Courchevel Apres Ski Report: 17th January 2013

The premise is the same though – high quality ingredients cooked and served in an informal and sociable setting, often with large communal seating and a relaxed ambience. So when the highly acclaimed Jimmy’s Supper Club came to town I was keen for a piece of the pie.

True to form, Jimmy started his Supper Club from his home in south west London in 2010. From humble beginnings he took South West Supper Club to the next level serving out of diverse and unusual venues across the city, culminating in a highly successful sell-out pop-up restaurant outside Olympic Park for the 2012 London Olympics. Always in search of the next adventure though, this winter Jimmy joined his friends Sam and Marcus and formed a boutique chalet company in Courchevel, Ski Bluebird. Ski Bluebird offers fine dining food, such as crab bon bons, goats cheese panna cotta and bouillabaisse, but without the stuffy service or indeed the price tag.

Needless to say with all this hype I was excited as I arrived at La Boulotte last week ready for my taste buds to be tantalised. The Boulotte is a great setting for an experience such as this: rustic with large tables and sufficiently low lighting, the scene was set and we were ready to eat. First up was a trio of canapés which were delivered on slates to the centre of the table, while each tasty titbit was described eloquently by Jimmy. As an opener we were served shots of tomato, chilli and honey soup with an herb de provence crouton; confit duck and spiced pear crostinis; and chorizo, paprika and chestnut puree tortilla wafers. What a way to begin! This was to be no ordinary culinary affair.

We all eagerly tucked in and passed the slates around. As the room buzzed with excitement at the arrival of our nibbles we knew we were in for a good night. Next up was our starter, an assiete of salmon. This consisted of salmon confit in golden syrup, gravlax cured in gin and tonic (with a generous shot served on the side) and salmon skin crisp in dill oil. I’m not usually a big salmon fan but the variety of textures was incredible from the melt in the mouth confit salmon to the crisp skin. We were then treated to a pre-main surprise in the form of a wild mushroom brioche bread and butter pudding bite and it was every bit as tasty as its traditional dessert relation.

The main event for the evening was a guinea fowl supreme stuffed with wild mushroom mousse and served with a mulled wine jus. It was tender and flavoursome and met with further appreciation as the conversation dipped whilst we all tucked into our mains. Dessert was a signature Supper Club dish: a deconstructed trifle. Jimmy loves to deconstruct traditional desserts bringing back the wow factor with his creative touches. This dessert was no exception. We were served up a deconstructed orange and green tea trifle with crème anglaise, orange sponge, clementine jelly and chai cream, and it really hit the spot. The sponge was moist and the crème anglais had just the right hit of vanilla. As if we hadn’t had enough already, the meal came to an end with the arrival of spoons containing mini sticky toffee puddings as petit fours and mini meringues with chantilly cream and raspberry coulis.

Satiated and wildly impressed we left with full bellies and wide smiles at a delightful evening with fine food, an electric atmosphere and lots of individual and special touches along the way. It’s not just the food that makes this so good. It’s the service and level of care taken to ensure every diner has a unique and memorable experience.

Ski Bluebird will be bringing Jimmy’s Supper Club to La Boulotte in Courchevel Moriond every three weeks so look out for the posters on your next visit. Be sure to book though as we’re sure after this grand opener they’ll not be an empty chair in the house for their next soiree.

Bon apres!