French Restaurant Review: Lôna, Annecy

Ambitious young Colombian-born chef Juan Arbeláez has brought some needed culinary drama to the pretty Savoyard lake town of Annecy with the opening of his new restaurant Lôna at the Rivage Hotel & Spa.

Annecy has long had a distinguished gastronomic pedigree. Celebrity chef Marc Veyrat once cooked here, and at the Michelin three-star Le Clos des Sens, chef Franck Derouet and his associate Thomas Lorival have created a spectacular locavore menu that showcases the delicate fish of local lakes, including the Lac d’Annecy, whose waters are so pure you can drink them. And you’ll find two-Michelin-star chef Jean Sulpice in nearby Talloires.

What has been wanting a bit, though, is a relaxed but adventurous address that pushes out beyond the boundaries of traditional French cooking, and this is what makes Lôna so interesting. Arbelaez daringly reinvents the traditional Alpine cooking of the Savoie region, where Annecy is located, with inspiration that comes from all over the world, including the kitchens of Latin America. At the same time, the produce he works with is scrupulously local and seasonal. As I discovered over dinner with a friend of mine who lives in Annecy, the results are delicious.

Among the starters, we especially enjoyed the ceviche of trout in a tangy leche de tigre dressing spiked with ginger and coriander, and the clever tiropita in which melted reblochon, the famous Alpine fromage, was garnished with crushed pistachios and honey and encased in a pastry shell. In addition to succulent Galician beef cooked over an open fire, we also tried the omble chevalier (Arctic char), the king of Alpine lake fish, with a ginger-carrot purée that flattered its subtle sweet, firm flesh, and pork belly confit with coffee-seasoned potatoes, an inventive and successful flavour pairing.
While my friend tucked into a lovely rhubarb tart, I wasn’t going to let a cheese plate of three different fromages from the excellent local fromager Alain Michel pass me by, especially since I love Savoyard cheeses so much.

Lôna, 33 avenue du Petit Port, Annecy.

Tel. (33) 04 50 51 01 10,

Average à la carte €70, lunch market menu Monday to Friday €22 and €38, prix-fixe menu €55.

From France Today Magazine

Lead photo credit : LÔNA Annecy (c)BIM Agency