Beautiful Brunnen

I recently visited Switzerland for a week of meetings. Prior to that, I have always heard how beautiful the country is and how things work like clockwork. And I find it very true and amazing.

Clockwork - that is how I will describe the train system in Switzerland. Legendary really. We had arrived in Zurich and took the train to Brunnen having changed trains at two other towns. Not difficult actually if you understand the system. And this was the sight on the train ride into Brunnen.

I have always heard how picturesque Switzerland is but never did I imagine the real beauty that awaits when we arrived in a small town of Brunnen. We were put up at the Waldstatterhof Hotel by Lake Lucerne and the day we arrived, beautiful weather like you wouldn't believe. Blue skies, sunshine with temperatures at around 4 degrees Celcius.

The hotel is located right beside Lake Lucerne and what a beautiful sight greeted us.

We had arrived at the right time - clear blue skies and bright sunshine that is not normal for late February time. Right in front of the hotel is the lake and the ferry terminal.

I was lucky enough to have a room facing the lake. And this is the view from my window.

And every morning when I wake up, this is the view I am greeted with.

And in the evening, clear skies permitting, this is the view...

I went for runs in the evening and the surrounding is as beautiful. The lake, the marina and when it is Feb, the sun sets early. And what a sight!

As luck would have it, I spotted a couple seated by the bench at the edge of the lake. A lucky shot for me.

And that week was the week of the Carnival - an excuse to revel and drink the night away. Starts at 4am in the morning and the streets are decorated and blocked off. Then comes the parade…

And all too soon, it was time to leave Brunnen. Just as well as the weather took a turn and was back to "regular" winter weather.

Brunnen is a beautiful quaint town and definitely worth another visit.

Saveur the French Food

There has been much talk about Saveur - the affordable French Restaurant right across from another more up-market restaurant - Gunther's.

Having been to Black Sheep Cafe recently, I thought it would be good to also savor the French fare at Saveur and do a comparison. The restaurant sitting is pretty tight - a table for two is just a table for two with little room for anything extra. Two main dish later and we were struggling for space.

We ordered three dishes - crab meat pasta, duck confit and the pork belly. The crab meat pasta was served cold with a bed of crab meat on top of the capellini with some Lumpfish caviar. The capellini was al-dente and when tossed with the crab meat has a strong dried shrimp taste - lacking crab flavor actually. And also rather dry. Looks nice but could be better.

Next, the duck confit. Gina's choice. Can't compare to that of Black Sheep Cafe for sure. A rather flat piece of duck pretty well cooked but the skin is not as crispy as it should be. Gina said it was salty and when I tried it, she was right. The pan-fried shitake mushroom was done just nice.

I ordered the pork belly which comes with a soft boiled egg on a bed of green lentils. The pork is well cooked and the skin was a nice crisp. When one breaks the egg and combines with the pork, it lifts the pork belly.

Saveur is a decent restaurant - pricing is good value but haute cuisine it is not. And in their defense, they are not pretending to be haute cuisine. They just want to bring affordable french food to the masses and this they do well. Long queues every time I visit. Good for an occasional visit.

Saveur, 5 Purvis Street.

www.saveur.sg

Chatuchak - Famous for something else

Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok is famous for their bargains. But few tourists know that there is an equally famous food outlet - Chatuchak Pig Trotters.

Oddly enough, the outlet is located in a gas station… Yes, right on the same premises as a gas station. Not the best location as parking is always a challenge there. But I can tell you that the place is a revelation really. We arrived at around 2pm and it was still rather crowded.

The air-conditioned outlet is spacious and clean.

When we sat down, they immediately placed 5 bowls of soup, 5 bowls of rice and then started taking order for the pig trotters and organs.

The soup is a pork based soup with seaweed, minced pork balls and liver. The seaweed adds a sweetness to the clear soup and it was so good, I had 2 portions!

Then came the highlight - the pork trotters. Braised till soft, the deboned trotter meat is soft and tender as one would expect. Nice taste of spices too - star anise, cinnamon and ginger.

Then there was another plate which is probably the trotter itself with bone and cartilage in. Plus some innards to go with. In our rush, I had forgotten to take picture of the chili sauce which is the vinegar type we have when we eat kway chap in Singapore. The trotters were so tender and meat fell off the bone and the cartilage was excellent too.

After my 2 bowls of soup and one bowl of rice accompanied by the pork trotters, I noticed they were putting aside the recently cooked trotters out to cool down.

Notice the amount of spices they use? Galangal, lemongrass, panda leave, garlic and many more.

Don't scoff at this pot - may not look appetizing but I can tell you the taste is wonderfully aromatic. Even the innards are flavorful and very tender.

So as far as I know, this is one place I will be going back to whenever I hit Bangkok and I go to OrTorKor Fruit Market for my fill of fruits. In fact, we went to OrTorKor right after our lunch here. Here is my previous post on OrTorKor. Stay tuned for a new report coming up.