Fire And Ice - Saint-Bon-Tarentaise

Xmas Eve and we skied down to Courchevel 1650 for lunch as a group of 11 2 families with teenage children. We were told they only had pizza’s that day. Having looked at the menu and the ridiculous prices we should have left at that point but with 11 of us seated and settled and it being Xmas eve we stayed put. The cheapest pizza Margarita was 17E, the most expensive 32E but most were 24E. At those prices we did expect decent potions but the pizza’s were small and some of the kids remained hungry! We felt completely ripped off! There are much better places to eat in 1650 just off the slopes. Fire and Ice Bar do serve free pizza slices at après time clearly it is the other customers who pay for these pizza’s. So disappointed we felt swindled!

Great position with big outdoor dining area at foot of the slopes. Reasonable quality food but not inexpensive. Mostly amateurish staff. Nice decor. Well organised.

I drank here basically everyday for a week while staying at the hotel. Sometimes outside on the lovely patio, sometimes inside in the living room style lounge, sometimes at the bar. The bartenders were frankly great. They know their craft and are willing to try new things if you ask for them. They also make consistently generous pours. Some people have criticized the service and I get it. Attention to the table was consistently slow. But all service was genuinely friendly and with a smile and the desire to please was always evident. And let’s be realistic, folks, ski resorts hire young seasonal help so they aren’t going to be 5 star trained maitre d’s. I had no complaints at all.

We booked a large table for lunch last week experienced a very average service. The greeting was great, we were shown to the table, all good so far ... then it just became too much of an effort. The terrace looked light on staff to start with, which was worrying, then my concerns came a reality. It was hard to get anyone’s attention as staff kind of chose to avoid eye contact unless they wanted to deal with you. We were desperate for some bottles of water as the day was warm we had come straight off the slopes, but this took way too long ... in my opinion water should be set down on all tables immediately, along with the menus bread. We had to ask for bread when the bread basket was empty no one offered to refill it. There was beautiful olive oil on the table, but no small dishes or side plates to decant the oil into in order to dip the bread into, which is poor. The food came relatively quickly in fairness, but the consistency was not there. We ordered the tagliatelle, one small other large, but both came in the same small bowl, with pretty much the amount of pasta. When we called the waiter over to query this he just said ‘that’s the small that’s the large!’ no apology, no offer to check with kitchen, no offer to perhaps get some more, no offer of anything. Don’t get me wrong, the waiter wasn’t rude or anything, but he was just not interested in helping us ensuring a high standard of customer care. Like the bread, when the bottles of water were empty they were not replenished. When drinks were drained, waiting staff did not ask if we would like more ... so we didn’t! All these small things make the difference between an average restaurant an excellent one. The food was very nice, but the service was so lacking in any genuine desire to give us the best, in fact it felt like they just wanted our custom but without having to make an effort. Yes it’s the end of the season for the hotel the staff, but for us it wasn’t. Indeed, it was a long awaited family holiday. I had booked this table for my party of 11 well in advance because I had heard read great things about the restaurant; I love Angela Hartnett’s food I wanted to experience her style of food hospitality in the Alps, but it was just really lacking in good customer service. Such a shame as the setting style of the place are very impressive, but it really needs a much stronger managerial presence on the floor to ensure a much greater attention to detail customer care.

Oh dear,it all went wrong at lunch. We arrived at the table and the host took our order for a bottle of wine, then disappeared we kept seeing her and she apologised for the delay, said she’d be back in a minute to take our food order and would chase up the wine. After 25 mins waiting we got up and walked out. Place looks lovely as does the food, if you could actually get any Angela,you need to sort this as it’s your brand on the line. We went to le petite Savoyard instead and the food drink and service was impeccable