Restaurant Le Péché Gourmand, Briançon

A peep into the kitchen - Le Péché Gourmand

If you know us by now, you'll know that a good meal is never far away. Driving to France to ski in the French Alps was something to look forward to - because we would stop somewhere along the way to have a decent lunch. The restaurant we checked out on the way to Risoul was Le Péché Gourmand in the lovely town of Briançon, probably the only restaurant gastronomique in the region.

Herbed Sorbet

The dining room was small but colourful and tastefully decorated. We liked what we saw in their menu. You may have heard that Italian Chefs cook (what their mothers would cook) with love and passion - very true, only that I've never understood why you would want to go to a restaurant to taste your mother's cooking.

Foie gras

Grilled Scallops with Jus de Viande

French Chefs on the other hand, would have left their mamas at home and would have ventured out on their own, constantly innovating to bring their cuisine to newer heights. We adored what they served us in this particular restaurant, every dish was a nice marriage of taste and presentation, every course accompanied by the "right" vegetables.

Poultry stuffed with Duck Liver

Half portion of Beef Filet

Grilled Fish on Topinambour and Leeks, Ginger Sauce

We took 3 full menus for us and also courses à la carte for the Babies. We appreciated the fact that they would divide full portions and serve them nicely in 2 plates. Our children have always joined us in good restaurants e.g. even when they were still in the cradle. We believe in training their pallet young, getting them used to sitting for hours at the table.

Tobacco-flavoured dessert

Dessert on the theme of mandarin oranges

One dish that was particularly interesting was grilled scallops served with a meat gravy. The Teenager's chicken stuffed with duck liver was also delicious. We also had cheeses and the desserts were lovely. Ordering coffee was a must (though we prefer Italian coffee nowadays) simply because it came with hand-made sweets and caramels. The caramel with fleur de sel was literally melt-in-the-mouth.

Sweets for the coffee

We paid more than 220 euros for our lunch (including a lovely bottle of Savennières) which was normal for the quality of the meal. On our way out we admired their NY Eve's menu which included suckling pig and wish we could try it out - but that wouldn't be reasonable since we already had our dinner booked at the holiday village.

On the way back we had lunch in Asti (Italy) in Ristorante-Enoteca Pompa Magna which served very good wines at reasonable prices. The food was also very good - I would recommend their Piemontese beef which was very tender and they also did a very good Tarte Tatin. But no photos as the problem with Italian food is that it often looks the same no matter how different it may taste.

Restaurant Le Péché Gourmand

La Fabrique - 2, route de Gap

05100 Briancon

Tel : 04 92 21 33 21