Pointe Isabelle Hotel Restaurant Review
Modern international cuisine in the centre of Chamonix
Tuesday lunchtime and the sun is shining in Chamonix, the terrace at the Pointe Isabelle Hotel is in the perfect spot to catch some sun and enjoy a bit of people watching.
Having popped in for a glass of chilled rose on the opening day I was keen to get back and sample the menu that looked surprisingly vegetarian friendly for a restaurant in France. Sitting at one of the terrace tables you have the perfect position to watch the world go by but without feeling that you are sitting in the middle of the street. The atmosphere was very relaxed and we were surprised to hear many French local accents around us rather than the usual tourist chatter that you hear at this time of year. Always a good sign if the locals are choosing to come here!
With a very varied menu it was tough to decide what to go for - many of the starters and salads were on offer as larger meals and with a vegetarian option so it was instantly nice to have more than one dish to choose from. As a vegetarian in Chamonix it can sometimes be a fairly boring choice! With my friend opting for the Pointe Isabelle burger, I decided on the rocket salad (large!) with mozzarella, sun-dried tomato, olives and toasted focaccia.
The service was friendly and prompt, which is ideal for a lunch time meal, and our carafe of water was kept topped up...essential as we were sitting in the sunshine! They have plans to put an awning up at some point which will be a great addition as it really catches the sun in the middle of the day.
When the food arrived it looked fantastic and with just the right amount of balsamic dressing I was happily surprised at how tasty a huge pile of rocket could be! The best part however was the focaccia which had been chargrilled and smothered in tomato and olive tapenade, really delicious. My friends burger was equally as tasty, cooked that way she had asked and came with chunky chips and a delicious home made tomato sauce.
Despite being quite full we couldn't resist a look at the menu when they asked if we wanted dessert and compromised by sharing a pistachio creme brulee...it doesn't count if you share! Although it was expensive at €8.50 I think we got quite a lot of dessert for our money with a couple of chunks of tasty chocolate brownie and raspberry sorbet on the side.
The one criticism that I have it that there is not a specific lunch menu, or some kind of 'plat du jour' on offer. At €20 each it was a fairly expensive lunch, and although it was delicious, I would like to have had the option of something less expensive or just some variety from the dinner menu.
However, I am sure I will be back to enjoy the terrace at the Pointe Isabelle Bar & Bistro.
