Chamonix Apres Ski Report: 19th January 2007

As with last week I have packed in as much partying as possible all across Chamonix so I can bring you an update on what events were a hit and what venues to miss. Sunday night was surprisingly busy in town, we hit Chambre Nuef as it is always the safe option between 8 and 10pm, and kept ourselves busy with cocktails that went down smooth and a great crowd of people. We ended the night on a high note though in Le Garage which was fantastic fun, again surprisingly busy for a Sunday night, but as usual there was the guaranteed friendly bar staff and music that, granted is on the cheesy side, however there was not a tune played that you weren't tempted to hit the dance floor for.

After a rather hectic weekend I was taken back by the unexpected enthusiasm I had for hitting the bars again Monday night. As it happens it turned out to be well worth venturing out as all across Chamonix there was an invigorating energy and an extremely friendly crowd everywhere we went. We started the night once again in Chambre Neuf; I was slightly dubious as we had been drinking there the previous night and was worried that the evening may become a bit repetitive, I was wrong. As expected there was a great mass of people but the atmosphere was very different to the previous night, the brilliant Balboas played a dynamic set causing the crowd to be extremely lively. Afterwards we decided to head to Cham Sud to see what was happening on the other side of town and so headed to Munster Bar to suss out what was going on. There was a real mix of people in Munster Bar; from young to old and pretty much every nationality you could fit under one roof. You may expect this to be a recipe for disaster however it worked fantastically, I found myself talking to people I may not normally have come into contact with and so all the conversation seemed fresh and new. The bar staff were also amazing, it was obviously a shock to them that it was so busy but they had the common sense not to fall fate to becoming flustered and chaotic like so many bars do. Rather they acknowledged all customers with a smile and an ‘I'll be with you in a sec', with made the wait of a couple of minutes fly by like seconds. It was actually quite hard to drag ourselves away from Munster Baras it had the same welcoming feeling as your local back home, and the relaxed atmosphere and appropriate background music was a catalyst for a chilled out evening where your friendly banter and excitedly random conversations are not drowned out by a CD player.

Tuesday night we headed for a civilised evening at Le Jekyll. We have eaten there a few times previously; however I am always surprised by the constantly excellent service provided by the staff and the faultless quality of the food. The menu is kept simple however there is enough option to keep even the fussiest eater happy. The real deal clincher however is the obvious pride that the kitchen staff take in what they serve as the presentation is beautiful and again the quality of what is being dished up is fantastic. Just as we were ending our meal we were unexpectedly entertained by a musician who I have not seen before, ‘Ray'. I believe that he will become a regular feature at Le Jekyll and a few people I have mentioned him to have commented that he was a popular live act last season. I thought he was brilliant, a genuinely talented musician with an extremely accurate grasp on the mood of the cliental and what was appropriate in relation to the evolving atmosphere. For those of you who have not been to Le Jekyll this may seem like a strange comment to make so let me explain………….As the name indicates Le Jekyll has a genuine Jekyll/ Hyde personality, the dual purpose venue is a restaurant that gradually progresses into a lively bar once the dinner service has ended which is normally about 10pm. This means that throughout the night the atmosphere evolves and so to have a musician that can adapt in conjunction with the ambiance's progression from sedate to lively is a true asset.

Although the week has been pretty jam packed there is still a lot to look forward to. For a slower pace if you need to recharge your batteries, but you don't fancy wasting a night in with the telly, head to Bar'd Up as it will be hosting live music on Thursday. This is a chilled out venue where we can often be found having a quiet pint and a game of table football, but in particular I enjoy the live music as the intimate atmosphere is a refreshing change and often encourages requests, so it can be like having your own human jukebox for the evening.

Last Friday night at Cantina was a massive success and so I have high hopes for another top night this weekend. This weeks act has been confirmed as DJ IYE 95, and if dj skitz last week was anything to go by I would recommend for everyone in Chamonix with a craving for some heavy beats to get on board as Cantina is currently unrivalled. It appears that dj skitz has been doing the rounds in Chamonix, and I for one have fallen hook, line and sinker for his amazing performances. It has been a long time since I genuinely didn't want a night to end because the music was that good I felt I could dance effortlessly through till sunrise. Like everyone else I am always in denial as to the fact that every now and then I do enjoy a bit of chart music as it is guaranteed you will know the words and be able to sing along, as well as the added bonus that the simple rhythms make it impossible for even those with two left feet to not be able to keep in time while tearing up the dance floor……….however my true musical love lies with UK HipHop and anything with a heavy, and preferably dirty bass. You will therefore have seen me grinning like a Cheshire cat last week, I have never been so obviously ecstatic with a dj while I pranced around as when dj skitz made a massive impression on me and everyone else that saw him shine last Friday night at Cantina. Definitely someone to look out for this season.

This Saturday sees the grand opening of Fu Bar, Bar'd Up's big brother. I have mentioned Fu Bar in previous après reports and if Bar'd Up is anything to go by it promises to be a popular hotspot. Fu Bar will be located in Argentiere which to be honest is fairly far out from Chamonix centre, however for those of us who always have glasses that are half full it offers a change of scenery, and to be honest many people sometime forget how reliable the public transport is in Chamonix so there is actually no problem getting there. I personally am rather intrigued to see what Fu Bar will have to offer so for those of you who are unable to join us on Saturday look out for my review next week.

As if all of the above wasn't enough excitement, Sunday sees round two of the Comedy Night at Le Jekyll. I heard the fantastic news on Tuesday that Comedy Night has been confirmed as a weekly fixture at Le Jekyll, so throughout the season there will be guaranteed laughter on tap, and you would have to be crazy not to take advantage of advanced ticket purchasing as this 5Euro investment will be the best decision you make all season. Not forgetting the promotion that will also be run in conjunction with Comedy Night, 25 Euros for a two course set meal of high quality cuisine and included in that fee is your entry to the Comedy Night-such a steal it's almost daylight robbery!

For all those sports fans in the Valley there is an ice hockey match coming up in the next week, Chamonix will be taking on Briancon on the 20th of January so be there if you fancy being spectator to some testosterone fuelled action on the ice.
More from me next week when I shall continue to be your après ski guinea pig, testing out everything that Chamonix has to offer sop you can head straight to the best spots in town.