Le Matafan can be found inside Hotel Mount-Blanc, a location nestled in the charming Chamonix valley. The impressive interior of the hotel continues throughout the dining room, with bright red chairs, immaculately dressed tables, and the focal point, which is an open fire in the centre of the room, which is rather impressive.
Head Chef Mickey Bourdillat has crafted a menu focusing on local gastronomy and traditional dishes, which is exactly what we wanted to try while in this region of France so we were keen to explore the menu.
To begin our evening, we started off with a couple of fine glasses of Tattinger Rosé, an elegant and intense Champagne, always a joy to start the evening.
To start our meal, I decided on the crab, served with Jerusalem and grapefruit. While my partner went for the Risotto a la Tomme de Montagne, which is a risotto dish served with Tomme cheese, I have to say, it’s a joy to write that the presentation and execution of our starters exceeded our already high expectations, which only raised our excitement for our main dishes.
“A menu of delectable dishes setting out a culinary journey through the Alps.”
For our main courses, I chose the roasted lamb filet, which was wonderfully tender and served with autumn vegetables and a thyme juice and olive pesto. My partner decided on the roasted deer, served with pan-fried foie gras, mashed potatoes, and a red wine sauce. Both dishes had an abundance of flavour, the deer and lamb cuts were deliciously succulent, and we had no problem returning empty plates.
For dessert, although presented with a number of tempting options, we decided to share a selection of ice-cream as this was all we could manage. Still, the ice-cream certainly didn’t disappoint. We enjoyed vanilla, strawberry, and pistachio, closely followed by a pot of fresh mint tea to complete our dining experience.
As an accompaniment to our meal, we enjoyed a bottle of 2014 Domaine Giraud Chateauneuf-du-Pape Premices, Rhone, France. Being a full-bodied red with strong fruit flavours it went down perfectly with our mains.
We cannot fault our experience at Le Matafan. From the helpful staff to the decor, ambiance, and of course the menu of delectable dishes setting out a culinary journey through the Alps. The restaurant is a credit to the five star luxury of Hotel Mount-Blanc, and we can’t wait to return.
The Bill: £76 per head
