HOTEL DES DAUPHINS

In a trendy bistro interior, you will sample good food crafted by an enthusiastic chef. The long list of local producers with whom he works is emblematic of his mindset. A few examples: a salad of razor clams and lentils from Trept; mallard duck cooked two ways and garnished with braised chicory and an offal-flavoured gravy; Chartreuse-flavoured baba…

In his "country-style restaurant with a wood fire" (Lo Fieu means "fire" in the local dialect), Romain Hubert and his friendly young team work hard to keep the traditional cuisine of the Dauphiné region alive. A series of comforting and flavourful dishes are prepared right in front of you: soup from the cauldron with Trept chickpea , fried fish from Lake Bourget, sausage (pork or fish) served with gratin dauphinois, and then there is the trolley packed with appetising desserts. The converted barn, which has been restored in a rustic style and wows with its impressive dimensions, provides the p

This cheerful, buzzy bistro stands in the heart of the pedestrian town centre. The young chef cooks up unpretentious, fresh, tasty bistronomic cuisine. The set lunch and evening menus change monthly in line with market availability and the seasons. An example: a creamy soup of parsley roots, scallops and haddock, packed in delicate smoky notes or chicken breast, spelt, supreme sauce and shrimp bisque. The lunchtime menu is a bargain!

What initially draws the eye, right in front of us, is the lake hemmed in by wooded banks – the location alone is worth seeing. But above all there is the remarkable work of the chef – after all, that's what we came for… He excels at transforming fine ingredients (scallops hot-pâté style; Breton lobster with raspberries, dried caviar and mizuna; pigeon breast roasted and smoked on the barbecue). His trompe l'œil desserts are at once amusing and delicious (apricot, lemon, chestnut – depending on the season). For fans of truffles, the chef serves a truffle menu all year round: it wouldn't seem r

This 18C Dauphiné house at a remove from the city centre has a dining room in which the traditional charm of Burgundy flagstones is combined with more contemporary touches. In the kitchen, Dominique Ducrettet cooks up traditional cuisine based on carefully selected ingredients: free-range poultry from the Ain département roasted in a foamy morel butter, savoury jus, sautéed chanterelles, or caramelised lemon tart with sliced strawberries and sorbet. In fine weather, tables are set out on a terrace giving onto the garden. They offer comfortable guestrooms for those who wish to extend their stay

Mathilde Lerouge is in charge of the savoury dishes, while Franck takes care of desserts: this gifted couple crafts seasonal fare poised between tradition and modernity. Meals are served alfresco on the patio beneath exposed rafters or in one of the airy dining rooms. Stand-outs include duck breast in a chorizo-flavoured veggie sauce or a fresh perspective on vitello tonnato with Cranberry beans and a watercress coulis. Franck’s dessert lineup is proof of his time spent in starred establishments. It is everything you would expect from a French country inn and surrounded by stunning scenery.