www.le-dezaley.ch

L'Entupada (Zurich, SWITZERLAND) ★☆☆☆☆

We had a long day in Grindelwald today so after arriving late in Zurich in the evening, we thought our legs probably won't hold up much longer if we decided to head out for dinner. The plan was then to simply grab a quick bite at our hotel and crash early.

Located on the first floor of Hotel Continental Zurich, L'Entupada is a cozy little bar and restaurant offering simple dishes and snacks with an urban Swiss theme. The ambiance was very pleasant and homey so it was everything that we were hoping for.



Hamburger with French fries - Didn't like the buns at all and the fries looked like they've just come out of the microwave. Not good.



Pasta with pesto and pine nuts - Like the burger ahead of it, it took a long time to arrive. I know it's getting a little late and probably most of the kitchen staff should be off by now but this is still inexcusable. And does this look like a dish coming out of a professional kitchen?



Love the atmosphere here but the slow service and very poor quality of food have both ruined the experience.




Food Rating: 2.5/10
Price: €€€

Address: 1/F Hotel Continental Zurich, Stampfenbachstrasse 60, Zürich, Switzerland
Tel: +41 44 360-6060
Website: Link

Derbystube (Grindelwald, SWITZERLAND) ★★★☆☆

We thought we had everything all planned out perfectly. A morning drive from Bern, arriving in Grindelwald a little after noon time and looked like we could catch the train up to the Jungfrau by late afternoon. Problem? The train tickets were all sold out on the day!!!

So we were left scratching our heads walking around the Grindelwald train station. What should we do next? Well, one doesn't think too well with an empty stomach so before we work out a revised itinerary, we decided to grab a quick bite at the nearby Derbystube Restaurant on the ground floor of Derby Hotel Grindelwald.



A nice dish of rösti (Swiss potato pancake) with pork and assorted mushrooms got us started.



That was followed by spaghetti with Swiss pork schnitzel.



Someone looks happy despite not making it up to Jungfrau today.



Perhaps it has something to do with this view?

Food Rating: 4/10

Price: €€

Address: Derby Hotel Grindelwald, Dorfstrasse 75, Grindelwald, Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0)33 854 54 61

Website: Link