Verbier is Europe’s most exclusive ski resort. With sun-trap slopes, challenging runs and hedonistic après-ski, it is a long-standing favourite of royals, celebrities and the international jet-set community. The town at 1,500m altitude is home to international events including Polaris Festival, Xtrême, and Verbier Impulse Music & Ski Festival, attracting wealthy visitors from all over the world. The newest resort destination, housed in a stunning new contemporary wooden chalet, comes from London restaurant entrepreneur Tom Etridge and boasts two separate dining experiences and its own craft beer brand brewed on site.
UK gastropub pioneer Tom moved to Verbier earlier this year and will launch his luxury restaurant concept Vie Montagne in December 2017. Set in the centre of the resort, Vie Montagne will introduce a sophisticated fine- dining restaurant from chef Lawrence McCarthy, previously of the Ledbury, London, with sweeping views across the valley and a modern microbrewery.
V Bier
Tapping into the trend for alpine breweries, V bier will launch a series of modern craft beers with a fruit-driven style and plenty of hops. Brewed on site by master brewer Derek Orford in an artisanal microbrewery using fresh mountain water, key beer styles will include a pilsner-style lager, IPA brewed with Cascade and Chinook hops, and a Coffee Milk Stout.
The brew tanks themselves will be visible from The Bier Haus bar, a craft beer bar serving the house beers and brews from around the world including Pillows Session Wheat from White Frontier (Martigny, CH), Kaleidoscope Pale Ale from Wiper & True (Bristol, UK), and Anchor Steam Beer (San Francisco, US).
The bar will also boast an innovative cocktail menu with all syrups, infusions, bitters and tinctures made in the mountain chalet using the finest, freshest ingredients. Revive yourself after a long day on the piste with a Nitro Coffee Cocktail (Nitro-Chilled Cold Drip Coffee, Cardamom, Dark Chocolate Bitters & Salted Caramel), a Par Avion aperitif (El Dorado Rum, Bee Pollen infusion, Lime Juice & Champagne), or settle by the fire with Beneath the Pines (Beurre Noisette-washed Bourbon, Douglas Fir Aromatic Bitters, Pine Wood Smoke & Pine Embers).
The Bier Haus
A relaxed neighbourhood bar and restaurant, The Bier Haus will be situation on the ground floor. The space will nod to traditional, rustic pubs using features such as dark timber, stone flooring, walnut bar top and antique brass details in a modern way to bring guests a contemporary craft beer bar. The on-site mountain microbrewery, where Vie Montagne’s own beers are hand-crafted, will be visible through the glass back bar.
The Bier Haus menu is delicious and features salads, small plates, and artisanal sourdough pizzas alongside larger dishes. Must-try dishes include Smoked Aubergine Flatbread with Pomegranate, Pumpkin salad with Black Rice, Feta, Carrot & Honey, Miso Lamb Belly and Courgette, Garlic & Buffalo Ricotta pizza. The Bier Haus will become a resort destination for tired skiers who want quality food at affordable prices and a new alternative for lunch on those infamous, cold white out days.
The Club Room
The Club Room is a cosy and chic restaurant on the top floor and epitomises understated luxury with panoramic mountain views. Vie Montagne is designed by Gina Brennan, who has previously worked with the likes of Soho House and Hoxton Hotel, and is elegantly decorated with marble, dark woods, antique mirror table tops, brass detailing and contemporary tiles.
The menu breaks away from mountain classics found across the resort, like cheese fondue and raclette, and will instead share the unique flavours of locally sourced produce. Chef Lawrence McCarthy focuses on quality ingredients, sourcing from the local area as much as possible. Highlights include Flame Grilled Mackerel with Avocado, Heritage Tomatoes, Nori, Shiso & Coriander, Frozen Foie Gras with a Salad of Green Beans, Black Cherries & Almonds, Confit Chicken, Sweetcorn, Girolles & Lapsang Butter Sauce, and Fig Leaf Tart, White Chocolate Cream & Fig Sorbet.
The wine list will showcase the best of Swiss winemaking, with over 25 local wines offering outstanding value compared to more traditional new and old world wine regions.