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This one is inamoremodern, lighter style, but evenmore
imaginative. One dish is amillimetre-thickfillet of lavaret
ina perfect square, spreadwithpea purée and servedwith
a tinymoundof perfect petit pois andpoachedquail’s egg.
This is the foodof dreams: artistic, tasty, genius at times.
Even the salad is incredible, the local vegetables cooked to
al dente perfectionand servedwith tinywildflowers and a
bouillonde poulet infusedwith lemonand anise.
Yet despite this culinarybombast, the atmosphere is
casual – nothing likemostMichelin-starred restaurants
inmajor cities. Delphine does front of house ina simple
sundress and sandals, while seatingon the terrace gives the
place a convivial air and allows the food to speak for itself.
Ten courses later, including four pairedwines, two
desserts and a visit fromthe groaning cheese cart, I have to
ask, what’s their secret?By this point in the investigation, it’s
not surprising tohear their two-word reply: local produce.
“For us, itmakes sense to sell what you canfind around
the restaurant,”Delphine says. “The fish – lavaret – from
the lake and the produce of the region – the cheese, the
vegetables…”Alainalsouseswildflowers fromlocal
meadows – and there’s another important ingredient.
“We have a lot of Savoiewines andwe love them,” says
Delphine, stroking the cover of their bulgingwine list.
To reallyget to the bottomof why these restaurants
things at hotel-restaurant LaBateau Ivre (
hotel-ombremont.
com
), runby local godfather of cooking, Jean-Pierre Jacob,
the village’s onlyholder of two stars.
According to theMichelinwebsite, two stars signifies
“excellent cuisine, worth a detour” andJacob’s food is
certainly that. I’d scale one of the nearbyAlps tohave
another crack at his top tastingmenu, theRimbaud: 10
courses – 12 if you count bookending amuse-bouches and
petits fours – of divine loveliness. Stand-outmoments
include smoked lavaret (a local fish) with a vichyssoise
cream, a fillet of pink-tinged lambbathed ina rose-infused
jus andhomemade pine-bud ice cream. Despite the volume
of food, the simplicity ismost surprising: therewere hints to
molecular gastronomyhere and there – foamsmade from
horseradish, crayfish and local reblochon cheese – but this
is no faddy cooking. It’s traditional, ingredient-led cuisine.
“My aimis for a simple kitchen, with a lot of taste,”
Jacob says over coffee afterwards. “For that, youmust
have harmony.”He travels theworld seekingout ideas
and ingredients – tonight’s lambwas spiced fromthe
LebanonandMorocco, another dishwithThai-style green
lemon and coconut – but, he tellsme, themost important
ingredients come fromthe local area. “The region is good
for cheese, meat, fish, vegetables, lots of fruit and a lot of
herbs. I like toworkwith the produce of the lake.”
It’s no surprise that this lake – Lac duBourget – has such
amajor role inJacob’s cookery; its presence dominates
the village that bears its name. At 18kmby 3.5km, ‘Lac
Gris’ – nicknamed for itsmistyblue-grey surface – one of
themountain-fringed lakes in the Savoie regionof western
France, is baby sister to the better-knownGeneva and
Annecy, but in the context of terroir, it puncheswell above
itsweight. Fruit, organic vegetables andwine grapes are
all grown in the surrounding countryside, while itswater is
uniquelyhome to the lavaret, awhite, trout-like fish.
Jacob’s emphasis on local produce is echoed the next
day. The hotel-restaurant Atmosphères (
atmospheres-hotel.
com
), perched above the village ina picture-perfect chalet,
is runbyDelphinePontet and chef AlainPérrillat, who
gained theirMichelin star in2009. Focusingon the freshest
ingredients, Alain throws new recipes together fromwhat’s
in seasononanyparticular day. Rather thanhaving set
tastingmenus, “he loves to change – even everymeal
sometimes,” saysDelphine. “It dependswhat’s available.
The client doesn’t knowwhat he’s getting.”
And so tomy secondMichelin-starredmeal in twodays.
Below,
everything
local, including the
wine, is the secret
behind all the stars;
right,
a square of
lavaret spreadwith
pea purée, served
with petit pois
and a quail’s egg
at Atmosphères
Opposite page,
lavaret, risotto and
lobster foamat
Lamartine;
right,
chef Gilles Blonay
of LaGrange à Sel
GENEVA
TRAVELLER
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