Staying & dining in style at Maison Wenger in Le Noirmont, Switzerland
Culinary delights at 2-star Michelin chef in the Swiss Jura:
When my husband and I had planned our western Switzerland journey – see here the overview post – , staying and dining at 2-star Michelin chef Jérémy Desbraux at Maison Wenger in Le Noirmont was the first fixed point. Our main goal to come to this remote place in the French-speaking Swiss Jura was trying out the young chef’s award-winning cuisine. We knew the house from earlier stays when the former chef, Georges Wenger, had still be in charge. At the beginning of 2019, Jérémy Desbraux and his partner took over. They did it so well that the restaurant was recently crowned with the second Michelin star!
Location/About Le Noirmont
Maison Wenger is directly located at Le Noirmont’s train station, precisely it is the former train-station restaurant.
Having said that, coming here by train for dining out is for most Swiss not really an option. The village is not only remotely situated but the train connections are not that good, either. As a consequence, if you want to dine as non-resident at Jérémy Desbraux, you need a bed for the night. And fortunately, Maison Wenger has five hotel rooms to offer. More to them, later on.
Le Noirmont is located in the heart of the Swiss Jura, not far from the French border. It is part of the Franches-Montagnes, a plateau at an altitude of 1,000 m (3,280 ft), known for its open pastures and pine forests. The next bigger town is La Chaux-de-Fonds, about 20 minutes by car. The village is – as you know by now – home of one of the best (hotel) restaurants in the western part of Switzerland. Otherwise, there is not much to be said about Le Noirmont. It is one of the bigger villages in the area, albeit not really a feast for the eyes. There are a number of nice historic buildings and some watchmaking business, that is it.
But you do not have to go far to dive in the quiet world of woodland and pasture that is great for outdoor activities just a hiking, riding and fishing.
Before coming to Maison Wenger’s facilities, a few words to the chef, Jérémy Desbraux.
About Maison Wenger’s 2-star Michelin chef
You already learned that he is young – 35 years old – and that he has been in charge here for almost two and a half years. Before he settled down in Le Noirmont together with his partner, he was sous-chef at the three-star Michelin Restaurant L’Hôtel de Ville de Crissier. This is probably the most prestigious – and the most expensive – dining-spot in Switzerland.
Maybe you have already guessed why the house is called Maison Wenger. I mentioned before that the former chef here was Georges Wenger. He had been cooking here for 37 long years before he retired end of 2018. What a nice touch – and a good marketing tactics – to keep the name of the former host! Georges Wenger was a brilliant chef, he was holding two Michelin stars and 18 points Gault Millau for a long time. I myself was lucky to have had dinner here on two occasions. Yet his successor does a good job, too. Jérémy Desbraux managed to retrieve exactly the same awards for Maison Wenger, and this in only two years!
Maison Wenger’s facilities
Above all, you come here for the extraordinary cuisine. In addition, you can stay here in style in five guest rooms.
Hotel stay
I suppose almost all the guests come here to enjoy Jérémy Desbraux’ s award-winning cuisine and not because of the hotel experience. Having said that, the five guest rooms offer all the luxury you need. They are spacious, well-appointed and feature a separate tub and shower.
Each room has a different theme, we had opted for the one called Terrace, which is large.
And the guest rooms are affordable (330 to 420 SFR/US$ including breakfast). As to the rest of the hotel, some facilities could use a touch up, for instance the restaurant bathrooms, but nothing too bad.
Two more things should not go unmentioned. First, a big Easter chocolate egg filled with pralines waited for us in our room, which was very appreciated by us. Second, we were treated to a super-tasty breakfast. The bakery products we got were the best I have ever had (everything made in-house)!
Restaurant visit
Of course the main star at Maison Wenger is the dinner!
My husband and I were the first guests on that very evening. So we could take a closer look at the dining-room that was recently remodeled in an elegant way. Then within a few minutes the whole thing took its course.
We started with snacks, followed by a duo of prawns, cooked and raw, accompanied by shellfish consommé infused by tarragon.
That was continued with French toast topped with asparagus and paired with an asparagus extraction as well as pike fish-egg smoked in-house.
Next was a dish considered typically French, frog legs! They were almost local, from Vallorbe, canton de Vaud. Jérémy Desbraux prepared them in a combination of mushrooms and bear garlic sauce.
The fish dish was local wild salmon. Medaillons were arranged with artichokes on a bed of red wine jus.
The meat course was chicken breast from Jussy (Geneva area) accompanied by a brown jus flambéed with Columelle, a white grape variety, cultivated only in the canton of Valais.
Before coming to the sweet dish, a cheese cart drove up, from which you could sample regional and other cheeses.
The dessert finally was a white dream made of local artisan milk and vanilla bourbon paired with yoghurt ice cream perfumed with trumpet flower.
And petits fours completed the meal.
How was the dinner?
I was simply blown away by the dinner! You get here modern takes on classical French themes. Jérémy Desbraux not only used the best ingredients but made the most innovative dishes out of them. Everything was masterly prepared, with sophisticated techniques and surprised with every bite. The thing I liked best were the fantastic sauces and jus. It was a revelation to taste through all kinds of those. And above all, each and every dish was a small work of art unto itself.
Service under the lead of Anaëlle Roze, Jérémy Desbraux’s partner, was pleasant. Also the chef appeared to say hello, which I always find a nice touch! I especially liked interacting with the sommelier, who was top-notch in every respect. And the wine prices seem reasonable. As to the meal, it is pricey, yet in line with the competition.
Overall
It is well worth coming here to this outermost corner of western Switzerland, Le Noirmont in the Swiss Jura – at least if you are a foodie! Because the excellent cooking of two-star Michelin chef Jérémy Desbraux at Maison Wenger is worth a detour! The native French man is an enterprising chef intent on pushing the soul of traditional French cuisine to its most sophisticated and refined expression.
And if you value a pleasant place to spend the night, you are right here, too. But book well in advance, there are only five guests rooms at Maison Wenger.
Another reason to come here is the quite unique landscape around Le Noirmont, characterized by large pastures and spruce as well as fir forests. The region is also a true paradise for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts!
Date of stay: April 2021
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Great article, thanks for the clue. I will include that hotel in my list of exquisite locations in Switzerland. My highlights are the combination of high class hotels with such restaurants located in the Swiss Alps. There are many Park Hotels and Boutique Hotels in the mountains. Wonderful.