Le Vagabond Curry Night Review
Cosy little pub with log fire & sunny terrace
Le Vagabond is one of Chamonix’s best-kept secrets, a locals’ hangout that is just enough off the beaten track to keep it from being on the usual pub crawl routes.
Wednesday night at Le Vagabond is curry night, with the chef whipping up a different variety every time - this week we had the choice of chicken madras or chickpea and coconut. Portions are generous and for the princely sum of just 10€ you can tuck into a lovely dollop of homemade curry served with rice, an onion bhajee, a poppadum, mango chutney and raita. If you can’t make your mind up between meat or veggie then go 50/50 and have a bit of both.
I opted for the chickpea concoction and found it to be rich and creamy, without being too heavy. Just enough heat to warm your cockles but not so much that you get an unladylike sweat on. Personally I like my curries slightly more on the fierce side but they kind of have to cater for all tastes and if you want a bit more oomph then there is a whole red chilli placed thoughtfully on the side. I wasn’t brave enough to bite into it but those that did turned instantly crimson and spent the next 10 minutes puffing their cheeks out and gulping down beer. So I guess it does the job.
A few of my friends tucked into the chicken madras and were equally impressed, both with the flavour and with the ratio of chicken to sauce - nice big chunks of "poulet" so I’m told. The lovely bhajees were a big hit all round.
Small and cosy with a log fire, Le Vagabond (or “The Vag” as it’s affectionately known) offers a daily plat du jour with either a meat or vegetarian option. There isn’t a huge menu to choose from, but the food is always freshly prepared, well priced and mighty tasty. They also run a gite, with hostel-style dorm rooms, on a half-board basis in winter or self-catered in summer.
If you fancy a good feed and a cosy ambience, you could do a lot worse than give Le Vagabond a whirl.
