Would you like truffle with that?

So with infinite bad timing, in a week of global political, geological and potentially nuclear meltdown, I went skiing and indulged in some fine food in the French Alps. Well, you could argue that it was a balancing exercise.
I have many things to be grateful for, including health, relative 'wealth' and good friends. I was fortunate enough to share all of these things over a seven-course Menu Confiance (at the mood and discretion of the chef, Raphael Vionnet), at Les Jardins du Mont Blanc in Chamonix.
We had enjoyed an excellent meal there last year and decided to repeat the experience. Again we were not disappointed. Although it is Michelin-recognised, the restaurant is quiet - practically empty on the March evening we visited.
I don't usually blog restaurant visits, mostly because I am enjoying myself too much to take notes and photographs that can be disruptive for fellow diners, but we agreed to make an exception in this case.
The amuse bouche was simple: a slate with cured mountain ham, a potato and cheese croquette and a gruyere rarebit-style toastie. This placed us firmly in French territory, and was followed by the first of two starters, which firmly divided the diners:

Foie gras in chocolate; foie gras cappuccino; foie gras macaron
In the first mouthful dark, bitter salted chocolate encases a disc of liver and the layers of flavour take time to come through as the chocolate and liver melt in the mouth. Very slightly sweet, slightly salty, slightly buttery ... cleverly done but not entirely convincing. The cappuccino, by contrast, was cheered by my companions while I found it nebulous. The macaron, on the other hand, was stunning. A real, sweet, almondy macaron - no compromises or adjustments - with a disc of salty foie in the middle. I loved it, my fellow diners did not. Followed by:
Poached lobster in jelly with carrot and orange sorbet and carrot crisp
Very pretty to look at but too cold, I thought, for the delicate flavour of the lobster to make its presence felt. The first meat course:
Poulet de Bresse stuffed with foie gras on a Savoy cabbage pillow, truffle, chicken consomme
Very successful to look at and full of flavour, I would have been happy with a larger portion as a main course, until this came along:
Pithivier of scallop and Jersalem artichoke with artichoke puree, veal reduction and truffle
With each dish eclipsing the last, we were convinced for all of the 6 minutes that it took to eat this beautiful plateful, that it was the best so far. The pithivier was particularly clever,  the discs of artichoke and truffle providing a slight crunch to counter the soft scallop and pastry. By now we had gotten used to everything being truffled (were they trying to shift a job lot?). 
Roast rib of veal with its jus, roasted root vegetables ... and shaved truffle
This very meaty and substantial main course-portion, carved and plated at the table,  nearly did for us. We oohed and aahed over the tender meat and the baby veg, but after a few mouthfuls realised that we were at the outer limit of what of we could consume, with two courses still to come. A pre-dessert of limoncello granita with a lime foam, was welcome light relief. Zappy and zesty, it cleared the palate and didn't take up any valuable room. Which was a good thing, because the dessert was a tour de force of tropical treats:
Pineapple 'sushi' on a sesame wafer and passion fruit mousse, pineapple sorbet
Fruity, fresh and zingy, I was able to look past the sushi reference (not the first time a French restaurant has used the term loosely, and gratuitously, to describe something raw) and the presentation that reminded me of the engine room at CERN's particle accelerator in nearby Geneva. I could happily have licked my plate, all the previous courses forgotten as it became my new favourite.
There were petit fours with coffee (more macarons, this time violet), but we had to admit defeat.
The Menu Confiance at Les Jardins du Mont Blanc is a very reasonable €60 a head.
You will find the restaurant at the Hotel du Mont Blanc, 62 allée du Majestic F  - 74400 Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (+33 04 50 53 05 64)

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