HOTEL LES PEUPLIERS, LE PRAZ COURCHEVEL

One of the things I hate most about being a divorced parent is sharing the holidays. Arabella went to her father's yesterday afternoon & I am missing her so much already. However I try and look on the bright side and as Pascal & I were footloose and fancy-free last night we decided to have a date night at a hotel restaurant where we spent a lot of time when we first met. It is full of good memories & has the most amazing food - it is my favourite place to go when I am over here.

The first thing I love about this place is the canapés you are given when you have a drink - no boring peanuts here - we started off with a glass of champagne & a charcuterie board!

It came with the most incredible coarse terrine, rustic bread with salted butter and hams, chorizo & salami. Pascal & I were literally fighting over the last bit of pate….I nearly stabbed him with my fork to get it!

We ate this at the bar while Pascal chatted to the lovely owner Norbert & his staff (I didn't contribute much due to my lack of French)! and then it was time to go to the table.

The restaurant is very cosy and we were seated by the window watching a massive snow storm going on outside. The menu is incredible - there is so much to choose from and I literally want EVERYTHING!

And there is also specials board.

I knew I was going to want to study the menu for a while (my type of porn) so Pascal ordered some guacamole which is a new addition to their menu (most unfrench) & of course some wine.

The guacamole was incredible - better than lots of places in England - instead of red onion I think they used spring onions and such a small alteration made a huge difference. We scraped the dish clean and had I been at home alone I would have licked it!!

Even though I read the menu for ages and I ended up having my usual - snails in garlic butter and then the best pasta dish in the world - truffle ravioli.

Both were incredible! The snails were covered in garlic and I ate about a loaf of the rustic bread to soak up all the delicious sauce. I think I would have preferred just 6 snails but I wasn't going to waste any.

The truffle ravioli is literally a work of art - creamy, cheesy & full of truffles - I couldn't stop inhaling the smell (Pascal had to tell me to calm down)!! YUM!! It tasted heavenly.

Pascal is way more adventurous than me and he had two dishes off the specials board - beef carpaccio with rocket, Parmesan & truffles and then spelt risotto with chanterelles & sweetbreads.

As expected the carpaccio was delicious - it is not something I ever choose but I should do as it was really good. Now sweetbreads is something I would NEVER choose - the thought of offal makes me want to vomit! However I had a mouthful and wow - they were incredible as was the spelt risotto. I couldn't believe how good it tasted and I was shocked how much I enjoyed it….maybe I need to become more adventurous in my food choices!!

By this point we were both fit to burst and so there was no puddings for us - I did notice other people having them and they looked delicious.

We finished with shots of genepi, or more like I did, as pascal had already had several for lunch and then it was time for bed.

I would have been very happy to stay in the hotel in one of the cute, quaint rooms as I was not happy to go out in the snow but unfortunately like always the hotel was fully booked (it is a fantastic place).

Another incredible meal - I will need some starvation after this as I must have consumed about 2000 calories but it was definitely worth it. My favourite place….I hope to be back very soon as they also do an amazing burger, truffle fondue and I already want that pasta again!!!

LES PEUPLIERS RESTAURANT

Hotel Les Peupliers
73120
Le Praz
Courchevel
Tel: +33 (0)4 79 08 41 47

COEUR DE CRISTAL, MERIBEL

Thankfully life in France has become more peaceful and yesterday we managed to have a good day. Arabella is so happy - she adores skiing and is the only child I have ever met who is happy to go to ski school (I used to cry my eyes out and one time even wet myself which my brother still likes to kindly remind me about). Pascal & I had a great ski and then it was a couple of drinks at our favourite mountain top bar and finally lunch (the highlight of my day).

As the sun was out we decided to go to Le Coeur de Cristal as it has a terrace however unfortunately we ended up sitting inside as it wasn't quite warm enough and no one likes their food to become freezing cold within a matter of minutes.

