Chamonix Activity Review: 24th September 2012

Up until today the weather this week has been warm and sunny, staying mild late into the night so sitting outside and enjoying a few vinos as the sun disappears beyond the mountains has been very nice.

Friday night saw us in Les Praz at Les Rhododendrons, a homely rustic old bar with a big terrace that looks out over gardens and a pretty little church. It's perfect for summer evenings as you can get there early, enjoy the stunning sunsets and view of Mont Blanc, then move inside to the cosy lounge with its log burner and squashy couches once it gets chilly. They also do great pizzas here until fairly late, which hopefully soak up some of the Pelforth.

Saturday was a friend's birthday and we had planned to go out for dinner, so a few of us decided to build up an appetite by going for a hike up to the Cascade du Dard first. It is a short hike but uphill all the way and you can carry on to Plan de l'Aiguille or to the Les Bossons glacier if you want to make it a bit more of an adventure. You start from the Jekyll pub on the Route des Pelerins (see map) and take the little road to the left marked 'Le Cry', follow this road to the end where it becomes a grassy path going into the woods and then a subway under the main road into Chamonix. Come up the other side, cross over at the top and follow the path into the woods until you come to a bridge that crosses over a stream. Cascade du Dard is signposted from here and takes about 30 minutes to get to the café from where you can get a good view of the waterfall in all its glory.

The café has a beautiful sunny terrace, crowded with flowers and little Alpine trinkets that make it feel like an old chalet in the mountains. They serve drinks and a lunch menu of salads, omelettes, sandwiches and Savoyard dishes such as fondue and reblochonnade. I've not eaten here but I had a good peek at the dishes that were being taken to other tables and they looked very good - the cheese smelt fantastic!

Dinner that night was at Le Delice in Les Houches, a funky little boutique restaurant offering an interesting menu that aims to deliver something a bit different to the usual Alpine fare. We got there early so that we could have a drink on the terrace where there was a band playing. After a quick peruse of the menu I chose the mackerel with carrots and pistachio relish to start with followed by ravioli with ricotta, artichoke and basil. The mackerel was delicious, lightly cooked in orange and fennel and really tender, not dry as is often the case and I could have eaten the tapenade all night - chunky and crunchy with a robust flavour. The ravioli was nice but less exciting, delicate parcels of ricotta in a creamy sauce, nicely cooked but not much artichole or basil and given that ricotta doesn't have much flavour it could have done with something to liven it up a bit. Other dishes on the menu included chicken supreme with purée of smoked artichoke, grilled feta and veggies, lamb served with baked polenta and ratatouille in a red wine sauce, and other delights which all seemed to go down well - the clean plates spoke for themselves. I managed to snaffle a roast spud while someone wasn't guarding their plate closely enough and it was a good'un. Desserts were a big hit all round, my friend and I ordered the moelleux chocolat and the passionfruit cheesecake so we could have half-and-half and they were delicious, even if there was some serious belly expansion going on afterwards. The cheesecake was rich, creamy and probably a bit heavier than usual but if you've got a seriously sweet tooth then it'll be right up your street, the moelleux chocolat was just warm gooey chocolate heaven.

After all that gluttony we headed over to Kitsch Inn for a few drinks, they are now closed until winter so we felt it our duty to help them use up the last of their stock, all that wine and Jagermeister might not keep until December... It was good to see them busy as it is their first summer season, having opened at the start of last winter, and they've done great things to it since then. What used to be a fairly antiquated rambling old place is now a funky retro bar and restaurant with a garden terrace and a massive sunny balcony, where they sometimes hold BBQs or have DJs pumping out al fresco beats. The food is the kind of hearty stuff you want after a day on the mountain and they also do snacks, homebaked cakes and Sunday roasts - good comfort food!

There's been a fair few closing parties recently as the interseason draws closer, but there are still plenty of bars and restaurants open and always a few DJs and bands keeping us from staying in and being sensible. Check out our What's On Calendar for all upcoming events in Chamonix.