Cuisine: French
Michelin Stars: 3
Location: Hôtel de Paris, Place du Casino, 98000 Monte-Carlo, Monaco
Telephone Number: +377 98 06 88 64
Website: http://www.hoteldeparismontecarlo.com/
Date Visited: Lunch on Weekday
Le Louis XV is located in Hotel de Paris, which is one of the most grand and luxurious hotels in Monte Carlo. This really does say a lot, because Monte Carlo is associated with the rich and wealthy because of its extremely high standard of living and the fact that it houses many of the worlds’ elitists. We decided our money was more worth being put into good food than ridiculously expensive accommodation, so we decided to just take a day trip there. We stayed in Nice, France, and drove to Monte Carlo, which only took around 40 minutes. (So for those of you out there who are geographically challenged (like me), Monte Carlo is actually inside a country called Monaco, and not in France, despite being located on the French Riviera. Geography lesson of the day, check)
There isn’t much we need to say about why we chose this restaurant. Alain Ducasse is a legend in the culinary world and this restaurant, with a history of 25 years, was the very first restaurant which received three michelin stars in a hotel. Today it also remains the only michelin three starred restaurant in Monaco. Alain Ducasse considers the Riviera the prodigal of his cuisine and shows his love for culinary in this region through Le Louis XV. We also saw that they had a 400,000 bottle collection of wine in their cellar, and Calvin being the wine lover he is, insisted that this be the first restaurant we try once we arrive. Having tried Alain Ducasse’s michelin 2 star restaurant, Spoon, in Hong Kong and not being particularly impressed, we decided to give him another chance. And boy are we glad that we did.
Walking into the restaurant was breathtaking. We felt like we walked into the dining room of the Versailles Palace. The ceiling was three stories high and was beautifully decorated with just enough gold and chandeliers to feel luxurious but not over the top. Possibly due to the fact that we made a reservation well in advance, we were seated in the center of the room, with a view of the grand floral decor. As if our eyes weren’t already mesmerized by the room, our palettes were about to go on a culinary journey of a lifetime.
Okay enough with all the hype, here’s what we ate.
We were offered the set lunch menu and were appalled at the ridiculous price of 3 courses at 145 Euros, but later realized that it included three glasses of wine, an incredible selection of bread, a very generous amuse bouche, a cheese trolley at our disposal, and the best (not so petite) petite fours we have ever had. So turns out, it was worth every penny.
Many restaurants think of compound butters when they want to elevate and impress, but we appreciated how Le Louis kept the traditional French butter but served it in a very memorable manner. It was a whole (we assume almost 2kg) block of butter served at our table. It wasn’t a scene you would usually see in a restaurant, and boy did it make a statement.
The waiter would very graciously scoop out a generous almost like a quenelle of butter into the shape of a sea shell and it showed how much attention was put into something as simple as a spread for your bread (no rhyme intended).
When the waiter first introduced our amuse bouche as an open faced nicoise sandwich we were quite shocked. It was a bold move and we didn’t think it belonged in a michelin 3 star restaurant. However, it was executed well. The bread was very soft and light, and all the vegetables on top were very well prepared and seasoned. It tasted good, and was presented well, but we still think it still lacked a bit of creativity and complexity in flavors. 7.5/10
The next dish was truly impressive. The presentation was super simple and minimal, but looked very clean and appetizing. It was a pecorino and summer vegetable pasta, with a delicious creamy pea sauce that was poured on top. Being the pasta lover that I am, I was seriously having some pasta deprivation issues since we were in France so I was super excited. I did have my doubts because it didn’t seem to make sense to me that a French restaurant could make a good pasta, but it was perfectly cooked and the pasta was al dente just as it should be. The pea puree was very smooth and had a wonderful texture to it while all the vegetables including the artichoke, asparagus, carrot and mushrooms were cooked perfectly. Lastly it was finished off with some fresh basil which gave it a very nice refreshing kick. However, the dish in general was a teeny weeny bit over seasoned and had us reaching for our water glasses, which is why it didn’t get as high marks as it could have. We did realize that Nice sits on the border of France and Italy, so some Italian influences in this area of France explains the appearance of pasta on our menu. 8.5/10
Next up, for mains, we had a choice between red mullet and duck. Seeing that we were located along the French Riviera, where seafood is famously fresh, I decided on the red mullet and Calvin opted for the duck so we got to try both. The red mullet was seared beautifully and served alongside some polenta. The mullet itself was very fresh, cooked well, and moist but could have been seasoned a bit more. And the polenta was very nicely seasoned and very crisp. We saw a lot of potential in this dish and believe that with a bit of work, it really could be spectacular. 8/10
Calvin’s caneton (baby duck) was very tender and the skin was super crisp but it lacked in terms of sides and garnishes to compliment it (which was the same case as the red mullet). The duck itself was almost perfect but the dish as a whole could have a bit more to it. (the souffle potatoes were gorgeous though) 8.5/10
We were offered a selection of cheeses from the cheese trolley for our next course (and classic Sheila was too lost in heaven to remember to take a photo).