I like this place as it is nicely decorated in cool greys, it is only a short ski down to the bottom, the food is great plus it is a very fun place for apres ski drinks….it can turn into quite a party!!! Sadly not for us though as we were with Pascal's kids and his dad. Another time though.

There is plenty on the menu to choose from - salads, burgers, pasta, local dishes and french favourites like steak tartar. I was at a loss of what to order as I wanted most dishes. As there are no menus online - here are a few photos of the menu:

We ordered a "Planche du Chalet" to start which was delicious.

Sauccison, ham, cornichons and cheese lollipops - such a fantastic idea - I would choose this over a chupa chip any day!!

Then - no surprise - I had a burger!! It wasn't any old burger, it was smothered in onions, reblochon cream, salad and even potatoes!! I removed these as I couldn't comprehend the idea but the rest of it was totally delicious and the fries incredible. It kind of reminded me of a cleaner Big Mac. To make it perfect I would exchange the potatoes for pickles.

Pascal had the same as me and then his two daughters had a cheeseburger which they also said was excellent.

I didn't taste as they have their burgers blue (ick) so we just have to take their word for it! It was just a normal burger with a slice of cheese.

Pascal's father had the daily special which was a vegetable risotto.

He ate the entire plate so I can say he definitely liked it - conversation between him & I is stilted as he doesn't speak English and my french is only slightly better than Joey's in Friends. I just smile a lot!!

There was no room for puddings which was unfortunate as they make the most incredible pies, cakes and macaroons - they even have a macaroon tree (I need one of those) - if you have a sweet tooth, you will love it here.

Another fantastic place to eat and drink in France - Pascal tells me it is impossible to gain weight while skiing - I think I am going to be the exception to the rule if I carry on going at this rate. I am now about to try and sweat it out with some bikram in the sauna….should be interesting!!!

Le Coeur de Cristal

Se situe au croisement des pistes des Rhodos et Marmottes
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73550

Meribel

Tel: +33 (0)4 79 22 46 09

HOTEL ALLODIS, MERIBEL

It's only taken 3 days to realise that me + pascal + skiing holiday = row row row!!! 

After an afternoon of non stop arguments over the fact that being here is not a holiday, we had to put a smile on our face and go for a supper organised by his mother. Oh I miss London!! As a friend told me - at least I have the journey home to look forward to!!

Anyway as I mentioned yesterday - at least I have food to keep me happy and I starved myself all day so I could go to town at Hotel Allodis and I really did. The hotel has recently been redone and is absolutely stunning, I did think of continuing mine & Pascal's row in hope I could move in to one of the amazingly beautiful bedrooms….however not surprisingly they are fully booked……and expensive!

While having an aperitif in the bar we had some amazing canapés like fish croquettes, saucisson and Parmesan chips….I love the way they do this in France - plus they just keep on coming (I do not understand why all french aren't obese). Then it was time to order - the menu is pretty sophisticated but I knew immediately what I wanted - crispy bourgogne escargot cannelloni with parsley pulp followed by marbled fillet of beef with foie gras - no point not going the full hog!

We made our way to the dining room and we were given an amuse bouche of scallop ravioli with seafood veloute.

It was delicious, light but tasty and a perfect way to start the meal. I love a free course!! Then the starters arrived. As I said I had the snails which were amazing. I always think I like snails mainly because of dipping bread in the garlic oil, these were served completely differently and I absolutely loved them.

The snails were encased in filo pastry with garlic and accompanied by a parsley puree, incredible!! Pascal had the same as me and we both ate every morsel! One friend we were with had pumpkin and chestnut veloute with foie gras ravioli which he raved about.

Then Pascal's mother had scampi puff pastry with a light coconut milk broth.

Like the rest of our starters, it was absolutely incredible with huge prawns.

For a main I went for the beef with foie gras, I was worried it might be a bit rich but it was perfect. 

It was foie gras poele inside and then extremely tender steak served with truffle mash and parsnips. I loved it and once again didn't leave a crumb.

