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Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
“Skiing” could almost be classed as a cuisine in itself. Whether you’re in Deer Valley in Utah – try one of Goldener Hirsch’s snow picnics – or at Le Fitz Roy in Val Thorens, the menus are typically a mash-up of hearty Alpine classics. Gorge yourself in wooden dining rooms with sheepskin blankets and snowflake cut-outs. “Fondue, raclette and tartiflette are the stars – ideal for cold weather,” says Jimmy Garcia, a London-based caterer who started off cooking in chalets across Europe. Back then he favoured La Folie Douce and Le Rond Point near Méribel for fuss-free meals. (The latter has a slide down to the loos – not something I would recommend.)
When most of the slope-side restaurants look more or less the same, telling a fine one from a good one can be a challenge. “If the menu reads like the dishes are meant to be eaten high in the mountains, with local ingredients, you’re usually on to a winner,” says Joshua Overington, co-owner of Mýse, a Michelin-starred restaurant in North Yorkshire; he met his wife and business partner during a ski season in the Alps. At Refuge de la Traye in Les Allues, France, for example, the soft-boiled eggs served with Savoyard bacon and mushrooms are from the hotel’s own henhouse. At La Table de L’Alpaga in Megève, “the plants guide the menu” and are often from L’Alpaga’s kitchen garden. The Overingtons themselves love “Le 1789 in Val d’Isère for a good steak cooked over the open fireplace”.
For FT travel editor Tom Robbins, “the best mountain restaurants are those sequestered away from the hurly-burly of lifts and ski runs”. His favourite is Refugi Montgarri “on the edge of Spain’s chi-chi Baqueira Beret ski area”. Ski there off-piste – “expect a bit of bushwhacking” – or catch a lift on a skidoo. “Food is rustic and fabulous: you start with cold beer, olives, hams and pan con tomate, then huge beef ribs are cooked over the fire,” says Robbins.
Likewise, FT Globetrotter deputy editor Niki Blasina loves long, alfresco lunches almost more than she loves skiing. At Les Gets in France – “a smaller, more family-friendly resort” – she recommends La Croix Blanche for Savoyard specialities that are “high calorie and cheese, bacon and potato-centric”. At Zermatt in Switzerland, her go-tos are Adler Hitta for goulash soup and spaetzli (pasta made with bacon, leek and cheese), and Chez Vrony for homemade sausages, cured meats and cheeses.
Many resorts have dedicated teams for bookings and recommendations: Le Collectionist, a group of luxury rental villas, has on-the-ground staff at all of the major ski destinations around Europe. According to Megève and Chamonix operations director Jérôme Teigné, the group’s clients – a mix of finance and business professionals, models, actors and footballers – “don’t mind the price too much – they see their days as a moment to indulge in excellent mountain food.” Among his top recommendations are Kaito, a Japanese restaurant in Megève, and Val Thorens gastropub La Fruitière. The latter serves oysters and rib roasts at the top of the Plein Sud chair lift.
And if you are looking for Michelin stars, Courchevel – the highest of any European ski resort – has 14 of them. The jewel in the crown is Le 1947 à Cheval Blanc, a three-star restaurant headed up by Yannick Alléno, who also runs Alléno Paris, L’Abysse and Pavyllon. When not concocting 12-course truffle and caviar-speckled dinners, Alléno is a keen skier. He recommends nearby Sylvestre, La Saulire or La Cave des Creux to those who can’t snag one of his five tables. You’ll also now find Loulou, the Parisian restaurant chain – a homage to Yves Saint Laurent muse Loulou de la Falaise – that is renowned for its exuberant decor and fresh, “family-style” cooking. If you’re happy spending €75 on a truffle pizza, this is probably the place to do it.
