Le Rond Point restaurant review

Testing out dishes on the a la carte menu

Location: Meribel
Imprint: By Amelia Power, Updated 20 February 2017

A warm and sunny February afternoon in Meribel doesn’t necessarily call for door to door skiing, in fact sometimes the ideal way to break up an exhausting day on the mountain is an afternoon piste-side a la carte meal at Le Rond Point.

With a terrace boasting breath-taking views and an extensive menu of filling, fresh and delicious food, there’s no reason not to put this on your Meribel dining bucket list. Starters are reasonably priced around 10 to 15 euros and main courses from 18 euros.

I would recommend going in a group and sharing the camembert and charcuterie as a starter, which is exactly what we did. Priced at 15 euros, the camembert is served with an array of charcuterie and other accompaniments such as sharp pickled onions and peppery rocket. Glazed with a balsamic reduction and baked with herbs and garlic the camembert alone was a taste sensation and delightfully melted.

The fig chutney and caramelised onion chutney were a welcome accompaniment to the cheese as they were delightfully sweet and sharp at the same time, and the fig chutney particularly was a favourite amongst our group for its floral qualities. The charcuterie selection was a medley of spinata, salami and cured serrano ham. A mouthful of the creamy cheese, salty meats and sweet chutney was simply a delight!

We also shared a starter of calamari served on a bed of rocket with sweet chilli sauce, fresh chilli and lime wedges. The squid was cooked absolutely perfectly and was not rubbery at all like calamari can so often be. The batter was light and crispy and soaked up the fresh lime juice without becoming soggy. This starter was fresh and light and a perfect sharer for those with a lighter appetite.

For our main courses we had the veal escalope, Cajun chicken salad, goat's cheese salad, and bacon and egg rosti. The bacon and egg rosti was exactly what you’d imagine from a fancy brunch. A perfectly oozy poached egg drizzled in homemade creamy hollandaise sauce sat atop of a tower of delicious foods. The bacon was crispy and salty and paired beautifully with the caramelised onions which it was nestled amongst. The sausage was herby and packed with flavour and the mushrooms were beautifully sautéed in butter.

The whole dish sat on a potato rosti bed which satisfyingly soaked up all of the flavours of the sausage, onions and mushrooms, not to mention the runny egg yolk and creamy hollandaise sauce. The dish was scattered with a variety of red and yellow cherry tomatoes, which were not only aesthetically pleasing, but also added a great element of freshness and sharpness to the flavours of the dish. This posh brunch was certainly indulgent and incredibly filling!

The Cajun chicken salad was yet again another huge portion for only 18 euros. The chicken was juicy and well cooked and sang with wonderful spicy and salty flavours of paprika and cayenne pepper. The aged feta cheese which accompanied the chicken was both crumbly and creamy softened the spiciness of the chicken and salty bacon lardons in the salad. The salad was dressed with a well balanced vinaigrette and made up of a medley of young leaves such as rocket, frisée and spinach, crunchy red onion and red and yellow baby tomatoes. This was a huge bowl of fresh goodness, made naughty by ample amounts of spicy chicken and creamy cheese.

The goats cheese salad was absolutely packed with flavour, from earthy beetroot, to the sweet balsamic dressing to the generous portions of nutty and potent goats cheese. Served with toasted brown bread this salad was even bigger than the last! Made up of fresh crunchy lettuce and baby leaf mix, sweet sun ripened figs, goats cheese, beetroot, seeds and a sweet dressing this salad was the best value for money, priced at only 16.50 euros but completely full of flavour and yet another massive meal.

Finally, the veal escalope. Served on a bed of tagliatelle and a creamy, yet light wild mushroom sauce. The sauce was smooth and not too rich and the tagliatelle was cooked to ideal softness. The veal though was breath-taking! Cooked to absolute perfection, the young meat melted in the mouth and was perfectly seasoned to let its natural flavours come through alongside the heady flavours of the wild mushroom. Served with a handful of rocket, this dish was simple yet perfectly executed, a winning dish!

To finish our meal, we all shared the banoffee pot and the sticky toffee pudding. The sticky toffee pudding was light and cake-like and though lacking in the indulgent sauciness that the banofffee pie had, made up for this in pure flavour. The banoffee pot was layered with sweet, buttery toffee sauce, a crumbly biscuit base, fresh sliced bananas and lightly flavoured whipped cream- classic and delicious and at the absolutely bargain price of 7 euros.

After a quick coffee (and a genepi of course) we returned to the slopes feeling fully recharged and satisfied. Winning dishes were the calamari for a light and fresh starter, the veal escalope for a main course which is simple in theory yet executed perfectly in terms of flavour and the banoffee pot for a classic childhood dessert.