Fondue at Edelwise Restaurant, 51 Ranelagh, Dublin 6

Edelwise Restaurant – Ranelagh, Dublin

Edelwise Restaurant in the heart of Ranelagh specialises in Authentic Swiss food. This includes Fondue and Grilled Raclette, and if you’re a cheese lover and haven’t been there, you’re in for a treat. 

It’s a family run and family friendly restaurant run by Myriam and Andreas, who offered us the warmest of welcomes and provided attentive service throughout our time there.

One of the reasons, okay the reason, I chose to dine at Edelwise was to taste their authentic fondue. 

Fondue is a dish made of melted cheese (yes cheese, not chocolate, chocolate fondue is a completely different ball game) and even if your parents didn’t own a fondue set in the 80’s you’re bound to be familiar with it.

It’s served in a pot and kept warm using a ‘rechaud’. The idea is to use a long fork to dip bread or vegetables in to the cheese and eat it. 

I’m a cheese lover, but funnily enough before I dined at Edelwise hadn’t tasted authentic cheese fondue. I did make it once but never actually tasted the real thing so I was looking forward to the experience. 

My dining partners on the day I visited, a little after ‘lunch time’ were Patrick (my hubby), our baby son Smith who wasn’t dining out that day, and Patrick’s Mum. 

The restaurant is small but there was still room enough to park Smith’s pram and for us to enjoy the space of a table set for four.

First things first and we decided that white wine was the order for the day so we ordered and enjoyed, might I add, a bottle of Heugumber, a German wine at €25.50 a bottle.

For starters Patrick’s Mum ordered the “Vigneron soup – Creamy white wine soup topped with toasted cinnamon croutons €5.50″ She enjoyed the taste, which was exactly as it was described, and size of the portion.

As Patrick and I knew that meat-less fondue was on the menu for our main course we opted for the “Beef platter – Wafer thin slices of air cured Swiss mountain beef with black pepper served with fresh baguette, olive oil, pickled silverskin onions and pickled gherkins €9.95“. The portion size was perfect for a light starter for two. The beef was soft and flavoursome and accompanied with the crusty bread, olive oil and pickles, it didn’t last long on the slate it arrived on.

 

After our dishes were cleared, our fondue rechaud arrived along with a large bowl of torn crusty bread, which was hard to resist… the bread that is.

For main course, Patrick’s Mum enjoyed “Chicken Cordon-Bleu – Breaded free-range chicken fillet stuffed with Gruyère cheese and cooked ham served with glazed carrots, broccoli and sautéed baby potatoes €18.00“.  Again she enjoyed this course. The hearty crunchy coated chicken breast oozed with melted cheese, the vegetables were cooked al dente, and the sautéed potatoes were crisp on the outside and soft in the centre.

For our main course Patrick and I shared “Fondue ‘moitié-moitié’ – A smooth, well balanced Fondue made with four Swiss cheeses. (Gruyère AOP Corsé, Gruyère AOP Primeur, Vacherin Frib. AOP Classic, Vacherin Frib. AOP Extra). We serve it with fresh bread as the connoisseur prefers € 17.00 p.p.”

The authentic art of dipping fresh bread, vegetables or air cured meat into a smooth blend of melted premium Swiss cheeses & white wine – made for sharing. (swiss-edelwise.com)

Although made with white wine, we were advised that by the time the fondue is ready to eat, the alcohol has evaporated. This means you get the flavour of the cheese and the wine together without the alcohol content.

 

The flavours of the four Swiss Cheeses combined to make our dish were strong but not over powering. The smooth gooey cheese easily coated each piece of bread we dipped in and the our bowl of bread was topped up as we enjoyed it to our hearts content. 

We even nabbed a little of Patrick’s Mum’s broccoli to see what the dish is like with vegetables.

For dessert, Patrick’s Mum opted for the “Irish coffee – Our house blend coffee, Irish whiskey, topped with whipped cream €7.65“. 

After our fill of fondue, Patrick and I decided to share a dessert, we chose the “Original Swiss nut pie – Award winning (gold, Swiss bakery trophy) caramelized walnut pie from the Swiss Alps served with Murphy‘s vanilla icecream €5.95″

Just as all of edelweiss’ Swiss Cheeses are imported directly from Switzerland, so too is this pie. I wanted to try it because of its award-winning status, but was skeptical I’d enjoy it because I’m not a huge fan of walnuts. I couldn’t fault it. The pastry was light and the filling was sweet and creamy. Along with a scoop of renowned Murphy’s ice-cream, the addition of the fresh strawberry, and the expertly made espresso, our meal at Edelwise was complete. 

 

Eating fondue at Edelwise was a lovely experience and one I recommend with family or friends. If you do decide on the experience remember not to ‘double dip’. More importantly remember this tradition that states if a man loses his bread in the pot, he must buy drinks for everyone but if a woman does, she must kiss her ‘neighbours’!

For more info, to book and connect with Edelwise visit their Website | Facebook | Twitter

On a side note Edelwise are also a hit for their Full Irish Breakfasts and homemade pastries and pies but that’s another story for another day … 

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