Cuisine: Italian (Aosta)
Price: EUR20 per person (what we paid for)
Visited: 7 October 2014
Food: 7/10
Atmosphere: 6/10
Value for money: 8/10
Services: 7/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]
It was during Autumn when we visited the village of Cogne in Valle d'Aosta. With no surprise, there was hardly any restaurant operated during the period. Just to mention that the high seasons for this area are Summer, when visitors enjoy warmer climate and nature, and Winter, when ski enthusiasts parade in. Nevertheless, we were fortunate enough to get recommended, by the owner of a small hotel where we were staying, a nice, cosy, and so much of our like brasserie that still in operation: La Brasserie du Bon Bec. The restaurant is a part of a famous hotel in the area, Hotel Bellevue. La Brasserie du Bon Bec is situated right in the middle of the town so you won't be missing surely. The dining hall is set to fame the Alpine traditional mountain setting. Staffs were friendly and worked efficiently. There were only a few of them working in a restaurant with around 15 tables. Honestly, food was nice and staffs were equally nice. We decided to stick with this place for dinner during our few days of passing by.
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| La Brasserie du Bon Bec @ Cogne, Valle d'Aosta |
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| old fashion country interior but cosy |
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| just another cosy corner |
Let's mention a bit on the food. They are pretty much local cuisine. No those fancy things at all. But they were yummy. By the way, breads and rolls here were simply delicious. Pricing of each dish was as well attractive: no those ridiculous mark up even in such mountainous place.
Cheese Fondue, Honey, and Walnuts (8/10) and Cream of Potatoes with Fresh Aromatic Herbs and Sausage (7/10) are highly recommended for any cold day (most of the days here anyway). These warm soups were such a good kicking start for a meal. They were creamy and savoury. The cheese fondue, in particular, was splendid with well balance between sweetness of honey and cheesy notes. Walnuts also provided cracking texture to the overall picture.
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| bread and cutlery |
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| Cheese Fondue, Honey, and Walnuts (EUR10) |
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| Cream of Potatoes with Fresh Aromatic Herbs and Sausage (EUR8) |
Next was
Polenta with Cheese and Melted Butter (7/10). I promise I really love cheese and this classic polenta with cheese was so yummy and classic: so warm, so smooth, and so cheesy. Another polenta dish was
Stewed Beef with Polenta (7/10). C
lassic stew that was not too thick with creamy polenta was so enjoyable. Lastly, it was Lillaz Trout Baked in a Foil (8/10). So simple but yet so much of satisfaction and joy. Juicy and sweet. Just nice. Lillaz is another little town in Valle d'Aosta and just a few kilometres from Cogne. So you sure guarantee the very best of local catch here.
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| Polenta with Cheese and Melted Butter (EUR8) |
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| Stewed Beef with Polenta (EUR14) |
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| Lillaz Trout Baked in a Foil (EUR14) |
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| friendly staff boning off trout |
During the visits, I did also get the chance to try local wines. I opted for pinot noir which I fond of. L'Atoueyo Pinot Noir 2013 (87/100) and Maison Anselmet Pinot Noir Eleve en Fut de Chene 2011 (89/100) were the choices. Both were enjoyable with pinot fruit aroma. But Maison Anselmet possesses more structure and mild oak palate.
Anyway, though we only tried a restaurant in Cogne, we could really say that we do like La Brasserie du Bon Bec and it is a place to go for in Cogne: reasonable price, delicious, and nice people. It won't disappoint you, I promise.
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| L'Atoueyo Pinot Noir 2013 (EUR12, 375ml) |
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| Maison Anselmet Pinot Noir Eleve en Fut de Chene 2011 (EUR17, 375 ml) |
La Brasserie du Bon Bec @ Cogne, Valle d'Aosta, Italy
72 Rue Bourgeois
11012 Cogne
Valle d'Aosta
Italy
Open Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 12:00pm - 02:30pm for lunch and 07:00pm - 10:00pm for dinner
