IN CHESA'S FAVOUR

IT IS my understanding that the reputation of a dining establishment is generally acquired through the quality of food, the standard of service or the patrons. I was somewhat surprised then, that the writer of the article on Chesa (Sunday Morning PostMagazine, February 20) expected the restaurant to be a plush place, based on the grandeur of the staircase and the access to it through The Peninsula's lobby.

Chesa is the Romansh word for 'home' and this restaurant is designed to offer exactly that feeling of a cosy home. If anything, the Chesa has been popular for many years because it has not changed its concept and still offers a warm and traditional ambience, and authentic traditional Swiss food.

The writer either has little knowledge of food or does not know the difference between Swiss and German culinary traditions because the Chesa has nothing whatsoever in common with a bierkeller.

I can not help but think that my assumption of the writer's lack of knowledge is correct when I note how he (or she) spells raclette and later on when he criticises the way the bread was cut and served for the fondue. I wonder in which 'cafe' the writer has ever had fondue, since this is a traditional dish not usually consumed in cafes. Likewise, potatoes are a staple food in Switzerland and therefore served, like the rice with a Chinese meal, plainly, simply, and without garnish.

If the accordion music (I doubt whether a guitar duo or a pianist would suit the place) made the writer pass on the delicious desserts, Wai Sik was probably not in a mood to experiment with what is, for so many, a special and authentic Swiss treat, particularly since this deviated from the writer's preconceived ideas.

The Chesa has been a 'home from home' for many guests of The Peninsula. Are they not entitled to have one venue available to them where they need not feel continuously surrounded by the luxury and grandeur of the rest of the hotel? The interior design of the Chesa, with the wooden panelling and the feeling of confinement, is exactly what makes the place so attractive.