We start a series of articles about Michelin restaurants in Monaco where you will learn not only about the signature dishes of the restaurants but also exclusive interviews with the best star chefs and sommeliers. Discover 10 unique stories about culinary marvels of Monaco!
Alain Ducasse: Biography, Michelin Stars & Restaurants
Le Louis XV is iconic, a three Michelin star restaurant offering a unique culinary experience inspired by Alain Ducasse, one of the greatest Chefs of recent times.
The restaurant, located at the famous Hôtel de Paris, has been recently renovated with a new look, designed by Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku, and highlights the joyous lifestyle of the French Riviera, the “art de vivre”. In fact, all of the time-pieces are stopped at 12 o’clock in the room as a reminder to stillness and to stop and savour every glorious mouthful of this delicate menu.
Chefs Dominique Lory and Alain Ducasse have created a modern, authentic menu. Fresh juices and sauces, intense and aromatic broths and fresh condiments and spices marry to reveal the precise flavours and seasonings of their Mediterranean cuisine.
Alain Ducasse is one of the world’s most iconic chefs with a passion for sharing his knowledge and creativity. Ducasse has been reigning over the Hôtel de Paris’ Louis XV – Alain Ducasse restaurant for nearly 30 years.
Chef Ducasse was brought up on a farm in France’s Landes region with local country fares of wholesome chickens, wild ducks, geese, mushrooms and foie gras. A true contemporary chef, Ducasse began his culinary career at the age of sixteen and with the knowldege of nature attained during his childhood, he learnt how to respect, preserve and cook with local ingredients.
In 1987, Ducasse began his adventures in Monaco. H.S.H. Prince Rainier II of Monaco and the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer offered him the position of head chef at the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo. The ambitious young Ducasse made a promise to Prince Rainier that in less than four years he would earn three Michelin stars for Monaco, the highest distinction in the culinary world.
Just three years later in 1990, when Alain Ducasse was 33 years old, and the restaurant 33 months old, the Restaurant Louis XV became the first hotel restaurant to be awarded three Michelin stars. Ducasse contributed to the success and initiation of other hotel restaurants, however he now poured all of his time and energy into his own name-sake restaurant: the Louis XV – Alain Ducasse.
Surrounding himself with top professionals, Alain Ducasse recruits his own restaurant and kitchen teams. Just as he trusted Chef de Cuisine Dominique Lory, who has a strong love of the Mediterranean cuisine to maintain the exceptional gourmet quality of Louis XV – Alain Ducasse.
Louis XV – Alain Ducasse: Bold Flavours and Elegant Interiors
The Ducasse-Lory team offers culinary delights and produce of the highest quality in a series of magical settings. The maritime-inspired menu prioritises authenticity and a delicate palette of flavours with delightful surprises just a step away from the heart of Monaco. The dishes are vigorous, intense and flavourful and striking to the eye, revealing precision in taste. A symphony of flavours.
To compliment the magical dishes Hôtel de Paris offers one of the largest reserves in the world of exceptional vintage and terroir-driven wines.
Without any doubt the restaurant Louis XV – Alain Ducasse is the crown of the culinary scene in the Principality of Monaco, a fantastical world of elegant grandeur and culinary perfection.
There are not enough positively mouth-watering adjectives in the English Oxford dictionary to summarise the depth, breadth and sheer brilliance in the skills that Alain Ducasse retains and uses on a daily basis in his restaurants.
The most highly honoured chef in the world, the name Ducasse resonates with splendour amongst all who have ever been involved in the restaurant industry or who are enthusiastic about gourmet food. On a global level, from the Michelin restaurants of Tokyo to Monte Carlo, Ducasse is a god.
And he is such, due to the commitment and focus he has given to his work, his food, the recipes, the ingredients, the beauty and art that comes with the preparation of his dishes and the pledge to never accept mediocrity.
There are chefs that have spread their wings like Ducasse and opened multiple restaurants but none so successfully; the devotion is an honour to see. And walking into the Restaurant Louis XV – Alain Ducasse, you can feel this energy in every movement of each waiter and each detail of the design and the décor. It is pure bliss, French dining at its peak; and in the heart of one of the culinary capitals of the world.
The master is at work, his disciples proud followers of his legacy, the restaurant flows like great wine and the food as you can expect, is just out of this world.
To summarise such brilliance in a short span of words is impossible, you are therefore recommended to visit, consume and embrace this glorious gastronomical establishment. – Bradley Mitton
Louis XV Specialty
Turbot with Carrot and Fresh Cilantro.
Recipe (serves two)
Ingredients
Carrot Juice
| 10 large carrots |
-Boil the carrots and then blend. Strain to obtain around 500g of carrot juice.
| 2 yellow carrots 2 orange carrots 1 white onion 2 shallots 1 lemon 1 teaspoon cilantro seeds 1 teaspoon white pepper 1 stick dried fennel |
2 garlic cloves 25 cl white wine ½ bunch parsley stems ½ bunch cilantro stems 1 pinch Espelette chilli salt 3 tablespoons olive oil 50g butter |
-Thinly slice shallots, white onions, yellow and orange carrots.
-Sauté the onions and shallots with butter and olive oil in a big pot. Add the thinly sliced carrots. Add salt and sauté without browning.
-Add white pepper, cilantro seeds, dried fennel stick, and 2 peeled garlic cloves.
-Deglaze with white wine. Reduce.
-Add the carrot juice.
-Cook for 20 minutes, then let the peeled lemon, cilantro and parsley stems brew for 5 minutes.
-Strain everything.
-Finish by adding a dash of lemon, the pistou, and the Espelette chilli.
Side Dish
| a dozen medium-sized topped carrots 2 lemon confit wedges 4cl chicken stock olive oil butter salt 1 dash of lemon |
-Wash and peel the carrots.
-Sauté in a pan with olive oil, butter, and salt without browning.
-Add the chicken stock and a little carrot juice.
-Let simmer 7-8 minutes.
-Once the preparation is cooked, add a dash of lemon.
Turbot
| 2x140g turbot slices olive oil salted butter 2 slices sourdough bread 1 teaspoon chopped cilantro |
-Salt the turbot slices.
-Sear in olive oil, and roast each side for 3 minutes in salted butter.
-Add the sourdough bread to the hot butter. Once crisp, remove from heat.
-Add the chopped cilantro to the butter and pour on the turbot.
-Place the carrots on the right of the plate, add the three pieces of lemon, some pieces of crispy bread, -and the seared turbot.
-Serve the juice separately.
Perfect Wine Match
To compliment this dish, we propose a Grand Cru Chardonnay from Burgundy in the Meursault AOC, Ballot Millot, vintage 2009. The finesse of this wine, combined with its freshness, marries very well with the elegance of the turbot. Its aromatic notes clearly lift the sweetness of the carrots and the coriander, whilst keeping good length on the palate and creating a beautiful final harmony. – Noël Bajor
Published with the consent of the authors of “Signature Dishes of the Principality of Monaco with Wine Pairing Guide“ by Bradley Mitton (Author), Zsolt Szemerszky.
