Chamonix / Cape Horn: eclectic menu for your first day of snow

It’s Friday. The arrival at work today feels lighter than other days, despite the huge suitcase carried straight from home. You barely managed to zip it up, filled as it is with the full line up of bulky equipment: ski pants, googles, boots, helmet, ‘it’s -5 °C but on top it must be colder… I should bring another layer’, …

Weekend destination: Chamonix, site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924, one of the oldest ski resorts in France, fanciest destinations on the Alps and hangout of a bunch of English skiers!

The arrival in town is pretty bumpy due to a mix of potholes on the streets and dunes of ice on the pavements (wasn’t it a fancy destination???). The apartment is warm, you decide to take a quick shower and go for an early dinner avoiding the temptations of a late party night… The slopes are waiting for you tomorrow and you want to be sure to be one of the first marking the snow in the morning!

Le Cap Horn is the choice of the night, a place more suitable for Saint Tropez or Monaco with its selection of fish and oysters, its internal décor chic and kitsch and its crowd of noisy guests ordering wine magnum bottles.

The eclectic menu satisfies a wide range of tastes: snails and duck in respect of the traditional French cuisine, sushi, nigiri and maki for those who cannot resist the Japanese call, oysters and fish to evoke the fascination of the Cote d’Azur, wok, nems and bao buns in case of Asian fever, ceviche, taquitos and ‘mac&cheese’ for those who want to embark a long flight to the other side of the pond.

The result can be a bit chaotic and confusing but ingredients are often well combined together and dishes well executed. Despite the fame of the restaurant is due to its fish selection, I would suggest you not to disregard where you are and enjoy the proximity of the ‘raw material’: a terrine of wild boar and foie gras screams its French origin, a pork cheek – despite the humble cut – can be ennobled by sous-vide cooking and black truffle while garganelli and porcini will difficultly disappoint you!

No need to indulge in a dessert… You have collected already enough energy to face the first slopes tomorrow!

Ps. The restaurant offers the opportunity to order a la carte as well as convenient menu options: 23 (lunch), 32.5 and 42 EUR. Not a bad deal!