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Alpe d'Huez Apres Ski Report: 11st February 2010

featured in Nightlife reviews Author Vickie Allen, Updated

Albenaza rule Alpe d'Huez. It's really that simple. The three British boys have dominated the resort's aprés scene this week playing back-to-back gigs at Smithy's Tavern, The Underground and O'Sharkeys. On their annual alpine tour, Albenaza have been wowing crowds across France with their eclectic set of covers, throwing in a couple of their own tracks to keep it fresh.

All three guitarists also sing and when in need of a drummer rely on the impressive beat-box skills of Aza. Amongst their repertoire are songs by Kings of Leon, Spandau Ballet and Queens of the Stone Age, with a fantastic version of Jurassic 5's Concrete and Clay. Their afternoon aprés sets at The Underground were a lot more chilled than the raucous late night sets performed at Smithy's and it was great to see a band do something a little different, relying on their skills, keeping the music pure and simple. I was sorely tempted to attend every one of their gigs but that would have resulted in a pretty one-sided Aprés Report. In the interests of fair and independent journalism – what else? – I've made a special effort this week to get out on the town.

On Thursday night I split my evening between Lounge 21 and Smithy's Tavern. Lounge 21, which is famed for it's chilled vibe and fantastic cocktails, hosts a DJ night every few weeks. The usual star is DJ Blat but last week was the turn of British electro-house DJ Martin Smith. The bar/restaurant presents a reasonably small venue so Martin kept the set chilled, throwing out some new La Roux remixes and the odd gentle dub-step track.

Next door in The Tavern, Still Nameless were plugged-in and revving the crowd with their ever-improving indie-rock set. While I enjoyed last week's return to their acoustic roots at The Sphere Bar, it was great to hear John, Jez and Morse belting out the hits once again.

By Saturday night I was ready for something a little more relaxed and low-key, so opted for dinner at La Cordée. The bar/restaurant has just reopened and used to be Lily's Irish Bar. The new proprietors are Alpe d'Huez old-timers and know their product well. On the menu is the traditional montagnard fare: tartiflettes, fondue etc; plus pizzas. I do love pizza and seem to write about it every week. There are two great takeaways in town, but the choices for eat-in pizza have been pretty limited and nothing special, until now. La Cordée has blown all that apart and their pizza is incredible. The base was light and crispy, the tomato sauce tangy and sweet, with gooey cheese and a great choice of toppings. The dessert menu is also interesting, with traditional French choices such as warm chocolate covered pears and pomme de Grand Mere, a cored apple filled with sugar and vanilla then baked in the oven.

Before I'd finished my meal I was asking The Boyfriend when we could come back. I loved the calm atmosphere and traditional mountain decor, with heavy wooden tables and low, dark beams. The place settings were crisp and simple, with the new cutlery and glasses shining in the candlelight. There are no pretensions at La Cordée and the service was impeccable. I've been telling my friends all week to book a table and I recommend it very highly; it's now my favourite restaurant in Alpe d'Huez... I'll definitely be going back!

The weather yesterday was pretty miserable so I used 'getting out of the house' as a great excuse to pop down to The Underground for Albenaza's aprés gig. After that I braved the snow and made my way to O-Bar for pre-dinner drinks with Petit Prince manager Malou. The hotel is promoting it's own aprés events with a live band on Mondays. It's already on my list of things to do next week. Hopefully you'll be joining us too.

Oh, and if you're looking for some inspiration for Valentine's Day on Sunday, click here for my special report.


For a full list of this week's events, check out our What's On Calendar. You can also find full Bar and Restaurant listings in the Dining and Going Out section of the site.