Au Village Restaurant, Val Thorens, France

Welcome to our very first post from Europe! Thankfully, a friend of ours brought their Macbook and because of free wifi, we are able to bring you this post as we continue to travel around.

The first week of our trip was spent at Val Thorens in the French Alps. Nestled in the small snowy town are an array of restaurants including Au Village Restaurant, where we had some very new food experiences. The restaurant looks like an old wooden shack, or as I described it, a ‘haunted house with lights on’. The decor is very rustic and we are seated next to a window leading to nowhere, which is rather interesting. There is soft music playing random songs which does not really add to the atmosphere set by the decor, so we are hopeful that the food brings out the character of the restaurant.

Fondue Morilles Simple, €23

As a group of four, we only tried two dishes tonight but each one is for two people to share. The first which comes out is the cheese fondue. It is presented in a pot on a mini stove, and supplemented with two baskets of bread pieces along with a side salad of lettuce with seeded mustard mayo. To eat the cheese fondue, you grab your skewer, poke the piece of bread, dip it in and twirl when removing. The bread becomes soft and warm and with the cheese, it tastes absolutely delicious in your mouth – perfect for the cold snowy weather! You have to continually stir the pot now and then to prevent the cheese from burning at the bottom, but this is not a problem as we finish this dish in no time (with a bread basket to spare).

Hot Stone Pierrade Mixte 350g (pp), €25.90

Our next dish is the hot stone, which is a black rock plate on a stove. It is served with 350g of meat per person (beef, chicken, duck), assorted vegetables (capsicum, mushroom, onion), ratatouille (vegetable stew) and an assortment of sauces (chilli, honey tomato, mayo, smokey bbq). The meat when cooked is rather tasteless so having those sauces was definitely a good idea. The wedges are also crispy and add a great side of carbs; however, the ratatouille is not that tasty.

Complimentary pastille lollies that came with our bill

Overall the food is delicious and suits the cold snowy weather. It is also our first experience of a savoury fondue and needless to say, French food consists of more than just the stereotypical snails. If you ever come up to Val Thorens, getting a cheese fondue is a must!

Au Village Restaurant
Caron Rd/Caron Rue (at the end of the street)
Val Thorens, 73440
+33 (0)4 79 08 63 95
Open everyday from 6pm, Saturday from midday

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