Monday, January 30, 2017 METRO 31
Travel | Culture | Adventure
Escape Plenty of chilly:. Gourmet Skisafari. chefs in Alta Badia.
New places to nosh WITH its perfectly groomed pistes and regular royal visitors, Austrian bolthole Lech is most definitely one of Europe’s glammest ski resorts. Now the elite have a swish new place to stay. Awkwardly named five-star haunt Severin*s (suites from £767pp night, including champagne, breakfast, dinner and ski shuttle, severins-lech.at) boasts nine suites and a still-more-sumptuous residence – a four-bedroom apartment that is home to a private cinema and hot tub. The fine dining won’t be too
shabby, either. Head honcho Stephan Krieglstein has previously received plaudits from Michelin for his daring concoctions. Meanwhile, over at Courchevel 1850, there’s a variety of fancy French-Japanese eats now available to tempt you at luxurious hotel L’Apogée’s cosy diner Koori. The menu spans soybean-stuffed black cod, sweet-and-sour chicken yakitori and sake galore (eight sushi dishes, £55, lapogeecourchevel.com. Seven nights’ half-board at L’Apogee from £2,900, including flights and transfers, scottdunn.com).
Michelin-starred moguls
them (five-meal tickets cost £43, altabadia.org). The event is daily from 11amAWARDED a third 3pm, leaving ample Michelin star a year opportunity to take to ago, René and the legendary Sella Maxime Meilleur Ronda circuit. Wine is offer tasting menus at included, but for a really La Bouitte (three tipple-tastic time courses £121, laMichelin magic: consider Alta Badia’s bouitte.com) near Val Three-star food at La Bouitte new Sommelier On Thorens in the The Slopes tours, offered on most French Alps. A stand-out is Thursdays until March. These have Beech-smoked veal shortbreads with you gliding between refuges to enjoy horseradish ‘cigarettes’. There’s eight tastings of South Tyrolean luxury rooms and stays include free plonk (four tastings for transfers to St Martin’s lifts, meaning £22, altabadia.org). easy access to Meribel, Courchevel Stay at ski-instructor and Val Thorens (three nights’ B&B, £1,115 including flights and transfers, Ulli’s comfy Las Vegas Lodge kalumatravel.co.uk). Talking of Val (doubles from Thorens, its restaurant Jean Sulpice £124 half board, sees the eponymous two-starred chef include guinea fowl with celeriac lasvegasonline.it). and cocoa on three-course taster menus (£73, jeansulpice.com). Epicurean
Foodie ski safaris Alpine feast: Sat Bains (left) and team plating up at the Mountain Gourmet Ski Experience
AT the trendy Italian Dolomites resort of Alta Badia, Gourmet Skisafaris sees 14 acclaimed chefs setting up kitchen inside vintage mountain huts, so hungry skiers can whoosh between
of Courmayeur – aka ‘Gourmayeur’ – from March 17. Collaborating with Heston this time round are Sat Bains, Claude Bosi and Jason Atherton, and each will devise dishes blending their methodology with local Dolomites produce. It includes two showpiece dinners in far-flung lookouts, guided ski tours and a late-night DJ-led party. Heston’s twists on wine-tasting round things off. From £5,050 including flights, transfers, all meals and passes, momentumski.com/gourmetski. For something more rustic, head to California’s Squaw Valley – Lake Tahoe’s best ski area – for a Moonlit Snowshoe Tour + Dinner (£58, squawalpine.com) in adjacent Alpine Meadows. Held every full moon until March 18, these see 40 guests hike up closed-fordelights the-day slopes before CELEBRATING its fourth edition, the Sunset supper: Moonlit sitting down to chicken cordon bleu and apple Mountain Gourmet Ski dinner in Squaw Valley strudel. Seven night’s Experience sees Heston self-catering from £1,349pp including Blumenthal curate three days of flights and SUV hire (skisafari.com). amazing eats in the Italian ski capital