I visited the cafe on Friday for a late lunch, and observed that all of the customers there having their fondue were Chinese.

The cafe takes up a large dining area on the hotel's first floor, and I chose a window seat where I could enjoy the blue sky.

But what I liked even better was the simplicity of the cheese fondue, which fits right into the casual, comfortable and intimate dining atmosphere.

When my pot arrived, the cheese was still simmering over a flame, and was accompanied by bread cubes, pickled gherkins, baby potatoes and cherry tomatoes, to be dipped into the bubbly cheese with a long-handled fork. There was also air-dried beef and vegetable salad.

The chef suggested that I start with the salad made with vegetables, which included lettuce, corn, carrot, pepper and onion. The salad was crunchy and delicious, providing a nutritious mix of vitamins, minerals and fibers.

Its light flavors were a nice balance to the heavier flavor of the cheeses.

The air-dried beef, another signature import from Switzerland, was also very tasty.

I had a bite of cheese-dunked bread, and then just could not stop myself from having more. The bread cubes were soft and savory, with a tangy cheese bite that was very pleasant and appetizing.

The baby potatoes were not peeled, and were unexpectedly delicious after being enveloped with cheese.

I also liked the dunked gherkins, which were crisp, sour and suddenly savory with the cheese.

The chef says cheese fondue can be enjoyed any time during a day, but he suggests people not have too much of it in the evening, because the calorie load may cause discomfort and indigestion during the night.

liuzhihua@chinadaily.com.cn

If you go

Cafe Swiss

11:30 am to 2 pm, 6 to 9:30 pm. Swissotel Beijing, Hong Kong Macao Center, 2 Chaoyangmen Beidajie, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-6553-2288, Ext 2127.