Albert Premier Restaurant

You can choose from the à la carte menu, or from one of the set menus, designed around seasonal or traditional ingredients. From hearty winter dishes such as noisette of venison with pumpkin risotto, to spring and summer options like young lamb with wild garlic and niçois stuffed vegetables, the team make the most of the abundance of herbs and vegetables grown in the hotel’s own vegetable garden. The wine cellar counts no less than 20,000 bottles, comprised of the 950 appellations presented on the wine list. All the wines are ready for immediate consumption as the construction of the wine cellar allows certain wines to be stored for a few years before they reach their necessary maturity. The hotel sommelier will be on hand to help you choose a suitable accompaniment to your meal from the hotels’ extensive wine list.

The spacious wood paneled dining room has a warm and modern feel thanks to the use of contemporary lighting and floor to ceiling windows. Well positioned partitions, lavish red and cream curtains, and decently separated tables create a more intimate feel than you may have expected in such a large dining area. The resulting atmosphere is one of relaxed elegance, where you will feel equally comfortable in casual or smart attire.

We chose the Petite Fête Gourmande Du Marche set menu - a five-course no-choice menu - which, at 80€ per person is unbelievable value for money for this quality of food and service. The meal was heralded with an unusual amuse-bouche of carrot jelly served with a light lemon cream, along with a choice of breads and delicious butter served on a slab of granite. Thankfully, we didn’t need to navigate the 950 options(!) on the wine list as the sommelier brought us a bottle of Pouilly Fume that would compliment the first half of our chosen menu. Our starter of mouth-watering scallops with rocket and baby new potatoes was perfectly cooked and stylishly presented. You don’t have long to recover before the fish course arrives – a generous portion of brill on a bed of asparagus risotto with a balsamic jus, a lovely combination of flavours and textures.

By this time you may be in need of a little break, particularly if you have been unable to resist the bread (although one of us appeared to have a bottomless pit of a stomach), and indeed, we were granted a few minutes respite. White wine was replaced with red – an excellent South African Pinotage – and we were ready for the meat course, which in our case, was a thick slab of juicy roasted pork served with petit pois, broad beans and cured-ham crisps. The pork was deliciously succulent and barely needed the accompanying rich red wine jus (but which was too good not to add). The fourth course is the cheese board, or more accurately, the cheese trolley, with its fabulous range of cows, sheep and goats cheeses. Being slightly bewildered at the choice, the waiter was happy to make some recommendations, and gave me some walnut bread to compliment.

The Reblochon was the best I have ever tasted. And so to the final course – le grand chariot de patisseries. You really must try and save room for dessert, you can choose from pastries, cakes, sorbets and ice-creams and fresh local and exotic fruits. We had the house specialty, wonderfully light and sticky hazelnut meringue filled with a crème patisserie. Utterly delectable! Feeling suitably rotund, coffee and petits fours finished me off, as well as closing a wonderful evening of gastronomic pleasure.

Whilst you might expect the Michelin starred Albert Premier to be a traditional formal dining experience, it is actually very accessible and extremely welcoming. The staff are charming, the service impeccable, and the surroundings tranquil but not austere. Whether you choose to blow the budget on the à la carte or stick to the amazingly priced set menus, you are sure to experience one of the finest meals to be had in the Chamonix valley.

The hotel and restaurant are located in the heart of Chamonix just off the Route de Bouchet, close to the Place du Mont Blanc.