Auberge Quintessence

Probably one of the most amazing place in the area. The chalet is located in top of a mountain, in a peaceful environment with almost no trafic at all. The hosts are the ost welcoming persons in the world and always keen to help if you have any issue. The food is great, and you can definitely tell the passion of the chef coming out from each plate. I would definitely recommend for a romantic night, a celebration or just to relax around a good dinner in the middle of nowhere. We didn’t’ have the best room but the beds were comfortable. Nothing to complain about.

||The restaurant at Auberge Quintessence was a wonderful experience. The|cuisine is modern, interesting and very skillfully crafted. Wine|selection well curated and pairings make sense. Service is friendly,|chairs comfortable, tables quite large with ample space between them.|The view is astonishing.||Usually, I would not write more on Tripadvisor than the above text,|since I am a professional restaurant critic and spare my energy for|the newspaper I am employed by. In that paper I have written more than|2.000 newspaper pages about good restaurants during the last 21 years,|so I am not easily impressed. But Quintessence impresses me, and I|wish to support the place, as I feel they are showing a new way to go,|in these trying times where restaurant and kitchen staff is so hard to|find.||I have been travelling in France frequently for almost 30 years and|watched how the gastronomic level seems to have declined. Or maybe it|is just that I have gotten more demanding.||To try and assess the situation and compare the old stars the the|present time, I recently dined at 3 Michelin star Precatalan and|Ledoyen, 1-star Laserre, Tour d’Argent, Maxims, Chez l’Ami Louis, La|Coupole and Bofinger. Several of these I have visited more than once.|This is what I compare Quintessence against, and of course|Quintessence’s gastronomy cannot match Precatalan or Ledoyen, nor can|the ambiance of the mentioned historic places be challenged by the|very modest dining room of Quintessence (apart from the view which|challenges Tour d’Argent..).||But nevertheless, I find the precision (not the produce, this is no|place for caviar etc.) in cooking quite close to these two famous|restaurants, and that is impressive since Quintessence is such a small|setup. The chef is also owner, and in the kitchen he has only one cook|to help him. The chef’s wife is also the Maitre d’ and waiter, and|when I finished the meal and went to visit the kitchen to thank the|chef, I found him and the wife busy cleaning the dishes helped by|their daughter of 8-10 years!||Such devotion is astonishing, and this is my point: One thing is to|operate a famous restaurant with lots of staff and charging high|prices. Another is for a husband- and wife team to operate an auberge|at a distant mountain top delivering very fine and interesting cuisine|with both attentive and friendly service.||Of course, they need to be practical so there is no á la carte just|one menu, and everybody sit down to eat at 19.30. But if you are happy|with that, I will warmly recommend the Auberge Quintessence.||The settings are wonderful high in the mountains, and you will|especially appreciate it if you are a biker, since there was an almost|constant traffic of motorbikes on the roads. I am no longer a biker,|and although I used to love the sound of my big motorbike, I now find|it very annoying, especially on a mountain top. But I look forward to|a visit in the wintertime, hoping there wont be a lot of snow scooters|instead.|

Excellent meal and service. They offer set menus of 3 to 6 plates, so the chef will take on a culinary adventure. They told us enough about the menu to chose the wine but then after each plate was a wonderful surprise.

My wife and I spent a wonderful night hosted by Pauline and Christophe Billau "la gastronomie en altitude" was an understatement. Our welcome was warm, the rooms exceptional and the meal prepared by Christophe was creative and a taste sensation, all this perched on top of the world. If you are looking for something very special visit Auberge Quintessence for a night or two.

Spectacular food using local organic farm produce made with passion and served beautifully but simply. A gem.

So far so good. Beautiful clean and modern. Fabulous views and a well stocked ensuite.

Good location did not try the food.

Absolutely stunning restaurant!!