Le Chardon Mountain Lodges’ guests have one evening in our chalets each week when the staff have a much deserved night off from their first class cheffing and hosting.
We thoroughly recommend that guests go out and experience the incredible restaurants and local Alpine cuisine which Val d’Isere has to offer. Val d’Isere has a blossoming reputation for its dining hosting an annual Gastronomy Festival and now has its second Michelin star restaurant.
Fondues are a typical dish. This is a large pot of cheese or a mixture of cheeses, reblochon is popular in Val d’Isere, melted with cornflour, garlic and a large dash of white wine over a hot stove on the table. It is served with crusty chunks of bread, beef and vegetables for dipping with a skewer. Many of the restaurants in Val d’Isere offer this dish particularly Le Lodge and also La Casserole which has two sittings for their famous fondue.
Tartiflette is another local speciality and popular mountain warming lunch choice. Reblochon is also used to create this cheesy layered potato, bacon and onion dish. Reblochon is a local Savoie region cheese which is incredibly rich, gooey with a nutty flavour and is sold in huge rounds at the local market on Mondays. La Perdrix Blanche, La Grande Ours and L’Auberge St Hubert are good choices for this.
Raclette is another French cheese experience where the cheese round is melted on the table and scraped off onto a plate of potatoes, meats, gherkins and salad. L’Arolay at La Fornet and Le Coin Savoyarde specialise in this.
The restaurants in Val d’Isere offer such an eclectic range of dining options from the best pizza at Chez Paolo to truffle pork belly at Michelin starred La Table de L’Ours.
To wash this all down the locals drink a digestif called Genepi which is made from a local plant found at high altitude in the Savoie region. It is a strong liqueur with a rather potent herbal and acquired taste!
We are happy to recommend any restaurants and on off the mountain for lunch and dinner, afternoon tea and coffee.
Bon appetit!