Petite fours for some odd reason came before our desserts, but who cares beacuse they blew our minds. Seriously. It looked super simple and humble but it was just. Wow. No words could describe it. Despite having mental preparation that Alain Ducasse is famous for his pastries, nothing could’ve prepared us for this. All the petite fours were simple but perfected. Of the four, the mango tart had to be our favorite.
The chocolates and macarons sitting in the center of the table were impossible to resist. Everything was so simple but sometimes desserts are just better that way (especially if you’re Alain Ducasse and you’re a genius and you survived a plane crash (ok just kidding about that last one)). The macarons were very light and didn’t have too much filling inside. They were flavored with orange zest and were very refreshing (how often can you say that about macarons???). They were arguably as good or maybe even better than Pierre Herme and Laduree, both huge names in the macaron industry today. Calvin and my dad are both not huge fans of desserts (typical guys) but not only did they try everything on the table, but they had seconds (literally had to fight Calvin off my mango tart). 9.5/10
We had a choice of three desserts and I chose Rum Baba (because I was possessed since I don’t even like rum) so I didn’t turn out to like my dessert too much. That being said, the cake itself was light and moist, and if I were to be a fan of rub baba, I'm sure I would've enjoyed it.
However, Calvin chose a cherry tart which was very nice. It was a pistachio biscuit topped with chantilly cream and kirsch poached cherries served with pistachio ice cream and a pistachio crumble. The textures all worked together very well and had very complex yet complimenting flavors. As we mentioned before, despite Calvin not being a dessert guy, he still enjoyed it very much. 8.5/10
Price Value:
Number of diners: 4
Total price (EUR): 580
Price per head:
EUR: 145
HKD: $1450
USD: $180
As we mentioned in the intro, we were shocked at the price for a small lunch at first, but later realized that it was very worth considering everything it came with (amuse bouche, petite fours, cheese trolley, wine pairing). Despite it being only a 3 course lunch, it lasted 3 hours! Also considering that this was in a hotel, and under Alain Ducasse's name, and in Monte Carlo...I don't think we could've expected any cheaper.
4/5
Taste:
There were a lot of good flavors and everything was executed well but we thought that it could've had a bit more creativity and complexity. All the dishes were delicious to eat but none of them really blew us away with the composition on the plate.
12.5/15
Service:
Wow. Long story short, they hit the nail on the head on all aspects including accessibility, helpfulness, friendliness, professionalism and grooming. Despite it being a three course three hour lunch, the spectacular service made our experience very comfortable and enjoyable. There was not a single moment when we felt impatient or annoyed at the duration of the meal. In terms of professionalism, all the “rules” of serving, clearing, pouring wine, etc. were followed in a very precise and elegant manner. All of the waiters had excellent food knowledge of everything in the restaurant down to the breads and butters. They were very tentative, always one step ahead and never required us to request or ask for something. We try to avoid giving full marks because we believe there is no such thing as perfect but Le Louis XV really impressed us to a whole new level. Nowadays in a such a food-centered world, restaurants serving delicious food is no longer a surprise, and more so an expectation, whereas service is truly where many restaurants lack. In terms of service, all restaurants should strive to be where Le Louis XV is at.
10/10
Atmosphere:
We loved how spacious the restaurant was and the high ceiling made it feel very comfortable. Plus they took advantage of the beautiful weather in Monte Carlo and had the sunlight streaming in from the balcony (speaking of which, we will definitely ask to be seated outside for our next visit). Using gold is so tricky because going overboard is very easy but it was just right.
9/10
Presentation:
The presentation wasn’t spectacular and impressive but was simple and worked.
8/10
Technique:
Everything was done as it should have, but none of the dishes really required immense skill or technique.
3.5/5
Total Score: 43/50
Fuchelin: 2 stars
Final Remarks:
This restaurant was given 3 Michelin stars but we only thought it was worth a 2. It didn’t have many surprises and out of the box ideas that really made us think “wow”. We feel like it was playing a bit too safe with their dishes but we have confidence that they could really excel because we could see so much potential. Everything was so delicious but if they had more components and interesting combinations it would be more impressive. We saw how much thought and detail went into the service and also something as small as the petite fours (which are often overlooked) so we are confident that with a bit of a push they could definitely prove their third star. We do admit that this was one of the best michelin lunches we’ve had and that perhaps their dinner would be a better portrayal of their three stars, but we think that lunches should also reflect the level of excellence dinners portray. We will definitely come back again for dinner if we’re around the area.