Dining Out by Pam Grant (a review of Bistro Suisse June 2006)

Veteran chef brings concept of value to bistro

Chef Lucien Frauenfelder and partner Kim Perdigao have a simple tenet to guide their operation - serve good food and keep the prices reasonable.
What a concept.
Frauenfelder is a chef's chef. Now 68, he began his apprenticeship in Switzerland at 17 and spent 2 ½ years (without pay) learning his craft while also attending trade school two days per week. After completing theoretical and practical exams, he gained a paid position in a Zurich hotel working under a former colleague of Georges Escoffier, author of Le Guide Culinaire, still de riguer reading for any apprentice attempting French classics.
Moving to Canada in 1960, Frauenfelder worked at Le Chateau Frontenac and was executive chef of Vancouver's Cannery. When he arrived on the Island, he oversaw food services at the Sidney North Saanich Yacht Club and found a professional soulmate in manager Perdigao.
Together, they opened the doors of Bistro Suisse late last year.
When friend Carol and I met for dinner in this modestly sized venue, decorated with contemporary furnishings, I blinked hard when I saw the prices - appetizers from $4 to $9 and main courses starting at $11? Service is informed and attentive.
No wonder we didn't see an empty table in two hours - and that was on a weeknight.
You won't find any square plates, cocktails that you are too embarrassed to ask for aloud, goat cheese, sea asparagus or low fat yogurt. Specializing in Swiss cuisine, Bistro Suisse offers well prepared, old fashioned comforting fare, using ingredients long forgotten in a world of culinary one-upmanship.
Appetizers include a rich onion soup laced with brandy ($5) and antipasto Ticinese. This combination of marinated artichoke hearts, spring salad and various dry cured meats as available - schinkenspeck, salamis and smoky, richly flavoured Westphalian 'ham reflects the preferred appetizers of Ticin, the most southern Swiss canton.
Carol began with a beautifully presented avocado and shrimp with brandy sauce ($7). We were astounded by the both amount and quality of the components - half a perfectly ripe avocado fanned over mixed greens with a generous amount of hand peeled shrimp in a delicate sauce. In between bites, Carol alternately raved about the taste and the portion; it was more than enough for a light supper or lunch.
I ordered Raclette ($9) a dish that takes its name from the both the French verb racler (to scrape) and the cow's milk cheese it features. Heated to melting point and then scraped into a dish, you add a little to boiled new potatoes with a bit of gherkin and pickled onion for a pleasant, astringent jolt. Like Carol, I was pleasantly surprised at the portion and equally pleased to see the traditional accompaniments.
Evening specials (which include soup or salad) range from moist baked chicken breast with paprika cream sauce ($15), filet mignon with five-peppercorn and port wine sauce ($23), osso bucco a la Milanaise - tender braised veal shanks in a rich sauce flavoured with wine, garlic and herbs - served with polenta ($21), but we made our choices from the regular menu.
Carol chose lamb chops ($18), doing so partially because she thought she would get a fairly small portion of meat, but this turned out to be erroneous. Bones aside, she probably wound up with more than six ounces of meat, marinated with rosemary and grilled to seal in the flavours.
Of course she had to eat all of it, as well as the tender seasonal vegetables that came with it.
Choosing my entree, I considered schnitzel with Caesar salad ($11) and scallops and prawns in Penod sauce ($17), but decided veal Zurichoise ($17) - tender medallions in a sauce rich with onions, mushrooms, cream, white wine and butter - served with vegetables and rosti and worth every calorie.
Though we were delighted with our choices, there was one dish we saw at nearby tables that we agreed we will try on our next visit - the aromatic cheese fondue made with Gruyere and EmmenthaI cheeses, wine, Kirsch and garlic, served with chunks of baguette and the antipasto ($36, serves two).
Desserts ($4-$6) included two chocolate options, making our decision an easy
one. We loved both rich mousse made with Belgian chocolate and the chocolate volcano - a small bundt cake filled with molten chocolate and served with ice cream.
Bistro Suisse is also open for lunch every day but Sunday. Soup du jour ($4) with rotating options including cream of asparagus, Scotch broth, navy bean and bacon, or leeks and potatoes with the sandwich of the day (total $8), or add a spinach salad with ham, sautéed mushrooms and silvered almonds for $7.
For: $9, you can have a plate loaded with bratwurst homemade sauerkraut, onion sauce and rosti.
With quality food at these prices, the word is out and it is already hard to walk in and get a table, so reservations are strongly recommended.