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Alpe d'Huez Apres Ski Report: 16th December 2010

featured in Nightlife reviews Author Peter Dewbery, Updated

Another busy week of après here in the party capital of the Alps. Saturday was the first match of the Alpe d'Huez indoor football league that saw my team and former league champions, take on the pretenders to the throne Olympic Huez. The league takes place in the very well equipped Palais Des Sport Et Congress. It was a close match, which ended in a crushing defeat as Huez went on to win the match 6-4. Not to be too dismayed, I headed off to have a lovely meal with all the reps from Crystal Ski in Smithy's Tavern. We tried the Sizzler Set menu, which consisted of a lovely big bowl of nachos with guacamole, sour cream and jalapenos, and a huge sharing platter of spicy chicken wings, breaded mushrooms, onion rings, spare ribs and potato wedges, and that was just the starter. To follow we tucked into a sizzling chicken and beef fajitas, with all the extras. As refreshments we had the very drinkable house wine with a nice local genepi to finish. Smithy's is a great place to eat if you are not too keen on the cheese heavy dishes that seem to dominate the menus around resort, and although it is a tex-mex restaurant, there is plenty to suit every taste. A mention has to go to the Steak Night offer they do on a Monday, €15 for a steak with your choice of sauces.

Saturday evening was dominated by the arrival of the students from York St. John University, and the creation of a new cocktail known simply as the YSJ. Some friends of mine had also arrived in resort and so my evening was very well lubricated with plenty of shots, and will be remembered for crowd surfing in the bar I had not that long ago enjoyed a sophisticated meal. I finished the evening With the Olympic Huez team in jubilant celebrations with a trip into the Igloo nightclub to test out my dancing shoes.

Sunday afternoon was spent with an over excited Vito in the O-Bar as we watched the Spurs v Chelsea match in the top bar, alongside Vito's dog Baloo who had been dressed for the occasion in a signed Mido shirt. It seems each bar in resort has an allegiance to a premiership football team, and O-Bar is very much the place to go for a Tottenham match. I still haven't found the bar where all my fellow Coventry City supporters are congregating!

On Sunday evening, the time finally came. The time that was, for my first fondue of the season. And what finer location to enjoy a bubbling bowl of cheesy goodness then Lounge 21. The ten of us arrived at around 7:30 and enjoyed a nice beer, some complimentary olives and a chat with Dylan the manager and then made the mistake of sitting down in the ludicrously comfortable armchairs.

The struggle to leave the armchairs and make our way to the table was eased by the sight of our starters. On the table we had a Tiger prawn salad, a duck salad, the vegetable soup and some fresh French bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I wasted no time in sampling each one and they were all fantastic, the Tiger prawns were my favourite, but having eaten there many times before, I can assure, you can't really go wrong.

Tables were cleared, fondue candles were lit and the table was peppered with bowls of bread, salad, potatoes – gratin dauphinoise, boiled and roast. It might not be a secret that I am a big fan of the fondue, and in my opinion the fondues from Lounge 21 are only really challenged by Fondue en Folie next to the ice rink. We decided on the spicy fondue, flavoured with chilli and coriander. Tom the head chef has changed the recipe slightly this year, and it now certainly lives up to its name as spicy, but delicious nonetheless. To supplement my bowl of cheese, I also had a (large) taste of the melting wheel of raclette cheese which Duncan, Chris and Alex had gone for.

After establishing that we were far too full for a dessert, we said our goodbyes to the fantastic Lounge team (Dylan, Katie, Lou, Sam, Tom, John, Jack and Madeline – They all deserve a mention!) and headed caught the end of X-Factor in Smithy's over a demi. We then popped into the Zoo Bar just before closing time to the sight of Andy lining up no fewer then 25 Jager Bombs, before the night ended once again in Igloo.

Tuesday was the first seasonnaire party of the season at Smithy's Tavern – An alphabet party with the letter S as the theme. By midnight the bar was full of Star-wars, schoolgirls, snipers, swinging sixties, Swan Lake and a sailor. The York St John students made an appearance a little later with their own theme of “Rockers and Rappers” but fortunately there were a few Snoop Dogs and Black Sabbath costumes that managed to fill both criteria!

With Christmas fast approaching prepare for the Après Calendar to be bursting to the seams. This weekend we have the return of the Trophee Andros at the ice driving circuit with the likes of Formula 1 legend Alain Prost making an appearance, it should be well worth a look, especially with the cold weather we have been having it will be quite the spectacle.

Remember, we're not here for a long time; we're here for a good time!


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.