Thanks to a select number of oligarchs making it their go-to for fun on (and off) the slopes, Courchevel at 1850 meters of altitude has earned itself the reputation of being France's glitziest ski resort. As a result, the Alpine enclave's got a smattering of designer stores (Hermès and Dior have offshoots here and there's a shopping arcade for diamonds) and some of France's heavy hitters when it comes to hotels and dining. And this season, elbowing his way in, is the two-Michelin-star chef Sylvestre Wahid, who, unlike at many venues where you'll be lucky to have a head chef make a cameo appearance, you'll actually find in the kitchen of his new digs, doing some of his best cooking — for those who can get a booking. At his new venue, Wahid's decided to have just four tables, creating the resort's only boutique restaurant.
A culinary wunderkind who's collected a total of six stars over the years, Pakistan-born Wahid, whose mantra is "being in the right place at the right time," arrived in France at age 9 and not speaking the language, he tells us when we visit his restaurant. But he knew from a young age that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, a cook at military barracks in the small commune of Castelnaudary in the south of France.
When Wahid was just 15 years old, Michelin star chef Thierry Marx took him on at his restaurant Cheval Blanc in Nîmes before he went on to work alongside chef and sommelier Patrick Pagès, followed by a stint at the Raffles-Royal Monceau in Paris. He worked with Alain Ducasse in Paris, including at the Plaza Athénée, and also in New York. In 2005, chef Jean-André Charial tapped Wahid for his restaurant at L'Oustau de Beaumanière in Provence where he earned two Michelin stars, after which he took over the restaurant at Le Strato Hotel in Courchevel, winning two stars there too.
Following his time in the Alps, in 2015 he returned to Paris to take over from chef Jean-François Piège at Hotel Thoumieux where he again, earned two stars. However, when the restaurant closed its doors in 2020 due to the pandemic, Wahid was at a loss. Disappointed and unsure of his next move, he returned home to Saint Rémy de Provence, when he says, he did some of his best cooking. As soon as restrictions lifted, he gathered his energy and inspiration, and funnelled them into a new project: the extremely exclusive Restaurant Sylvestre in Courchevel, which he has signed for seven years.
You'll find the chef's restaurant at the Grandes Alpes Hotel & Spa in the heart of Courchevel in a brand new space designed like a cocoon of light flowing fabrics coiffed by a lick of white organically molded ceiling recalling the shell of a crab or sea urchin as an ode to nature, co-created by Wahid and designers Tristan Auer and Jérôme Bugara.
The chef serves a tasting menu of seven or fifteen courses that take diners on a journey between land and sea and back again with his meticulously executed dishes. The truth is in the detail here. Every plate, every utensil, every item of cutlery has been carefully studied and sourced by the chef to help harness his exact intention with each course. Ingredients have been cherry-picked by Wahid who prides himself on bringing out the best each season has to bring (being in the right place at the right time). You've got the usual haute gastronomy staples of caviar, lobster, foie gras, and incredible truffle Wahid grates at the table, but they don't steal the limelight from other produce you can find in France, meaning the experience can also be a learning curve about the country's fascinating terroir — and beyond with salts and spices from all over the globe — if you want it to be.
In winter, taste his deer skewers with pickled pine needles recalling the Alps and white miso he lays on the table over coals as they finish cooking, followed by snacked lobster, duckling served crispy on the outside from Madame Burgaud in Challans (Loire), renowned for her ducks that are meaty but lean, and the chef's signature Tourteau de Roscoff of delicately laid out fleshy crab with a finely chopped tangy vegetable salad. Finish with the flurry of desserts - I suspect Wahid has a bit of sweet tooth because no less than three options are brought over to the table at once. Perfect if you're the kind of diner who hates having to choose.
Guests can glimpse the chef rustling up various dishes in the compact open kitchen. And there's a stellar team of experts overseen by the Maître d'hôtel Florent with Hugo the sommelier, leading diners on an exploration of vineyards across the world, heightening the experience by being on hand to explain each pairing every step of the way. Beware though, because with so few tables, you've got to book early if you don't want to miss out - and in this case, it's well worth planning ahead.
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