VIEWPOINTS
ON EATING OUT
“Hispicturehangs
from lampposts
all around town…”
the michelin
judges
arean
inscrutablebunch,
and lesser beings
cannot expect to
guesswhy some
placesof ahigh
standarddon’t passmuster.Glasgow’s
paucityof stars is acase inpoint and,
inparticular, thepassingover of this
establishment,whichhasbeenhailedby
local critics as thecity’sbest by far.
Onour visit, at least, all theboxes
seem tobe ticked: classic, hearty recipes,
suchas steak frites and scallopswith
bacon,madewithqualityScottish
ingredients; quiet andefficient service
withattentive staff inapleasant dining
room; anexcellentwine list. And then
thereare thepuddings…PerhapsMichelin
didn’t taste theartfully rustic tart tartin
withbutterscotch sauce?Ormaybe
theydidn’t appreciate thegood-value
lunchandpre-theatremenus, at£23.50
for threecourses.Whatever the reason,
ChardonD’or’s lackof stars should
not deter those looking for finedining in
Glasgow. If it’shere, then this is it.
for a small place,
Megève
(pop850), a50-minutedrive
fromGeneva, hasa lotof stars
–andwe’renot just talking
about those in theclearAlpine
heavens.One restaurant–
FloconsdeSel –boastsa
mighty three fromMichelinand thisyear twomore
venueswereawardedoneeach, includingLe 1920.
Set ina 1920schalet (hence thename), on the
450-hectare, Rothschild-ownedDomaineduMont
d’Arbois resort, itsbigdraw ischef JulienGatilon.
Chatting to thedown-to-earth28yearoldbefore the
seven-course tastingmenu, youwouldn’t knowhis
picturehangs from lamppostsall around townor that
healsooversees fourother restaurants.His food–and
restaurantmanagerOliverAlglave’swonderful service
– livesup toexpectationsand iseverythingyoucould
want fromaFrenchgourmetmeal. Kingprawnsare
served twoways, incrèmeanglaiseondaikonandwith
Kristal caviar; thecheese trolley includesa fromage–
Tommede laFermedeMonsieur Jean-BaptisteMorand
–so local, youcould throwacowbell to the farmwhere
it’smade; and the lemonsorbet arrivessprinkledwith
gold leaf. Theonlyproblem isstruggling toheave
yourself backout into thestarryAlpinenight.
LE 1920
GENEVA
Frenchgourmet
€120 for theseven-
course tastingmenu
mont-darbois.fr
“Glasgow’sbest restaurant...”
BRIANMAULEAT
CHARDOND’OR
GLASGOW
Frenchfinedining
From€30 for three
courses
brianmaule.com
WORDS
LIZ GRANIRER, SARAH WARWICK
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