© Katy Dartford
© Katy Dartford
© Katy Dartford
Chez Constant Restaurant Review
Traditional Alpine cuisine with a modern twist
You’d expect a Savoyard bistro on the main street of Avenue Ravanel le Rouge to be packed solid on a Saturday night , with a thick, gruyere-reeking atmosphere when you step through its doors. But Chez Constant, tucked away towards the end of the main street, is small and pleasantly cosy, not crammed with as many tourists as they can get in….and has a ‘modern’ Savoyard feel; wood everywhere, fur and cow print pillows and old family photos.
If you’re sat downstairs you can watch the chef working in the kitchen and you wont leave smelling of cheese. The staff were welcoming and laid back despite us being a little late and there was no pressure to pick our food. Instead they brought us some Choux aux Salmon whilst we deliberated.
If you are hungry and want rich, traditional fare ( with a modern twist) then Chez Constant is ideal. There are a variety of set menus made from fresh local products. They aren’t cheap - but great for a treat. The 'Menu du Coup de Coeur, (31€) for three courses has a choice of Reblochon Cheese with apples, mixed crudités and pine nuts, or pumpkin soup served with Jerusalem Artichoke chips to start; for the main course there is a choice of a suggestion from the chef or pork tenderloin slow cooked with Beaufort cheese and pan fried gnocchi, followed by creme brûlée or desert of the day.
The Menu Plaisir Gourmand is 42€ for three courses with a choice of mushroom risotto with truffle cream, or pan fried burgundy snails to start. For main there is the fish of the day or duckling filet roasted with cranberries and for dessert toffee apple on shortbread or almond, hazelnut, praline panacotta.
You can also, of course, order entrees, plats and desserts separately. I started with the Terrine de Constant with a chutney - a chunky, but not too fatty terrine served in a cute little jar - its meatiness complimented by the oniony chutney and gherkins. I also pinched a pan friend snail from my friends plate - not rubbery and ‘snail’ like fortunately- or drenched in garlic to hide the fact its a snail. Starters are priced from around 12.50€ to 18€ for frois gras and are a good size. I was worried I wouldn't have room for my main.
Fortunately I’d ordered the fish of the day and along came 4 beautifully cooked and presented scallops with a potato gratin for 23€. I was relieved that it wasn’t too bulky a choice - unlike my friends; the Simmenthal prime beef rib with rare pepper gravy was huge, bloody and delicious, and came with an eggy kind of gratin. Pricey at € 33.50 but you wouldn't need a starter.
The Le Coin Montagne dishes offer the likes of Tartiflete or La Croute Savoyard a la creme de Morilles (slices of bread dipped in white wine with ham and cheese and morel cream) and are a little cheaper ranging from 13-20€ or various fondues from 21€ per person. Somehow my friend had room for a panacotta, but I passed on dessert as I was now on cream overload. Desserts ranged from 7-9 euros.
The lunch menu is better value - the formula 2 plat for 21€ for starter and main or main and dessert of the day- 27€ for all three. There is even a kids menu - fish of the day or grilled meat with frites and two scoops of ice cream. We also had two bottles of Vieux Clocher red wine at 23 a bottle.
The food is typically rich and you’d need to be hungry to finish them, but they have a modern twist and are presented elegantly - rather than the usual Savoyarde experience of a pigs knuckle on a plate. The staff were also pleasant and never hurried us even when we were the last stragglers left there on a Saturday night.
