Hidden away down a little lane running off Tien Mou East Road lies what owners Charles Ponsford and Peter Frauchiger call "Tien Mou's best kept secret," Ticino Swiss restaurant. "Even the neighbors don't know we're here," jokes Ponsford. 

When I first saw the name Ticino, I immediately though Italian, but later found out that the restaurant is actually the former Swiss Chalet. "When the owners of Swiss Chalet retired, we decided to take it over," said Ponsford. 

The name - and location - may have changed, but the food and charm of the old Swiss Chalet remain the same. The two-story restaurant oozes European charm, with its rich wooden floors and cozy dining areas. The first floor is the main dining section, while the second floor is usually reserved for private functions of up to 40 people. 

The kitchen is orchestrated by Chef Peter Frauchiger, who learned the tools of the trade in Switzerland. He has also gained extensive experience from his stints in Portugal, Hong Kong, the Sherwood Taipei, and supervised the opening of two Italian restaurants at the Grand 50 Club in Kaohsiung. 
A native of Berne, Switzerland, Frauchiger's outlook on food reflects the many and varied influences of the country's neighbors. Still, he is keen to point out that Ticino is proud of its reputation for serving authentic Swiss cuisine - a statement backed up by its many Swiss regulars. 

The extensive menu at Ticino lists everything from salads, to hearty meat dishes, and from vegetarian dishes to the once-tasted-never-forgotten chocolate fondue. 

To start things off, Frauchiger recommended for our party of four French goose liver pate served with toast and butter (NT$390). A light little appetizer served with freshly baked assorted "baby" buns. We also tried assorted country air-dried meats served with pickles (NT$250), which consisted of shaved beef, salami and ham. My favorite was the butter lettuce salad with smoked salmon on a mustard dressing (NT$250), deliciously light and fresh, while the gratinated snails with herb butter (NT$280) came in a close second. 

Following this, came goulash soup (NT$150), a rich tomatoey soup, brimming with beef and potatoes, and a spicy fish and vegetable soup (NT$160), which was altogether a much lighter affair. 

Just before out main course, we tried the champagne fondue (NT$800), made with - what else? - champagne, raclette cheese and a pinch of paprika to give it an extra tang, and served with little chunks of in-house baked bread. A nice little touch here is that half of the half-bottle of champagne is used in the fondue, and half is poured into a champagne flute for you to drink. 

Our main courses consisted of sliced veal in a creamy mushroom sauce (NT$550) served with "roschti" (a kind of hash brown). The light, creamy sauce drew out the flavor of the veal, while the roschti balanced the dish out.

Over at the pasta bar, we ordered fettucine and clams, (NT$350), a deliciously light, yet tasty dish cooked with onion, garlic, parsley, clams and cream. An added bonus here is that you can pick up a few tips on how to cook pasta by watching Frauchiger at work on the open stove. 

A much heartier dish was the Swiss mixed grill (NT$650), which consisted of grilled beef, veal, lamb, chipolata and bacon served with vegetables and Swiss dumplings.

For dessert we had chocolate fondue, served with chunks of fresh fruits. Although Frauchiger wouldn't divulge exactly what was in the chocolate, he did reveal that he uses Toblerone chocolate -- the little nutty bits give the taste buds an extra kick. You may think that dipping chunks of fresh fruit into a pot of melted chocolate would send your sugar levels through the roof, but how may times in your life do you have the opportunity to enjoy a decedent chocolate fondue?