Chesa

Too bad it never snows in Hong Kong, but you can still get that traditional Alpine experience at Chesa in The Peninsula Hong Kong with its cozy chalet décor and candlelit mood lighting. It is the ultimate haven for lovers of cheese fondue and raclette along with other Swiss favorites since 1965. Even if you are not a cheese lover, the restaurant also offers a variety of appetizers, fish and meat dishes as well. We were here to celebrate a friend’s birthday and due to our group size, we were able to order quite a few dishes to sample and share.
Crab Meat Pancake ($ 320) — with lobster-​Armagnac cappuccino, this crab meat pancake was easily my favorite non-​cheese dish of the night! The crab meat was fresh and sweet while the pairing with the lobster bisque-​like sauce was simply perfection.
Sauteed Escargots and Artichoke ($ 240) — with herbs butter filled in profiterole. I was surprised at the presentation of this dish as escargots are usually presented in their shells, but here they have been de-​shelled and placed on top of a huge profiterole. The escargots were flavorful enough but wasn’t sure it went well with the pastry ball.
Assiette Chesa ($ 240) — with thinly sliced air-​dried meat delicacies from Grisons. The variety and quality of the charcuterie was high and quite enjoyable to eat.
Raclette du Valais ($ 185) — one of the signature dishes here with hot melted cheese and new potatoes, it was amazingly delicious with a burnt crispy top layer and chewy center! To prevent cheese overload, sour pickled onions and gherkins are provided as palate cleansers. The portion size says that it is for 1 person but you can easily split this with another person as well.
Onto the cheese fondues of night. Chesa offers a total of 7 different cheese fondues with traditional, smoked bacon, apple cider, tomato sauce, Champagne, beer with bell peppers and black truffle!
Fondue Montagnarde ($ 270) — Emmentaler, Appenzeller and Gruyère finished with Parmesan and smoked mountain bacon served with macaroni and boiled potatoes. Most cheese fondues here come with bread only, but this one came with boiled macaroni and potatoes as dips! I really enjoyed eating the macaroni as it was quite chewy to eat. The cheese fondue itself had a rich scent of bacon and low alcohol content which I enjoyed.
Fondue au Brie et Truffle Noire ($ 330) — Brie and Gruyère fondue finished with black truffle served with baguette. The black truffle fondue was exceptional with its strong truffle aroma which went very well with the cheese here. Highly recommend this!
Rack of Lamb ($ 440) — with roasted garlic, fine beans, carrots and gratinated potato. Cooked medium rare, the lamb was flavorful with a slight gamey taste which went well with the au jus provided. The portion was also bigger than I’d thought it would be and compared with other restaurants for the same price.
Roasted Quail ($ 320) — with goose liver stuffing served with potato risotto and cassis sauce. The foie gras stuffing was the highlight of this dish and turned this otherwise normal dish into something special. I think the stuffing could have been even more flavorful as it was hard to detect at first.
Organic Beef Cheek Pot-​au-​feu ($ 360) — with root vegetables and hint of horseradish. The beef cheek was very soft and tender but the portion that I got was a bit dry so maybe a bit of the sauce would have helped.
Finally, we ended the night perfectly with a soufflé cake from the restaurant! Most souffles would deflate at the slightest touch but this cake managed to retain its shape after it’s been cut up and drizzled with sauce! The soufflé cake was incredibly soft and moist — it was almost like eating a fluff of cloud. We tried to get the staff to tell us how they managed to do this but they told us that it was a secret!
Verdict — with impeccable service and unpretentious setting, Chesa is probably the place to go to if you are a lover of Swiss gastronomy with its high quality of cheese fondues and reclette!

This is the best Swiss cuisine in Hong Kong. Ok fine, there may only be two swiss restaurants in HK, but still!
FOOD:
Cheese and cheese, and more cheese. Everything is pretty good but if you and unsure, I would asked the staff there. They are great with recommendations.
SERVICE:
Great service. Personal but non intrusive.
LOCATION:
1/​F Peninsula Hotel (which means you have to go up a floor from the main entrance)
The entrance to Chesa is a small door way near the middle of the floor… it doesn’t stand out and is pretty easy to miss

Who would have thought letting milk go funny and then melting it to dip stuff in would have been a good idea? Well I’m glad the Swiss were just that one step ahead in this case, as of all the great things to eat in the world, I would have to put cheese fondue right up there.
Located in the Peninsula Hotel, Chesa has spent the last 40 plus years melting cheese to perfection, to the point of making it an art form.
As you would expect, the signature dishes to come for are the cheese fondues. With just the right balance of wine and cheese, they are absolutely to die for! Mrs L, being a lover of our animal brethren, always opts for the classic cheese and bread combo. I however do like a bit of sausage (naughty), so I go for the meaty-​cheesy version. The only bad thing is that the cheesy goodness does have to end. However, once the dish is done, the waiters will scrape the toasty bits off the bottom. Toasty cheese bits, nearly as good as actual fondue!
Other delights include classic Swiss and European favourites, such as sausage salad, which is a sort of Germanic potato salad affair, and the green & red tomato salad with mozarella. Mains include a variety of meats and fish dishes. Whilst you may be coming for the fondue, they are not so big or heavy, that if you share one, you could probably also put away a main course too.
Styled on an Alpine chalet, the restaurant itself is cosy and romantic, if not a bit weirdly decorated for the middle of HK. The staff are excellent, both friendly and knowledgeable. It’s also not too expensive either. The classic fondue is a sniff over HKD240.
It can be a bit tricky to book a table as it does get filled up, and the booking staff are a bit stiff, listing their rules and regulations about dress codes (no shorts, sandals etc) and no kids under three years, but persevere and your taste buds will thank you — but maybe not your cholesterol!