One would have thought that Fondue is all about cheese. Well, I was wrong! Introducing – Fondue Bourguignonne where cheese is not even on the menu.
I discovered this French (Swiss if you may want to argue) dish last winter during our wintersport holiday in Flaine ski resort. It was our last night in the Alps so a romantic formal dinner was in order. I have read good reviews about Restaurant Le Michet which is located on the Flaine arena, not too far away from our apartment.
The restaurant’s interior is designed in Savoyard style, which is a breath of fresh air in Flaine that is well-known for its rows of cemented Bauhaus block buildings. Moreover, it is charmingly decorated with a big fireplace in the middle. The wait staff who greeted us warmly seated us beside the humongous fireplace. Now that could not have been more romantic, hehe.
I was really looking for something different to eat for the evening and I was pleased to discover a new specialty on the menu – Fondue Bourguignonne. Intrigued, I asked the wait staff what it was and as he explained it to us, we got more curious. I guess we knew what to order =)
Dutchman and I have had fondue many times but this is something different. Well, we were quite looking forward to be surprised and to experience this.
Fondue Bourguignonne has similarities to the cheese fondue we know about, in the sense that everyone on the table dips their food into the communal pot. The difference with bourguingnonne is that, instead of melting assorted cheese in the pot, you have hot cooking oil (other versions are broth based). Meat such as beef, pork and chicken sliced in small cubes replaces the bread (or potato and vegetable) dip.
So basically, you are dipping, er I mean deep-frying meat with long-stemmed forks into the hot with cooking oil communal pot. This is quite similar to my steamboat (hot pot) experience in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia, which by the way I enjoyed very much.
The whole Fondue Bourguingnonne set came with a bowl of fresh green salad, a basket of bread, some potato fries and assorted sauces.
And although my dinner date was a bit grumpy for the night, we quite enjoyed this dinner. It was nice for change having eaten lots of cheese for our raclette dinner the other night at La Ferme du Sartot. Our first Fondue Bourguingnonne, but definitely not going to be the last!
Tip (Proper Manners!): Do not use the long-stemmed fork that you dip the meat into the pot to put into your mouth to eat. Transfer first the cooked meat to your plate, then use your normal fork and knife to eat it.
The interior of Le Michet in Savoyard style.
Yup, we are seated beside the fireplace.
Waiting for our Fondue Bourguingnonne.
This is Fondue Bourguingnonne. No cheese but pot of hot cooking oil =)
Instead of bread (and vegetables) you dip (deep-fry) some meat. This is beef.
Deep-fried beef on a long-stemmed fork.
The salad was quite good as well.
No dessert but coffee instead.
Restaurant Le Michet in Flaine.
Travel Period: January 2016
Destination: Flaine, Haute Savoie (Rhone-Alpes), France
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Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)
All pictures were taken by a point and shoot pocket camera or iPhone.
