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Courchevel Food & Drink
| Dining & Going Out in Courchevel |
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Courchevel's nightlife is almost as exhausting as its mountain pursuits! With a wide range of restaurants, bars and cafes to keep you well fed and watered there is also a plentiful array of opportunities for a bit of après or late-night venues for a spot of clubbing. With four levels of the resort to choose from, each with its own ambience, you’ll find yourself spoilt for choice! The countless terraces ensure that you can always find a sunny spot to relax in... |
| Alpine Food & Drink |
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Although not as renowned as the haute cuisine of Paris or the fine bistros of Lyon the Alps do have a number of tasty treats in store for those who like to sample some regional specialities. Meat and cheese feature heavily in Alpine cooking – so it’s just as well there are plenty of mountains where you can work off the extra pounds! ... see "Dining in the Alps" for more |
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last updated 11-Aug-2008 |
| Restaurants |
Every type of cuisine is available in Courchevel from the relatively cheap paninis at around €5 served in piste-side takeaways and some bars, all the way through to 3-Star Michelin restaurants with ‘Tasting’ menus of 8 or 9 courses at €200 a head. The on-piste restaurant near the Altiport called Le Cap Horn has a nautical theme and serves seafood and pasta, but at a price, together with champagne at up to €5000 a bottle!
In between are the typical Savoyard restaurants serving the local specialities such as fondue. Apart from the fondue, there are several typical Savoyard dishes worth trying. Tartiflette is a rich mixture of potatoes and bacon baked with melted cheese, and a raclette is grilled cheese served with potatoes, charcuterie, pickles and salad. All of these should provide plenty of calories for all your sporting needs (if you can move afterwards)! You can also try pierre-chaud (hot rock) or braserade (table-top BBQ) on which you are given cuts of meats to cook yourself and is accompanied with potatoes and sauces. Beef, cheese and cream are staples of the traditional diet and dishes based on them can be found on all restaurant menus.
To wash your meal down you might try the local Savoie wines, the better ones include Mondeuse, Chignin, and Apremont. The local liqueur, Genépi, is made with a plant found at high altitude, and you’ll either love it or loath it. Meals are traditionally finished off with a Grolla, a wooden dish with pouring spouts to drink from, filled with hot coffee and alcohol - watch out as it’s lethally strong!
Good quality and value can be found on piste at the Bouc Blanc above La Tania, L’Arc en Ciel in the lift station of the giant Saulire cable car and the Chenus self service restaurant at the top of the Chenus bubble. All these serve their usually excellent plat du jour at around €13.50. There’s even an Indian delivery service now (Extreme Cuisine with dansaks, vindaloos, tikkas etc delivered direct to your chalet!
France generally seems to be a lot more relaxed with the idea of bringing children to restaurants. It is not unusual to see children sitting up late into the evening with their parents at even the smartest of restaurants. They may not necessarily have a children’s menu, as French children often eat the same type of food as their parents – so don’t be expecting beans on toast anywhere! However, being a family resort, most restaurants will be happy to accommodate children and so it is always worth asking whether they could prepare small portions or simplified versions of meals. Traditional alpine food is not necessarily fussy or strongly flavoured like some regional specialities and children will probably love the idea of dipping into a fondue or grilling their own meat on a pierrade.
The law on smoking in France made smoking illegal in the workplace from the start of 2007 however with a dispensation that has allowed bars & restaurants a year’s grace. So from the 1st Jan 2008 it will be illegal to smoke in every bar & restaurant in France. It remains to be seen whether this law will be complied with, to the same degree that it has in the UK...
For listings of Restaurants, Mountain Restaurants and Gourmet Restaurants see our Dining & Going Out section, found on the blue menu bar. |
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last updated 21-Feb-2008 |
| Mountain Restaurants in the Courchevel Valley |
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Our intrepid Courchnet snow reporter, Alan Furniss, has produced this detailed write up from his extensive experience of skiing and dining in the Courchevel Valley, so you can be sure that the following restaurants and been thoroughly tried and tested. Bon Appetit! ... see "Courchevel's Mountain Restaurants" for more |
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last updated 12-Aug-2008 |
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