We love road trips. We love eating. So sometimes, we end up road tripping simply to eat.
Like last Sunday.
Nino’s parents asked us if we wanted to tag along with them and try out Vieux Chalet in Antipolo, and to be honest, they didn’t have to ask twice.
Did someone say road trip?
Our family LOVES getting in the car to go places. I also use this opportunity to talk to my kids about different things. With no other distractions it’s easy to keep their attention.
Nino comes from a family of driving enthusiasts. All the boys love to drive. Their love for getting behind the wheel was nurtured when they were quite young because my FIL was a champion race car driver for four straight years back in the 80’s. I have heard stories of how Nino was taught how to drive even before he was old enough to qualify for his license. So a road trip to Antipolo to eat lunch? That’s quite easy for this family. (as long as Momma has time to pack everything she will need, ok?)
So we set out a little early on the road to Antipolo to visit a restaurant that has apparently been around for many years.
We were able to breeze right through on SLEX because there was absolutely no traffic. (I love it when that happens!)
- We arrived at the corner of the restaurant noting the simple sign to let passers by that this was the place they were looking for.
The entrance to the upstairs dining room is to the right of the sign and the kitchen is ground level ,and to the left.
The interior of the restaurant looks and feels as if you are sitting in someone’s private dining room. There are collections of silver serving pieces tucked away safely in curio cabinets, and small spoons that have been collected from places traveled very far from this quaint restaurant, sitting proudly, on this hill in Antipolo. It looks like the walls could use a good coat of paint and the window treatments an update to some more modern blinds, but don’t let that deter you from enjoying the traditional Swiss fare served atop rustic wooden boards.
After all, people really come here to eat and to enjoy the view.
You can see the entire metropolis from the main dining room window. In fact, the entire side of the dining room that faces the city is all windows, so there is nothing obstructing your view on a clear day.
The menu was quite thick, in fact, it was a three ring binder complete with the history of how Vieux Chalet came to be back in 1984. The Hassig children (who run the restaurant now) recall how their parents opened up their home as a restaurant to serve as reprieve to the city slickers who might be tired from the hustle and bustle of the city life. They lovingly share their memories on the opening pages of the menu about growing up with clean air to breathe and the value of hard work and dedication instilled by their parents.
In different corners of the restaurant you can see the personal touches of the owners. I can imagine the Hassig family traveling together and collecting each of these spoons in the places that they would visit.
We intended to order quite a few different dishes (and that we did) ala carte, but we also took note of the ability to reserve in advance if you have a private party from two different set menus, focusing on Rizal’s prime meats or bringing in a seafood feast.
Because we had heard so much about the mushroom soup, it was the first thing we ordered along with the raclette.
The creamy mushroom soup had a hint of truffle oil and was coupled with home made bread . Gellibean loved this one. I would dip the bread into the soup and she enjoyed that too.
The raclette was served with the standard boiled potatoes, pickled vegetables and olives. It left me wanting a little bit more, though. As you already know….Cheese is my weakness, so I would’ve appreciated a bigger serving.
We were curious about the Swiss Platter and I believe they smoke everything in house. It was balanced with smoked ham, smoked bacon, Home Made Ricotta Cheese, Pate de Foie, Tomato Provencal, Pink Salmon, Organic Micro Greens, served with Home Made Bread and Butter.
We couldn’t go to a Swiss restaurant and not have fondue! I enjoyed all the fresh veggies while the kids loved dipping the bread. (I’ve always said that if you want to get your kids to eat their veggies, let them dip it…in anything-and in this case cheese does nicely.)
After all that cheese we ordered (some more cheese) a pizza, two pastas for the kids to share, and a big grilled sausage platter for the adults to share. Believe it or not, we were still hungry. We figured that a Fettucine Alfredo was a safe bet for the picky kids, but the bigger kids had also asked for ravioli.
The Home Made Ravioli was actually really tasty. It was stuffed with home made ricotta and spinach, topped with a creamy sauce with truffle oil, organic arugula and pine nuts. Miguel said that it was the best he has had in a long time. Since he’s my Italian boy (of all my children) he knows his pasta. He was definitely happy with this dish.
I forgot to snap a picture of the pizza while it was still whole. But I guess that means it was really good! All the kids had at least one slice and there was very little talking once it arrived so I’m sure the kids loved it. I had a bite and I liked the fact that the dough was crispy and I could taste the different cheeses layered on top of one another.
Five Cheese Grilled pizza was topped with Raclette, Gruyere, Mozzarella, Kesong Puti, and tangy cream cheese with garlic, basil, and organic arugula.
The Fettucine had bite sized pieces of their very own smoked ham. While I’m an Alfredo traditionalist, this new addition wasn’t offensive to the palette. (check out the ceramic cow and lettuce! No one has eaten it yet!)
I enjoyed the Cervelat, Veal and Hungarian Sausages served with Home made Sauerkraut, Rosti and Baguio Beans sauteed in garlic and olive oil.
I took note of the way they served the sausages, thinking, that it was cute for bringing sausages to the table at home. I’m always on the look out for cute ways to present food to the kids and I thought this is something simple I could do at home that would make our meals more interesting. My kids are pretty good eaters, but every now and then I try to change things up. It gets them talking at the dinner table and if it’s fun and yummy they will enjoy eating it too.
The staff of the restaurant was helpful and attentive.
After all of that food you would think we would be stuffed. I truly was stuffed, but I also needed to finish with something sweet. I don’t have dessert ALL the time, but I was curious about the Trio of Desserts that I knew the four adults sitting at the table could share. The first of the trio was fried sweet sticky rice (suman) served with mangos flambe and capped with cashews. The second (which was my favorite) was a creamy frozen chocolate mousse. The last of the trio was a ganache covered chocolate Swiss cake which was a little dry. The mousse was the first to disappear and the suman was gone after that.
Trio of Desserts
By now, we were sitting for quite some time. So when dessert came, the kids were so full that they just wanted to get up and walk around. Since the restaurant is located on a street that is not so busy, I allowed the children to walk around outside with their yayas (nannies) while the adults finished dessert and had tea. (Plus, I knew that they would be super restless in the car if they didn’t get a chance to stretch their legs).
The staff of the restaurant was quite friendly and accommodating. The food was comforting, the view was refreshing and the air in Antipolo was light and a welcome change from the city. Once we got back in the car, the kids were quick to fall asleep with their full bellies. Would I recommend others to this restaurant that can obviously stand the test of time? Yes, I would. It’s easy to see the charm in taking a drive out of the city for some fresh air and good food…and CHEESE. Yes, Lots of cheese…
To make reservations at Vieux Chalet you can call 02-697-0396. Or you can text 0928-288-8584. Or you can just visit their facebook page for more information. http://www.vieuxchaletswissrestaurant.com
I’ve always wanted to go to this place and seeing your photos I can see this looks like something Team Villanueva would enjoy too! Just say sausages and we are there!:) Thanks for sharing Mishy:)
Everything we had was really good, Janice! I would definitely visit this place again and if sausages are your thing then Team Villanueva will be super happy!