Le Louis XV - Alain Ducasse à l'Hôtel de Paris

98000 MONACO

Gault&Millau Academy's member

BOOK

6 PHOTOS

Chef: Alain Ducasse
Cooking: French | Gastronomic
Services: Access for people with disabilities | Private Parking | Valet parking
Style: Elegant | Romantic

Budget (€)

Indicative price per person (excl. drinks)

230 to 420

Gault&Millau's review 2026

It's easy to believe that tomorrow's haute cuisine will be reserved for an elite few. But we can already be certain that only elite troops can produce cuisine like that of the Louis XV. A cuisine conceived, elaborated and perfected by an exceptional chef, Emmanuel Pilon, but also a symphonic cuisine in which, from the oboe to the cello, every musician is committed to perfect execution. Take tomatoes: all summer long, top and mid-range chefs vie with each other to create a dish that stands out from the standard tomato salad. Here, the beef hearts have been selected one by one from the Risso sisters at Marché Saleya; resting on a bed of goosefoot and red arrowroot, finely lacquered and relaxed with tomato water oil, scented with geranium, they touch on the quintessential naturalness so dear to Alain Ducasse. But the stroke of genius lies elsewhere: it lies in the little cuttlefish stew, invisible beneath the fruit, which adds exceptional chewiness and gourmandise. This kind of dish deserves attention and respect. While the top people in the latest Ferrari SUV rush into the Hôtel de Paris to the cocktail bar or their €10,000-a-night suites, the Louis XV's clientele is studious and focused. They're not here by chance: arriving from Korea or New Hampshire, they've come to sample some of Europe's finest cuisine with a full knowledge of the area. She appreciates the sumptuous setting, a little cute, but fitting, the high standard of service, also exemplary, under the direction of Giovanni Pitton, designated successor to the remarkable Claire Sonnet, who has left for Paris, but still in the group, the perfect cadence and harmony of the sequences offered. Brilliant appetizers (including ikejime tuna with an incredibly velvety tagetes sauce, or the champagne raspberry Tamaris oyster...), the splendor of the sea anemone salicorne artichoke topped with Kristal caviar and bathed in an artichoke-mint oil broth, a feat of textures, seasoning, temperature and flavor. As a counterpoint, this insanely complex and totally mastered dish is followed by the naked St. Pierre, marinated and just gently cooked in an oil made with the fish's bones, chard and summer vegetables like a caponata, pil-pil sauce from the heads and bones, then lamb à la cheminée, just as perfectly cooked, zucchini and caper as a condiment, giblets, sage and purslane as a second course. When pastry chef Sandro Micheli, with his strong personality, takes over, one might fear a break in the chain: not so. In perfect osmosis, with the same philosophy, unsurpassed technique, balance of textures, naturalness restored to the service of taste, on a sublime dessert of burlat cherry, soufflé and confit with shiso ice cream, of sublime delicacy. The excellent Maxime Pastor manages the prestigious cellar with unerring ease, analyzing and advising each table as best he can, guiding them towards the great labels or the latest regional discoveries, which prove the vitality of this wine list where there's everything.