MP’s Bar & Grill
Raising the curtain The new bar-grill at Fairmont Le Montreux Palace was completed in less than six months. Quite a feat, especially as this new address provides such a perfect link between the landscape around Lake Geneva and the history of the hotel that it seems as though it has always been here. Text: SYLVIE ULMANN
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ou have to head up to the first floor to find MP’s. Suspended above the lake, guests can take a seat at any time from 5 p.m. to midnight. Lounging in hugely comfortable armchairs or taking in the air on the attractive terrace, leave your stress and worries at the door and chill out while enjoying the breathtaking vista as the sun sets over Lake Geneva. For at MP’s, there’s one star that is always present and that’s the view: “We opted for low furniture to make the most of the view. In fact, it is one of our main sources of inspiration,” explains Federico Toresi of Aedas, the London-based design office responsible for the look of the new premises. Curtains or no curtains? Consequently, natural colours set the tone: the green and dark brown are also a tip of the hat to those ultra-chic English clubs, as are the marble and the soft armchairs and settees. Touches of taupe bring a contemporary note to the overall impression. The second source of inspiration is the hotel itself and the Art Deco frescoes adorning the walls of the foyer which are an integral part of the décor: “We were planning to separate MP’s from the hotel by means of curtains to provide a little more privacy. Delivery of the curtains was delayed and this left us sufficient time to realise that they would prevent guests from admiring these magnificent frescoes. So in the end, we decided not to install them,” smiles Katja Marshall, Director of Operations at Fairmont Le Montreux Palace. Express installation Such attention to detail almost makes you forget that this bar-grill took barely six months to complete. The project was launched in December 2014 with the premises opening on 25 June, just in time for the Montreux Jazz Festival. Work began in mid-April and there was nevertheless the occasional set back. MP’s almost had to open its doors without its attractive bottle-green tasselled lamps: on 23 June, strik-
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ers set fire to a pile of tyres in the Channel Tunnel, blocking the lorry transporting the famous lamps on the wrong side of the water. They finally arrived at their destination only a few hours before the official opening. “There were twenty of us fitting the tassels,” recalls Katja Marshall, laughing. Installing the restaurant involved significant works. While there had already been a restaurant on this floor which had hosted the now defunct “Bar de la Rose d’Or”, it was nevertheless necessary to refurbish the entire kitchen which is home to a brigade of five. Omnivores, locavores, vegetarians And a team of five was the minimum requirement to satisfy the needs of this luxury version of a grill house. The emphasis here is placed on excellent products showcasing local production: the beef comes from the canton of Valais, the veal from the Oberland, the lamb from the Dents du Midi and the poultry from Gruyère. Only the Black Angus is Irish, of course. “We have selected the very best producers and we maintain a direct link with them,” explains Katja Marshall. On your plate, the beef left to marble for 35 days on the bone is absolutely tender on the inside, crispy on the outside and is eaten with a somewhat surprising bifid fork, made to measure for these thick pieces. It can be served with a range of different sauces which change with the seasons, as do the accompaniments. This autumn, pride of place will be given to potatoes, served either baked, au gratin or as a purée, broccoli and heavenly spinach shoots with butter. Good news for anyone who studiously avoids meat: the menu also includes a wide range of seafood products ranging from crab fritters flavoured with sriracha, a spicy Thai sauce, to fresh sole, and not forgetting the sea bass, turbot and tiger prawns marinated in citrus fruit. Also grilled and using the very best products, this part of the menu serves up fare with a more exotic feel. Only a stone’s throw from Lavaux Excellence and local colour also governed the choice of wines that can be tasted at a high table right beside the cellar. Among the 200 different wines on offer is an attractive selection of Swiss offerings. “We are only a stone’s throw from Lavaux, a magnificent region and more particularly the home of some very good white wines,” emphasises Katja Marshall. These local wines rub shoulders with bottles from the other side of the Atlantic, Lebanon and European countries that are less well-known for their wines, such as Germany and Austria. France and Italy are nevertheless not left on the sidelines. We do have a selection of wines by the glass, to be shared over a home-made tartar, for example. It is a place where the different atmospheres, from the bar to the restaurant, have already won over the clientele as it is as busy now as it was the day it opened. ✯