This Michelin-Starred Swiss Chef Puts His Own Twist to Filipino Cuisine
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Chef Fabio is a multi-awarded chef of Restaurant Zum Äusseren Stand in Bern, Switzerland. Born in the town of Schaffhausen, he has earned 15 points from Gault & Millau, has one Michelin star, and was named 2021 Koch des Jahres (Cook of the Year) in his home country.
Restaurant Zum Äusseren Stand is closely linked to the history of the Swiss Confederation: the country’s Federal Constitution was adopted in the restaurant’s Empire Hall in 1848. In 1979, the newly established Rathaus des Äusseren Stand foundation acquired the historic building and had it extensively restored. To this day it is under federal and cantonal monument protection.
Through the efforts of the Philippine Embassy together with Trade (DTI-Berne) and Agricultural (DA-Geneva) offices in Switzerland, Chef Fabio was invited to serve a traditional Filipino meal as part of the Philippine participation in the 2021 Fernweh Festival.
“It is wonderful to discover Philippine cuisine,” he said.
Chef Fabio’s menu starts with an appetizer: Tuna Kinilaw. For this dish, Chef Fabio uses high-quality Philippine tuna together with “lato” or sea grapes. Next, the chef serves Nilasing na Hipon using fresh scampi from Rheinfelden with a delicate sauce of Philippine calamansi and Swiss butter.
For his soup, Chef Fabio presents his version of the classic Sinigang, elevating it to haute cuisine. “This dish reminds me of my signature tomato soup using clear tomato stock reduced and enhanced with very good olive oil,” he explains.
The main event is a true Filipino favorite: lechon. For this dish, Chef Fabio serves the meat like a cutlet and for the gravy, he used foie gras and chicken stock “to make it lighter.”
Finally, for dessert, he deconstructs the Mango Float in a classic Swiss style.
Chef Fabio served his gourmet five-course menu throughout the event from October 29 to November 6.
