Chamonix Apres-Ski Report: 12th December 2012

This Friday was the opening night of Les Caves, a cosy bar tucked away underneath the swanky Cap Horn restaurant. This whole building was devastated by a fire a few years ago and has recently been restored way above and beyond its former glory. The new owners have really gone to town on the luxury feel of the place, with a stylish twist on the usual Alpine log cabin theme - it is worth popping upstairs for a nosy round the very glamorous restaurant, the staff are most welcoming and may even give you a guided tour. Les Caves is under new management this year and promises to be a great place to enjoy a bit of chilled apres with live music, free nibbles and a refined yet relaxed atmosphere that will evolve into something a bit more upbeat as the night wears on and the DJs turn up the beats.

On Saturday night we got all sophisticated and went for a wine tasting session at ChaChaCha; we tried a champagne, 2 white wines, a rosé and 2 reds - all from different regions of France. The nice chap behind the bar told us all about the production methods of each wine, the differences between them and what to look out for when choosing a good example of each variety. We all felt very educated by the end of the session and well informed enough to choose a nice bottle of red to enjoy before heading out into the night to see what other fine wines we could hunt down in Chamonix.

My favourite place to enjoy a nice glass or two is Le Bistrot Gourmand on Rue des Moulins; the owner Gerard makes everyone feel very welcome and will happily let you try a few wines before you decide on which one to settle in with, we chose a lovely Chilean red and made ourselves comfortable amongst the rugs and throws on the large sofa. Gerard is also an excellent "traiteur" and you can order a plate of local meats and cheese accompanied by delicious home baked bread, all sourced and prepared by Gerard himself, some of it from his family farm. I had heard an alarming rumour that Le Bistrot Gourmand was due to close any day soon but Gerard confirmed that they hope to stay open all winter, or at least until March, and then he has another project up his sleeve. So, make the most of his great hospitality while you can!

I presume there were many exciting things happening on Sunday but I was in need of a quiet night in by that point, I'll consider it my duty to venture forth next Sunday and report back from the front line with whatever I find.

By Monday I was back on form and in need of some musical entertainment, so it was off to Bar'd Up for Open Mic Night; hosted each week by Rich "Soul Rat" Whyman on keyboard and trumpet (not at the same time), with whoever else fancies joining in and having a jam. Unfortunately I had forgotten my spoons so I wasn't able to partake but there were a fair few folks armed with proper musical instruments who were keen to get stuck in - there was even a brass section at one point, which isn't something you see often in a pub (if 2 blokes on trumpets and 1 on a cornet counts as a "section"...?) Anyway, alongside the people with an actual musical ability the rest of us were inspired enough to join in with a good old sing-song - that and the sparkly Christmas deccies got us right into the festive spirit. A few shots of Jagermeister might have helped as well...

There is plenty to look forward to this coming week as well, with more bars opening up - old favourites and new venues. South Bar is back and has their opening party on Friday, Happy Hours from 4-6pm and 10-11pm - now also serving food until late. The new project that everyone can't wait to check out is the MOO Bar & Cuisine on Avenue Michel Croz (by the train station), opening this Saturday night. Run by a trio of well-known party-loving Swedes it promises to bring a new element of apres-fun to a corner of town that already has Elevation and Chambre Neuf luring us in off the slopes - I can see this becoming some sort of Bermuda Triangle of lost gloves, skis, memories, dignity, etc....

Le Vert is hosting the first of their big nights of the winter tomorrow (Thursday) when Plump DJs will be showing us a bit of the breakbeat, electro-house, techno magic that has won them Mixmag's "Album of the Month". Tickets are 10€ in advance, 12€ for standard entry or 21.50€ for the gig and a three course meal - get the advance tickets if possible as they often sell out on the door.

So, it doesn't look like my detox is going to get back on track anytime soon... all these events and more can be found on our What's On Calendar.