Kern – A fabulous lunch in Seytroux
Well, it’s been a while and I’ve done so much dining and visiting places in France, not sure how I will catch up. From Bordeaux to Ile de Re, Annecy to Les Gets and more, eating my way around the Haute Savoie and France!
I must end my hiatus with an experience I enjoyed recently at Kern in the tiny village of Seytroux, in the Haute Savoie about 15 minutes from Morzine, 20 minutes from Les Gets and 30 minutes from Thonon-les-Bains.
I’m breaking one of my own rules with this review as I normally like to visit a local restaurant twice, but I couldn’t wait to tell you about this place! And I will be going back…
Kern Restaurant
This restaurant is the passion and inspiration of Jean Philippe Lemaire an experimental and talented chef who hails from Brittany. As described in his bio on his website:
“Jean-Philippe Lemaire is a perfectionist who constantly questions his work, developing a refined cuisine with clear and honest tastes”
I would totally agree with these clear and honest tastes. Everything we ate was so full of flavour, often with unusual tastes and ingredients blended together. His presentation was artistic and interesting, with each plate it was clear he had used his culinary talent to put together the ingredients to balance well together.
2 Menus at Kern
These three photos above show the first of our six courses at Kern
We chose the 6 service menu; there is a choice of either a 3 or 6 course menu and with either menu we were told you would end up eating around the same amount of food. The 6 course portions were a little smaller. Having said that, as you will see from the photos each dish we enjoyed was a good size, enough to have the time to savour the flavour combinations Jean Philippe had put together.
That is the only choice you will make for your food, as this is a set menu. We were asked if we had any dietary requirements or allergies. The reason for the set menu is two-fold, the voyage of discovery as Jean Philippe wants his clientele to experience flavours and ingredients that they may not necessarily choose on a menu. The second reason is so that the chef can choose and use locally sourced and in-season ingredients and produce.
Local ingredients and Flavours
We enjoyed a diverse selection of local ingredients and flavours. Deconstructed and fusion dishes, everything was delicious but my stand-out dish was the fish dish – it was based on the Lyonnais quenelle de brochette (below right). I loved the take on the Lyonnais Salad too with a slow-cooked confit egg and intense flavours (below left)
The interior of the restaurant is a sort of modern Savoyard style with a high vaulted ceiling. Kern is a Chambres d’Hotes too with 3 rooms, two doubles and one family room. Each morning a full gourmet breakfast is offered. This is a great location to explore the local scenery, mountains and rivers nearby.
Above left is Kern’s own butter using buckwheat and on the right, a really fabulous vegetarian endive dish
Kern is open Wednesday – Sunday for lunch and dinner.
Lunch 12h– 13h Dinner 19h – 21h
At lunchtime there is the choice to have the 3 or 6 service menu. In the evenings the 6 service menu only is offered At the time of writing this post the prices are:
3 service – 38 €
6 Service – 58 €
Contact details
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