A secret called Vieux Chalet
*Published in the Life & Travel section of Manila Standard Today
Most people associate Antipolo with the cathedral and the patron saint for travel. Others associate it with the watering holes that line Sumulong Highway, mostly because they offer a spectacular panoramic view of Metro Manila especially at night. Undeniably, these two have put a sleepy residential suburban town in the local tourism map.
But Antipolo holds other attractions. How many know that inside the Meralco Management and Leadership Development Center compound, for instance, is an aviary with macaws, peacocks, storks and pigeons so exotic that one would think they can only be found in the wilds? How many have heard of Inday Nelly�s mystical caves? How many have visited the centuries-old Bosoboso church? And just how many have sampled the incomparable food of Vieux Chalet?
Vieux Chalet does not advertise on newspapers, TV or the radio. With its relatively remote location, one wonders how people find it. Well, as my fellow food blogger Anton Diaz believes, there are places that become popular by sheer word of mouth. And I admit it. I�m a walking advertisement for Vieux Chalet. I�ve been a customer for over 20 years and, to this day, Vieux Chalet is still a wonderland for me.
It was my friend Lisa Araneta, then a fellow student of the University of Philippines College of Law, who first introduced me to Vieux Chalet. She was so good at discovering new restaurants because her family is in the dining business�they own Alfredo�s Steak House along Tomas Morato Avenue in Quezon City. One lazy morning in the mid-�80s�one of those days when playing truant in school seemed like an irrepressible idea�Lisa started raving about this restaurant high up in Antipolo. On a whim, a group of us decided to go for lunch. Just lunch, we said, and we would be back in time for the afternoon classes. We drove to Vieux Chalet and ordered pizza, Swiss rosti and beer. The cooler air, the trees, the slow and relaxed surroundings got under our skins and, before we knew it, the sun was sinking on the horizon.
As the lights from the city far below starting blinking into life one by one, returning to the city just then seemed like the worst idea. We sat there�transfixed�under the trees, gazing at the lights and silhouettes of Metro Manila. It was a magnificent sight. It wasn�t as though we hadn�t seen the view before. We were habitues of the nipa huts along Sumulong Highway where we had feasted on the view many times before. But, unlike Sumulong Highway where the passing vehicles marred the magic of the panorama of lights, in Vieux Chalet, we could gaze endlessly at the view in peace and quiet. It was almost a meditative moment. I was hooked. It was to be the first of many visits to Vieux Chalet. Even after graduation when most of us were already working, we managed to set aside occasional evenings to dine there.
Vieux Chalet was established 22 years ago by Swiss expat Tony Hassig and his Filipina wife, Susan. The restaurant was built adjacent to their house. The menu boasted of home-cured hams and bacon, homemade cheeses, and dishes cooked with homegrown herbs. If that�s not impressive enough, the pasta and pizza crust were handmade. The quality of the food, the meticulous preparation and the friendly, but never intrusive, hospitality of the owners�all these have remained unchanged.
The place itself has remained pretty much the same. The only marked difference is the St. Moritz. Back in the eighties, there was a huge garden on the lower portion of the property. It was from this garden, under the trees and amid tropical blooms, that we gazed at the lights of Metro Manila. Today, the garden has given way to a swimming pool and guest house, collectively known as the St. Moritz, which can be rented by the day. The main dining area is now limited to the veranda of the main house.
It wasn�t until we moved to Antipolo in 2001 that I had a chance to bring my husband and children to Vieux Chalet. Just like I got hooked on the place all those years ago, so did they. I�ve already lost count of the number of times that I was there with my family�for graduations, birthdays, our wedding anniversary and, sometimes, just when we felt like going there. My daughters just adore the pasta and the pizza and my younger daughter, Alex, loves the cappuccino and the five-grain bread.
Many of those visits ended up as entries in my Web logs. Susan Hassig saw them, left a little thank you note and suggested that our group from the UP College of Law hold a reunion there. When the opportunity came up, we did. Oh, it was a marvelous evening. There were four of us plus a friend�s husband. Susan sat with us for a while and it was the first time I learned that her husband Tony passed away 10 years ago. She now runs Vieux Chalet by herself with her very able staff. Our meal began with pumpkin soup and lightly toasted whole wheat bread served with butter and liver pat�. Then we had: salad, a plate of sausages, fettuccine alfredo, pizza, Swiss rosti and osso buco. For dessert, there was chocolate cake and carrot cake with the unforgettable cappuccino. A little over P4,000 for all of that, plus a bottle of red wine, was worth every centavo.
I meant to write this article after that evening but, unfortunately, the flu kept me in bed for a week and the writing had to be postponed. Two weeks after that dinner, I was back in Vieux Chalet�this time, with fellow bloggers Anton Diaz (who came with his wife Rachel, son Aidan and brother Rommel) and Abe Olandres. Anton was doing a documentary about bloggers and wanted an interview with me. Anton had been to Vieux Chalet before and had posted an entry in his Web log so I don�t think it was surprising to find ourselves agreeing to do the interview over lunch at Vieux Chalet.
Susan Hassig was so pleased at finally meeting the other blogger who had been raving about Vieux Chalet. She had now met us both and she wanted to treat us for lunch. I did wonder for a moment there if I wouldn�t be compromising my objectivity but then this article is not about one lunch�this is about more than 20 years of delightful lunches, lazy afternoons and magical evenings at Vieux Chalet.
