La Maison des Bois

Last weekend, we finally redeemed our last wedding gift - a visit at the highly-touted La Maison des Bois with Chef Marc Veyrat at the helm. Marc Veyrat is a living legend of the French Cuisine, he even once was rated 20/20 at GaultMillau and also featured 3* Michelin stars for more than a decade! Until last year - in 2019, the Guide Michelin sacked Marc Veyrat and awarded him only 2*! Quite a controversy emerged between Marc Veyrat, the new editor of Guide Michelin and the culinary community! If interested, click on the following link from Swissinfo or BBC to read a few key articles about the controversy.

Honestly, we did not really know what to expect when we made the drive from Geneva up to Manigod in Haute Savoie last Saturday!

It's located in Manigod, a small ski resort in Haute Savoie! The restaurant & hotel sits on top of the small village, perched to the mountain. It was a sunny day and we enjoyed a great view including Mont Blanc!

Ambience & service

We went there with a rental car. Upon arrival at the property, the concierge immediately took care of our car - good start! Then - a first highlight: a very polite and likeable young Frenchman took us on a visit of the property explaining the philosophy of Marc Veyrat. He first showed us around in the small barn (they have a few cows, sheeps, goats etc.) and then moved on to the cellar system. There they store their vegetables, bake the breads, mature the cheese and even smoke their own sausages. It was a first glimpse at the philosophy of Marc Veyrat - covering a belief in very regional products and literally use what the forest provides you!

After the short introduction, we were guided to the restaurant. It's entirely made from wood - the roof construction, the floor, the stairs! With the warm sun shining through the windows, it was a wonderful cozy atmosphere. There are about 20 tables, so ample privacy.

Service was a highlight - very polite, very pragmatic, very down to earth, absolutely no snobism - to our own surprise. Yes, people were nicely dressed, but it was far from being a formal atmosphere. Marc Veyrat itself also showed up and exchanged a few words with all his guest - nice touch!

Food

There is the choice between two menus - the big tasting menu (~12 plates) and a small version of it (~8 plates). We opted for the small menu. We did not get a menu, so enclosed a recall what we had - in my own words, the restaurant itself may use a more fancy description.

Amuse bouche: A trilogy of a fresh cheese with herbs from the forest, a stuffed brioche and their version of tartiflette! Off a good start - in particular it was quite generous.

Starter #1: An egg, with a filling made from the egg yolk and mixed with a herb from the forest (can't recall the name) - wow, that was good!

Starter #2: A highlight! We were presented with a small bowl with kind of a towel hanging above it. The waitress then appeared and poured a soup over the towel, so it melted and fell down into the soup! The soup itself was an essence of mushrooms and the towel being dominated by saffron! Astonishing effect and the soup was of such an intensity - think the best mushroom soup ever!

Starter #3: A tartar from a local fish coverd by a spume with the taste of citrus fruits and accompanied by a fish bouillon! The fish bouillon was a dream, so sublime - wow! In the aftermath, they explained that in fact, it's not citrus fruits, but a local herb that tastes like a lemon and mandarin (unfortunately can't recall the name)! A great example of the philosophy - why using the Asian-born and fashionable Yuzu if you can find this herb right beyond the restaurant (that's what they explained).

Starter #4: A salmon trout cooked in a wood shell with their own, lighter version of a bernaise. The salmon was cooked to perfection!

Starter #5: I have never eaten it before and was not sure about it - but I thought let's give it a try! It was a spectacular plate with some grilled frog's leg hanging like on a clothes line to go with a dip of wood garlic and a beignet of moss! Frankly, I have never eaten a combination and plate like that! But it was interesting to discover - the frog's leg tasted like quail, that was ok, the wood garlic sauce was again of such an intensity, it was my favorite part. The moos beignet - why not!

Main course: A piece of a veal filet wrapped in a pastry, some stuffings, it's own jus and as a side mashed potatoes with mountain truffle and mushrooms. Yes - it may sounds simple for such a reputed restaurant - but I was blown away by the flavors! It was fabulous, it was a dish to enjoy, very "gourmand" as the French would say!

Pre-dessert: An interesting story! We got an empty plate and did not really think about it. We thought they just prepare for the actual pre-dessert, they may serve it from a bowl etc. directly into the plate! After a while, the very likeable waitress actually told us to turn the plate! Underneath - there was a Crème Anglaise! She then told us the story behind it: when Chef Marc Veyrat was young, the family was not that well off and they did not have an abundance of covers. So when it came to dessert, they just turned the plates! Nice little homage to his origins!

Cheese: Cheese is actually one of my favorite desserts - one of the best French traditions in my view! It was wonderful to see when they showed up with a huge cheese wagon! The valley is actually the home to Reblochon - so I tasted a few different variations along with some well-aged mountain cheeses! All the cheeses were from the region, a few of them even produced by the restaurant! A dream!

Dessert: Wow - they showed up with a very generous tray, featuring a soufflé, an ice cream made with hay and some chocolate macarons! Needless to say that I was in heaven! A big compliment to the patissier.

We did not go for the wine pairing but discovered some surprising white wine by the glass (they offer quite a selection of white wines by the glass, very cool!). For the red wine, I discussed with the Sommelier (very nice guy, not pushy at all) and decided to go for the grape Mondeuse from Haute Savoie! Nice find!

Conclusion

My Miss and I went to 3* Michelin restaurants before. Two in Switzerland (Caminada, Violier), one in Spain (Akelarre) and now La Maison des Bois - Marc Veyrat in France (ok, they just stripped him one star, but nevertheless, I count it as a 3*).

Clear winner - La Maison des Bois! A very clear philosophy, outstanding, rich and intense flavours and no chichi, it's just about food and the respect of the products! Put it together with a very cozy atmosphere and it emerged as my favorite 3* restaurant.

In the aforementioned restaurant, food was also great - sure - but sometimes you had the impression that these Chefs are now celebrities, it's a lot of show, a business and very formal ambience!

We went there with low expectations given the controversy and were bluffed! And - in my opinion, the GuideMichelin is wrong!