The original Alpine Lodges property developments were beautiful yet functional; well organised residences, equipped with the elements our owners needed for a relaxing holiday in prime resort locations. But times have changed. A few years ago we began to observe a trend in the feedback of our owners. “We’d like a restaurant,” they told us. “We’d like to return from skiing, take off our boots and enjoy a delicious plate of food, without going anywhere,” they explained. We listened, and our Alpine Restaurants collection was born.
The journey begins in Courchevel with Le C, the acclaimed restaurant housed within our Le C residence. Designed to offer a warm welcome to our residents with a chic, contemporary vibe, Le C quickly became a local favourite amongst fans of Savoyarde classics with a modern twist. Along the road at Bistrot Manali, with the majestic Saulire in the background, our group head chef Antony Trezy oversaw a transformation that resulted in a stylish, cosy restaurant with a fabulous, gourmet menu. Most recently, the beautiful Gaïa in Courchevel is a cosy and intimate venue, complete with its own sushi bar. It’s been an imaginative and hugely successful journey for our Alpine Restaurants team.
The beautiful Gaïa sushi bar.
The pace continues in Les Gets, where we launched Vina Annapurna in the heart of the village, with a sunny terrace and a fresh, inspiring menu that’s perfect after a day on the slopes and just next door, La Bokka within our Kinabalu Residence, an authentic, elegant Italian trattoria with a menu based around the finest Italian cuisine. Without taking a breath we launched La Croix Blanche, a stand-alone restaurant on the pistes in Les Gets, which is home to traditional Savoyarde dishes and local specialities.
A pizza in La Bokka, Les Gets.
Aside from the quality food and the exceptional service you’ll experience at any one of our Alpine Restaurants venues, it’s often the design of the restaurants that creates a first impression. Here we’ll introduce you to Laurène Berthier, an interior designer in our design team, tasked with making them extra special.
- How does the process of designing a new restaurant begin?
We generally start with a theme that allows us to have inspirations for the materials, finishes, colours, materials and the overall atmosphere. It’s a great challenge to begin with a blank canvas and begin to develop the desired space. Throughout the process, our objective remains the same - to create a characterful, unique space that our residents and other guests will enjoy and remember.
- How long does it take to plan the interiors or a new restaurant?
We begin at the creation stage, with inspirations, mood boards, a selection on materials from our collection and then we make presentations to the rest of our team. This part is very enriching, as it allows us to further explore our ideas, further take into account the opinions of others and create a combined direction that everyone is happy with. Finally, we must plan the actual product elements, creating orders for our suppliers and enhancing the end result, often until the very last moment.
- Which restaurant projects are you working on at the moment?
Our forthcoming Steamboat residence in Courchevel is a very unique project and we are working hard on a restaurant and bar concept to compliment this resort-centre location. We’ll share more details in the months to come, but this is a very exciting project to work on.
- Do you see the future of restaurant designing changing?
Our focus will always be comfortable furniture, beautiful seats with cushions - these things are important after a day in the mountains? Returning and retreating to a warm, cosy, welcoming space. In the future we expect to see restaurants become more of a gather space, an escape with a focus on beautiful design to compliment incredible food. Our goal is always to make a firm impression with the layout and decoration and I think that will continue into the future.
If you’re joining us in the French Alps this season, we’ve compiled a handy list of our restaurant opening dates.
- Les Gets : Vina Annapurna 23/11/22, La Bokka: 15/12/22, La Croix Blanche: 17/12/22
- Courchevel : Bistrot Manali: 10/12/22, Bistrot le C: 17/12/22, Gaïa: 16/12/22
A delicious Fondue at Bistrot Manali.
Our team hope to welcome you to an Alpine Restaurants venue this coming winter season. You can discover more information and view the menu HERE. Steamboat Lodge in Courchevel is currently under construction, view the remaining properties HERE.
