Dining in a three-Michelin star restaurant is an event worth celebrating, and celebrate we did with every, single mouthful in this fairytale restaurant located in the hamlet of Saint Marcel in the ski Mecca that is Le Trois Vallees. La Bouitte (small house in the local Savoie language) is the handiwork – literally – of Rene and Maxime Meilleur, a father and son who have created magic.
The interiors of local wood and traditional cookware on cupboards are placed around and about, along with the enormous timber armoir – an antique from Rene’s grandmother, conjure up a feeling of belonging and of being in a much-loved relative’s house. The armoire plays a role in the dance of the wait staff, with one bringing out the meals and placing them carefully on the timber top, then another two whisking them up and carefully placing them in front of us at exactly the same moment. So whether you are two people or four, everyone is served simultaneously in what is a meticulous and seamless performance.
Delicious breads made on site are rolled over on a rustic wooden cart and presented to us along with three different hand-churned butters. The sommelier, Florian Bagourd, chooses wines to match our dishes, and course, after course of our Surprise Degustation menu renders us speechless. Highlights are the Air raclette which is so light it is like a mousse, the Savoie pasta with Beaufort cheese, mushrooms and wild sorrel , the remarkable quince water which is served with a dreamy beer-like head and the unbelievable dessert – ‘Milk in all its forms’. It is a work of art so divine my tastebuds have come alive just thinking about it. Simply magnifique.
