Michelin-starred restaurant in Val Thorens: Les Explorateurs au Pashmina

Why choose a Michelin-starred restaurant in Val Thorens?

Les Explorateurs is the Pashmina’s one-Michelin-starred gourmet restaurant. Open in the evenings, it serves haute Alpine cuisine featuring mountain produce. A dining experience designed to be a highlight of your stay.

Les Explorateurs, a 30-cover Michelin-starred restaurant at the Pashmina

Les Explorateurs seats 30 guests at the Hôtel Pashmina Le Refuge. This intimate setting allows guests to enjoy a gourmet dinner in a cosy atmosphere. The kitchen is led by Camille Vallet, alongside pastry chef Sébastien Deléglise and Romuald Fassenet, a Meilleur Ouvrier de France, as consulting chef. The restaurant was awarded its first Michelin star in 2017, two seasons after opening. For guests at the Pashmina as well as visitors to Val Thorens, this means they can easily include a Michelin-starred dining experience as part of their holiday itinerary.

High-altitude Alpine cuisine

At 2,350 metres, the altitude even affects the cooking process: the lower atmospheric pressure and water that boils at around 85 °C mean that cooking methods must be adapted. The menu focuses primarily on mountain and local produce, featuring lake fish such as trout and Arctic char, rustic vegetables, alpine plants and alpine cheeses. It also incorporates land-and-sea combinations, particularly featuring scallops. Citrus fruits are another recurring theme in the cuisine, from Piedmont bergamot to Nice lemons and Buddha’s hand. This is a way of offering Alpine haute cuisine that is deeply rooted in its environment, whilst bringing freshness, vibrancy and modernity to the dishes.

Who is in charge of the kitchen at Les Explorateurs, the Michelin-starred restaurant in Val Thorens?

At Les Explorateurs, the kitchen is led by three complementary figures: Camille Vallet as head chef, Sébastien Deléglise as pastry chef and Romuald Fassenet as consultant chef. This structure ensures a cohesive dining experience from starter to dessert, with a clearly defined Alpine identity.

Camille Vallet: working with Alpine produce without confining it to tradition

Head chef at Le Pashmina since 2021, Camille Vallet builds her menu around French and Italian Alpine terroirs. Each ingredient is carefully selected and each cooking method tailored to its texture and flavour. This approach allows guests to discover mountain produce in more contemporary combinations, without losing their original character.

Sébastien Deléglise and Romuald Fassenet: desserts and expertise at the heart of the experience

Having been with Pashmina since it opened in 2015, Sébastien Deléglise creates the desserts for Les Explorateurs. His work was recognised with the Michelin Guide’s Trophée Passion Dessert in 2023. Working alongside him is Romuald Fassenet, a Meilleur Ouvrier de France, who acts as a consultant chef. For diners, this complementary partnership ensures continuity right through to the end of the meal: meticulously crafted desserts, harmonious flavour combinations and the external perspective of a MOF chef on the entire dining experience.

What can you expect to eat at this Michelin-starred restaurant in Val Thorens?

The Explorateurs menu is a concrete expression of Pashmina’s Alpine haute cuisine. It combines mountain produce, carefully selected suppliers and broader culinary inspirations, across several formats: a 5- or 7-course set menu, a vegetarian menu and à la carte dishes.

Mountain produce prepared with broader influences

Marinated and flambéed trout is served with fennel, sorrel and citron; Arctic char with cauliflower, pistachios and bergamot sabayon. The menu also features a Piedmontese ‘péla’ with candied lemon, as well as a veal fillet served with morels, green asparagus and blood orange. These combinations give diners a clear indication: the mountains remain the starting point, but the dishes are not limited to traditional recipes. The produce comes mainly from fish farms in the Ain and Isère departments, whilst Beaufort, sérac and other cheeses are sourced from Savoie.

From cheese to dessert, an experience crafted right through to the end of the meal

Les Explorateurs offer two set menus: the five-course ‘Randonnée Alpine’ menu and the seven-course ‘Grande Expédition’ menu. Two experiences designed as a culinary journey at high altitude, where local produce, cooking techniques and contemporary flavour combinations complement one another throughout the meal. In the pastry department, Sébastien Deléglise, a Michelin Guide-awarded chef, favours desserts that are not overly sweet and inspired by the seasons. Single-origin chocolates, fruits used with restraint and hints of citrus come together to create indulgent yet balanced finishes, in keeping with Les Explorateurs’ Alpine haute cuisine.

FAQ – Michelin-starred restaurant in Val Thorens

Does Les Explorateurs hold a Michelin star?

Yes. Les Explorateurs is the one-Michelin-starred gourmet restaurant at the Hôtel Pashmina in Val Thorens. The kitchen is led by Camille Vallet, with Sébastien Deléglise in charge of pastry and Romuald Fassenet, a Meilleur Ouvrier de France, as consulting chef. Dinner thus becomes a gastronomic experience that is an integral part of your stay.

Is there a car park at Les Explorateurs restaurant?

Yes. Les Explorateurs is located within the Pashmina, which has a covered car park with valet parking. For restaurant guests already in the resort, the hotel also offers a shuttle service: staff can collect them from Val Thorens and take them back at the end of the evening. These two options make it easy to reach this Michelin-starred restaurant in Val Thorens without having to worry about parking.

What are the opening hours of Les Explorateurs restaurant?

Les Explorateurs is open for the winter season. Opening times and days can be viewed directly online on the restaurant’s page. Please note that booking is essential for dinner at Les Explorateurs.