“Come quickly, I am tasting the stars!”. That’s what Dom Pérignon said when he created champagne. Effervescence on the tongue and golden in the eyes. The stars. Les étoiles. The stars are the aim at Le Chabichou, fine dining French restaurant. And it’s not just Michelin stars they’re after. Le Chabichou elevates gastronomy to an astronomical level. And the classy Courchevel 1850 is its celestial setting.

Earning its first Michelin star in 1979 and its second in 1984, Le Chabichou has certainly established a name for itself as a top restaurant. It doesn’t just impress alpine foodie enthusiasts and epicurean experts, making it a top restaurant in the Alps. It’s also a top restaurant in the world. And by reaching for the stars, you could even say it surpasses the world. The restaurant offers gastronomic food for both lunch and dinner. So it’s near impossible to step away from the resort without stepping in. And what awaits inside is a treat, on all accounts.

Le Chabichou opened to guests as a hotel and restaurant in 1963. And it’s been opening the boundaries of excellence ever since then. The owners, Maryse and Michel Rochedy, can be thought of like the Mr and Mrs Santa Claus of Courchevel. Maryse welcomed in guests as the Maître de Maison, whilst Michel delivered the gifts of gastronomy and culinary in the restaurant.

With a change of ownership in the last few years, some may question whether Le Chabichou’s devoted culture and overall experience remains. Is there the same atmosphere? Do they know guests both by their names and faces? Do succulent smells surround? And most importantly, does that classic chocolate shortbread dessert with the chocolate leaf and chocolate cream still exist?

But worry not. After more than three decades of working side by side, Michel passed the reigns to his ‘protégé’; Chef Stéphane Buron. All it takes is one bite to know that the restaurant remains firmly in Stéphane’s safe hands. Whilst the hotel is confidently looked after by Mr Jean-Claude Lavorel, owner of the luxury Lavorel Hotels Collection.

Stéphane’s success shines through as he is the ‘La Toque de l’Année’ 2021 and winner of a M.O.F. The Meilleurs Ouvriers de France is the most prestigious award among French craftsmen. These people are in a different league. And only they are honoured with the accolade of wearing a red, white, and blue collar – to signify France’s elite.

A passion for gastronomy and, luckily, a passion to pleasure and please means Stéphane shares his talent with the public. But only if you can grab yourself a reservation at Le Chabichou, fine dining restaurant.

Situated at the bottom of the slopes with an elegant white exterior and elevated stance, Le Chabichou finds its place among the mountains with utter ease. The outdoor dining terrace is hard to miss, whether you’re pacing or poddling down the piste.

The music from the live jazz band spreads across the slopes like a call to prayer. It transcends the corporeal and pulls you from the inside. Unknowingly, you’ve already turned your skis and turned away any other restaurant offer. Once the beat gets going the musicians’ three-piece suits swiftly become two revealing slickly smart waistcoats. It’s all too easy to lose a few hours on the terrace as companions and courses keep coming. At Le Chabichou, lunch seamlessly shifts to late afternoon.

The choice is yours – an after-lunch cocktail, a pre-dinner champers or maybe a late-into-the-night whiskey. Away from the crisp terrace air, the snug Sidonie Bar invites guests in. Low ceilings, sink-in sofas, and an attention-seeking fireplace, all add to the atmosphere.

Inside the restaurant, snug turns to sophistication. Regulars may remember it as The Ritz meets Les Trois Vallées; traditional white tablecloths, deep red chairs and curtains, mirrored walls, and chandeliers. If you’re a newcomer though, you’ll see modernisation with chic seating and glass tables. This is all after a tireless eight months of renovation and a tireless bill to go with it.

If Courchevel is the Mayfair of the mountains, then Le Chabichou has stepped away from The Ritz and towards the vamped-up Annabel’s Private Members Club. Nevertheless, tradition has not been lost. Expansive windows and original wooden walls seep alpine authenticity. The restaurant’s sophistication has merely been supplemented with style.

There’s one table, in particular, that epitomises not just sophistication and style, but also pure spectacle. This is the table adjacent to the kitchen. The best seats in the house. Here is a table almost VIP in its definition. And Courchevel isn’t short of guests to fill it. Guests willing to pay the extra price receive not just exceptional food and service, but a live performance. By watching Chef Stéphane and his team’s only metres away, these guests delve beyond their plates and share in the character of the cooking.

Through temporary access to the mind of a culinary genius, a newfound appreciation for produce is impossible to ignore. Stéphane honours his ingredients. The utmost respect for local produce and the specific season is always upheld. He completes a tour of the region to visit local producers and carefully craft new recipes. This isn’t a choice for Stéphane but a necessity.

When sights are set on the stars, expectations soar. These aren’t just Stéphane’s own expectations, but those of affluent guests who have travelled the world wearing modern fine dining-tinted lenses. The journey they experience at Le Chabichou however is likely to skyrocket above any other.

For appetisers, guests can expect the delicacies of ‘La Planche du moment’: glazed foie gras cherries, plankton meringue with a quenelle of oyster jelly, and carrot tartlets with smoked eel. Quail egg confit with a vinaigrette, trumpets of the sea on a bed of mushrooms, and truffle tartlets with Jerusalem artichokes. These are just a few more culinary cocktails that Chef Stéphane cooks up. By working with the seasons his menu can change up to eight times a year. So even those wealthy enough to own a chalet in the area are kept on their toes.

After revealing that langoustines are his favourite, it would be silly not to try Stéphane’s ‘Dublin Bay’ starter. The langoustines are in a carpaccio style and marinated with a grapefruit sorbet. Then, they’re further complimented by a carrot and caviar ravioli with tempura seaweed and blood orange whipped cream.

Flavours, combinations, and presentation. That’s the chef’s magic three. And each plate leaves you wanting more adventures. That’s why guests are confident enough to try daring dishes, like ‘The Pig’. Honouring all parts of the produce, the dish is a caramelised breast in a verbena juice glaze and served with truffle black pudding, pork pâté and cabbage stuffed with foie gras.

For a lighter option, better to go for the ‘The Turbot’, ‘The Lobster’, ‘The Pike’ or ‘The Lake Whitefish’. These are simple seafood dishes served with buttery bisque emulsions, garden vegetables and sides such as gnocchi or polenta.

When it comes to desserts, Le Chabichou conquers modern gastronomy through all things dairy; from crispy meringue to crème brûlée. And all things citrus; from lemon sorbet to lemon soufflé drizzled with limoncello with a side of lemon macaroons. But for fruitier flavours, it’s time to indulge in rum ice cream with wild blueberry coulis, or poached pear marinated in wine and spice and served with a light caramel cream.

Nurturing the dishes from start to finish is a selection of Savoyard wines chosen by the trusted sommelier. These also carry through to the one hundred percent Savoyard cheese cart, a perfect close.

‘La simplicité est un art de perfection’ Chef Stéphane modestly declares. His dishes, like stars, are strikingly beautiful yet overwhelmingly inaccessible for the average mind. Dazzling. Blinding. Unimaginable. But Stéphane uncovers his wealth of knowledge and secrets of ‘simplicity’. He opens up the galaxy of gastronomy for a lucky few through his cooking courses. Even then, there’s something enticing and excited about the not knowing.

The art of gastronomy is how it is often described. But by aiming for and reaching the stars, Chef Stéphane transforms simple gastronomy from an art form to a concept of astronomical measure. Seated within the oldest and most distinguished hotel in Courchevel, it’s not a wonder that the wealthy feel a gravitational pull towards Le Chabichou restaurant.