We sipped lemongrass cooler as we waited for the food. When lunch was finally served, well, what can I say? The food was so good there were moments when I forgot that we were there to do an interview. We had wheat bread and liver pat�; a vegetable salad with ham and slivers of ripe mangoes; fish fillets in cream and white wine served with herbed rice; pasta (the pasta with olive oil and smoked fish was simply magnificent�and they do smoke their own fish); uber tender lamb served with rosti; osso buco served with risotto; and, for dessert, slices of apple fried in butter and served with custard, the proper name for which I cannot pronounce, much less spell (click here to view the photos).
Sounds like some kind of wonderful? Yeah, it was. And more. Because Vieux Chalet is more than about food. It is a total dining experience. Bring the family for lunch or have a romantic dinner at night. Just take the Taktak Road and follow the road signs that lead to Vieux Chalet. Whichever time of the day you choose, the food is swell, the view is majestic, the setting is quaint and the ambience is simply soothing to the spirit.
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oh wow! how could i resist NOT going there with such an entry. i’m from laguna but i’d be attending a wedding this saturday at Antipolo. Now i know where hubby and I can go after. And to think I’m considering not going because of the tight schedule we’d have this weekend. Oooh..i can’t wait. It sounds like such a romantic place. Tamang tama hehehe
Oh, go. LOL They’re almost finished renovating there too. It’s a lovely place with such lovely food.
Hi Connie!
I’m glad you finally got to post your article about Vieux Chalet. Brings back memories of that day we went and drank so much of Tony’s “student price” beer we missed all our classes! He was very good about cultivating us “kids” as customers then that we still go back time after time bringing new ones with us.
I was surprised to find my name in your article. Just as I am sure you will be surprised to know that I set up a new blog last November 30 at http://blog4dollars.blogspot.com that mentions YOU, blog goddess, in two articles.
My love to Speedy, Sam and Alex
Lisa!!! Yah, had to wait kasi until it was published sa Manila Standard so as not to pre-empt. I was going to text you that it would come out on the Nov. 30 edition but you said wala MST sa Baguio?
nasenti ako. my ex brought me there a long long time ago. valentines day and we had dinner. we stayed at the 2nd floor of the guest house. it was valentines so i guess they had to turn that floor into a dining area as well to accommodate the other guests . grabe, view pa lang ulam na. hehe. im not sure if it was the makati or the ortigas skyline that can be seen from that spot. yeah, the food was as great as the dining experience. i miss that place…
okay. stop na.
hi! what’s the exact address of vieux chalet? i just love food and the whole dining experience. i frequently visit your blog to get tips on great places to eat. i took my family on a road trip to pililia, rizal just to have lunch at bulawan floating resto just like you suggested. it was worth the trip. the crispy dalag was yummy! after eating, we went on a little detour to daranak and batlag falls because it was also featured in your blog. we all enjoyed the experience, thanks to you! =)
Unsentpostcards, both Makati and Ortigas are visible. Of course, there was no Eastwood City then. But, today, even Eastwood City is visible. On clear days, you can even see the glint of Manila Bay.
Juliet, I’m so pleased to read that. O, reliable ang recommendations ko, ha! LOL Re Address of Vieux Chalet. It’s just Taktak Road, actually, but you can text Susan Hassig for detailed directions. 0917 8565 175.
hi connie! will try this favorite resto that you and lisa frequent someday. judging by the way you describe vieux chalet …ambiance,location,view negates all the traffic around the place. btw, have linked pinoycook dot net to my beginner blog. thanks.joe
What happened to your pinoycook site? I can’t find it.
wowww! vieux chalet is still existing?!!! woowwww. amazing!! i look forward to going back there. my last time there was in the 80s.. in our younger years. the barkada would just drive up to vieux (and it will just take us 20 min from ortigas, siempre not much traffic then) then grab a few drinks with matching sausages as pulutan. definitely will find time to go up and visit it this Holiday season,
hi sassy, i’ll definitely look for that place…thanks for sharing. btw, do you have recipes pala for pastries and cakes where i can just use the microwave. am a terrible cook while my hubby loves to cook. he’s been reading your site too. you’re always a topic of conversation during dinner here at home.
thank you, joe. oh, i hope you enjoy vieux chalet.
Bruce, the domain expired BUT it’s fine now. I didn’t realize that all I was seeing for 3 days was the cached pages from my browser. It’s been back for about 24 hours now.
geraldine, wow, you were among the 80s crowd there ha. we might have bumped into each other back then and never knew it.
Elaine, no microwave recipes, sorry. I gave away our microwave cause we were only using it to reheat food. But I have a chocolate cake recipe in Pinoy Cook… posted it yesterday. You might to push your hubby into baking the cake. It’s sooooo good. LOL
Cheesecake recipe coming up too. hehehe It’s really that time of the year.
Oh how I wish this place was near me. The capuccino looks wonderful and im completely speechless about the chocolate cake! Your pictures look great tho. Thanks for sharing!
it’s not that far, katya. and it’s worth the drive.
Hi Sassy! Thank you for the blog on Vieux Chalet, and for the many other blogs on dining places such as Chateau Verde. Will be home for the holidays and your blogs inspire me to try those places with my family. For sure, it will make our reunion all the more memorable. Here’s wishing you and your family the best this Christmas and for the new year para mas marami ka pang mai-blog for us. Sincerely, Robin
thanks to you and your blog, now i have a place to bring my mom and family whenever she comes to manila for the holidays. nakakasawa na din kasi yung mga resto sa mall…as in. can’t wait to see and experience the ambience and see the view. i guess, pati mga balikbayan cousins dito ko na dadalhin aside from the restos found in tagaytay. happy holidays to you… keep on bloggin!
hi there..
Would you guys recommend this place for a wedding reception??I was looking for a nice, romantic ambiance place actually..
Do they have the website???
Thanks..
There’s a Multiply site.