Saturday 21 December 2013

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.


Route de l'Altiport
73550
Meribel
Tel: 00 33 (0)4 7900 5578

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