Pascal had veal sweetbreads, zita pasta with green asparagus.

Even though I don't eat sweetbreads, it looked yum and apparently was excellent.

Pascal's mum had yuzu-seared savoury bass and I had serious food envy - it looked amazing and tasted heavenly.

Our friend had Viennese Sole with boletus mushroom cream. Even Pascal was amazed by how incredible the fish was!!

Despite being fit for burst we carried on. The moment I saw the cheeseboard I could not resist!

The other puddings taken were Blueberry-heart apple with vanilla bourbon and the exotic meringue surprise. Once again everything was eaten so I can safely say they were delectable.

It was a fantastic meal, I would recommend staying at this gorgeous hotel and eating at the fabulous restaurant. It certainly wasn't cheap (nowhere is round here) but it was worth every penny - exquisite french cuisine.

Hotel Allodis

Route du Belvedere
73550
Meribel
Tel: +33 (0)4 79 00 56 00

LE BLANCHOT, MERIBEL

As Pascal is French, it means that we have to spend quite a bit of time at his place over there. I have to admit I am not the most enthusiastic house guest as I am such a homebody and miss London and all the comforts....very different to Meribel when for a third of the year all the restaurants and shops are closed within a 30 minute radius!! Plus I am not the keenest skier....Pascal believes the only way to improve is to push yourself and go as fast as possible but I am a big fat scaredy cat!!

Anyway the best thing for me about France is the food...I basically plan my days around what and where I am going to eat. It was a no brainer for our first lunch - we went to Le Blanchot which does fabulous food, has a beautiful terrace in the sun but is still warm and cosy inside. It has been taken over this year by one of the original owners and the menu has changed for the better - there is a variety of starters and then a choice of fish, meats, risotto or pasta - something for everyone.

We arrived after a very good morning skiing (well a couple of runs and a couple of glasses of wine) and met Arabella who had skied separately from us. We were all starving so tucked into the fresh bread and salty butter while we perused the menu. There were so many yummy things to choose from as well as a children's menu. Arabella being a typical Brit went for chicken nuggets and fries.

You won't be surprised to hear she polished the whole lot off and I stole as many chips as I was possibly allowed - they were delicious.

I ordered one of my favourite dishes ever...foie gras poele which is foie gras cooked over a high heat for a minute on each side and seasoned with salt. It was absolutely delicious and literally melted in my mouth...I wish my starter could have lasted forever.

It was served with some parsnip puree and roasted veg...a faultless starter.

Pascal also had his favourite - pata negra with tomato bread - I obviously stole a bite of ham which was incredible, it is cut fresh from the leg in front of you and is a very generous portion.

I was torn over the main courses - I was tempted by a steak since we were in France but I can never resist a truffle risotto so went for that instead. I had half a portion as I don't want to gain a stone over Christmas and while I could have eaten a full portion, half was a perfect amount.

It came with roasted vegetables on top which to be honest weren't really necessary but they made it look very pretty. The risotto tasted delicious, creamy and full of truffles. I added a bit of Parmesan - it didn't really need it but I am a cheese fanatic. I loved what I ordered so much I am going to be hard pushed to try anything else!

Pascal ordered one of the daily specials which was veal in a mushroom sauce with spaghetti. This was once again extremely tasty - big chunks of slow cooked veal with a light mushroom sauce and al dente pasta.

The pasta and the veal came separately so you could serve yourself, it was a very generous portion and even Pascal couldn't finish it all (no surprise I had a couple of "tastes")!

What a fantastic meal - we were too full for puddings but if you can fit one in I would recommend it as they are also phenomenal. 

This was a perfect first meal and I know I will definitely be back over the holidays. It is open winter and summer so perfect for skiing or golf plus there is no nicer place to be when the sun is shining - delicious food, attentive service and a fabulous setting and atmosphere.

Le Blanchot

Route de l'Altiport

73550

Meribel

Tel: 00 33 (0)4 7900 5578