I love to ski. But I also ski to eat. Accompanied by skiers with the same mission (basically to eat as much fabulous mountain cuisine as ground we cover on skis), we knocked on Google’s door for gastronomic inspiration in the Val D’Isere area. Online reviews lacking, we took on the mission to find the must-stop-pit-stop alpine restaurants for any of my readers who happen to find themselves hungry in this area of the world.
in 4th place: Le Trifollet (La Daille) 04 79 41 96 99
The low down: apparently built by Madame Noel herself some 25 years ago, Le Trifollet was recommended by chalet girls but not by ski instructors.
Service: 7 out of 10. Too hasty we thought.
Food: 6 out of 10. Very average and the chips got a thumbs down.
What did I eat: A salade gourmande with fois gras, pine nuts and smoked duck(18 euros),
Peaky performance: Deceivingly light and refreshing, the bottle of Pampelonne (rosé) led me to leave with someone else’s skis on. The vision of Him belting down the piste after me with my skis in hand and a reprimanding expression remains…
in 3rd place: La Fruitiere (La Daille) 0479 06 07 17
redeeming cabaret and club
The low down: La Fruitiere is billed as perfect for a posh alpine lunch before the next door cabaret-turning-club (La Folie Douce) gets going at 230pm.
Service: 9/10. Needed to be adaptable as the off-piste punter among us was way-laid.
Food: 7/10 Saving grace: onion soup, chips, coffee and lemon tart.
What did I eat: a disappointingly creamy chestnut soup (at a ridiculous 19 euros) and a twisted and upside down quiche lorraine.
Peaky performance: coffee and desert outside made our visit. Joined by old uni friends holidaying in Tignes, we ski-boot danced to Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’.
in 2nd place: Le Signal (Le Fornet) 04 79 06 03 38
The low down: The owners didn’t take kindly to us arriving 30 minutes later than our booking. When I tried to pacify Madame by explaining that we were reviewing, she exclaimed: ‘but we are the best!’
Service: 8/10
Food: 8.5/10
What did I eat: Steak tartare with chips (20 euros) Pretty top notch. He had filet mignon and found the peppery sauce to be too creamy.
Peaky performance: a restaurant d’altitude or a restaurant with attitude? We thought the latter despite the ‘to die for’ deserts.
**WINNER**: L’Edelweiss (Le Fornet) 06 10 28 70 64
winning alpine restaurant
The low down: the gossip on the slopes is all centred around L’Edelweiss’ infamous duck burger with fois gras. We followed our noses off the snow beaten track….
Service: 9/10. not too fast not too slow.
Food: 10/10
What did I eat: clearly the celebrity burger (27 euros) but no one had mentioned the exquisite blueberries sauce on the side nor the layer of artichoke puree on which the burger lies.
Peaky performance: I have to mention that the toilets in this restaurant are located considerately for ski boots wearers. Not having to navigate steep and treacherous steps was just another plus point.
And now we head home, to diet.
These days, eating red meat is a rare treat for me. He and I used to treat ourselves to a steak every week before I became fully aware of health issues associated with consuming too much of the bloodied almost-living piece of animal. And so, when I do eat meat, my animal instincts hunt down the best in quality and I savour every mouthful.
