THERE is more to Swiss cuisine than Swiss chocolates.
Chef and restaurateur Martin Kaspar knows this, so he decided to open L’entrecote five years ago to prove to Filipinos that Switzerland can offer good food.
In a recent interview with the BusinessMirror, Kaspar said introducing a Swiss dining concept to Filipinos was a challenge, especially in the beginning, mainly because of the low awareness of many Filipinos on the food culture of the country famous for William Tell, the Matterhorn, winter resorts, precision watches, picturesque lakes and the Swiss Army knife.
“Originally, I did not plan to open a restaurant here in the Philippines because of the several challenges. I believe, however, if you do it right, you will succeed,” Kaspar said in a recent lunch interview held in Bonifacio Global City.
But Kaspar said the idea of opening a restaurant became final when he and his Filipino wife Mitzi decided to settle in the Philippines after his tour of duty in Australia ended in 2005.
Kaspar recalls he liked Asia the minute he came into the country. “In 1987 I joined Hyatt in Manila and it was my first time in Asia. I chose the country because the food here is great. Asia was always fascinating for me,” Kaspar said.
Although he is quite qualified to operate a restaurant, Kaspar and his partners took a controlled pace in opening L’entrecote. The concept of a fine-dining restaurant was out of the picture, so to speak. “I didn’t want to operate a fine-dining restaurant because it was tedious. You have to be opened seven days a week and requires a chef to be present in the kitchen always,” said Kaspar, who also teaches part time in Enderun.
At first, Kaspar admitted, it was a challenge to pursue his endeavor because the Swiss concept was not familiar to a lot of Filipinos, except those who are seasoned travelers. “It was scary in the beginning.”
“My partners got scared and asked me to change the format. But I held my ground and told them ‘No!’ You have to stick to your goal and develop an identity. I am sure people would be surprised if we veered away from the original concept.”
L’entrecote as a concept started in Geneva in 1940. It means sirloin steak in French. Kaspar said the key to make an excellent sirloin steak is the butter sauce, the ingredients of which remain a trade secret. The menu also includes French fries plus salad. “That’s the only menu they serve in the original L’entrecote. In 1960 a French chef opened his version of L’entrecote in Paris.
Sticking to the original concept, Kaspar said L’entrecote served only steak for four consecutive months. “But some customers wanted to order other items like rice. Then I added new dishes as more and more people requested other menus.”
Kaspar recalled that one of his staff actually had to buy rice in the nearest convenience store as a customer requested for a cup of rice. Right now, Kaspar and his partners are satisfied with the performance of L’entrecote. It is usually packed with customers during lunch. Furthermore, L’entrecote has broadened its choices for salads, pastas, risottos and steaks, plus over 50 choices of wines from Argentina, Italy, France, Chile, South Africa and Australia.
Although L’entrecote is smaller in scale as compared to the hotels he previously worked with, Kaspar said he has to run the business professionally and implement the best practices he learned during his stint in the hotel industry.
Patience, he added, played a key role in building L’entrecote. “It takes time for good things to happen.”
“It would be lovely if a restaurant opens, be successful and get its money back in three to four months. But the key factor is sustainability. If you were not able to manage it properly, it would fail,” he pointed out. “I want people to go to L’entrecote not because of Martin Kaspar but because of the food and the service.”