In the second part of our insider’s guide to summer in the Riviera, we reveal our most tempting culinary hotspots – and what to order.
Pavyllon, Monte-Carlo
Regulars on the Monte-Carlo social scene might be forgiven for thinking their gourmet options could not get any better. And then Yannick Alléno brought his Parisian dining concept, Pavyllon, to the region in 2022, an establishment which sees diners enjoying gourmet meals while sat at a counter, witnessing the culinary theatre unfolding in front of them.
“Something you won’t find anywhere else are the cold dishes,” Alléno explains of his unique approach. “Nobody eats cold food anymore, and yet it’s a physiological requirement. When you have spent the day roasting in the sun, you need to rehydrate.”
It’s just one of the many ways in which Alléno is meeting the needs of Riviera diners. His method entails taking seasonal, freshly picked and plant-based produce and, using techniques such as cold extraction and fermentation, offering something lighter and fresher than many Monte-Carlo gourmands are used to—while still crafting plenty of hearty fare, too. (As anyone who has tried the aubergine caviar, barbecued European lobster or candied rhubarb will attest.)
“It encourages people to interact and makes them feel involved, as well as being a vibrant, companionable and theatrical experience,” he says of fine counter-dining, an eating style long overdue in these parts.
Amazonico, Monte-Carlo
Riviera cuisine already has many influences—most notably Provençal, Italian, Greek, Lebanese and Northern African. But the Monégasque are an open-minded bunch when it comes to food from even further afield, and were collectively delighted when news broke that the Amazónico concept, founded in Madrid in 2010 by Sandro Silva and Marta Seco, and which has since found second and third homes in London and Dubai, would be getting a fourth outpost in the heart of Monte-Carlo.
As per the restaurant’s name, Amazónico is all about taking diners on a multi-sensory gastronomic journey along the world’s longest river: expect Peruvian sushi and fresh raw seafood aplenty, as well as intriguing dishes such as hamachi tiradito (yellowtail, passion pulp and shiso leaf dressing), complemented by a plate of Mexican-style stone bass ceviche.
Original imbibements are created by a dedicated mixologist to a soundtrack of “electro-topical” beats— roughly translated as Latin-tinged dance music—which is spun in the Bar & Lounge and Club areas by resident and guest DJs.
Elsa, Monaco
Found within the hallowed walls of the boutique Monte-Carlo Beach Hotel, and thus surrounded by plush interiors by French designer India Mahdavi, Elsa is the first 100 percent organic certified restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star.
Taking the culinary tiller from Mélanie Serre, highly awarded Caribbean chef Marcel Ravin is now captain of the kitchen at Elsa, with René Blino as general manager.
“Locavore” gastronomy remains the thrust of the philosophy here (there’s something edifying about enjoying rossini tuna or iodised celery with plankton on the restaurant balcony, surveying the body of water from which the seafood was sourced). Indeed, the Michelin Guide enthuses about its “sublime” and “healthy and aromatic” flavours.
Meanwhile, Mahdavi’s interior décor offers a nostalgic take on the art of Mediterranean living.
Les Ambassadeurs by Christophe Cussac, Monaco
When this outstanding eatery was awarded two Michelin stars earlier this year, having only reopened within the Hôtel Le Métropole in July after a two-year renovation, the acclaim afforded to chef Christophe Cussac could not have been more deserved.
Inspired by the hotel’s culinary output when it hosted Europe’s aristocracy in the 1920s, Cussac—who was mentored in his youth by the late, great Joël Robuchon, and whose career history includes stints at Jamin-Robuchon and Troisgros in Roanne, as well as L’abbaye Saint-Michel in Tonnerre and the Réserve de Beaulieu here on the Riviera—has devised an approach to contemporary Mediterranean cuisine which is all about simplicity.
Whether serving fresh sardines with a preserved lemon and tangy foam, or veal chop with asparagus and Grand Marnier souffle, every dish is created from just three flavours, ensuring each of them remain distinct as they reach diners’ gustatory and olfactory receptors, without being crowded out—offering “the quintessence of harmony and balance” as the Michelin reviewers put it. The restaurant also boasts one of the most enticing dessert trolleys in southern Europe.
The menu has inspired the décor here, a luminous blend of bronze, ivory, yellow and ochre hues—courtesy of French architect and interior designer Jacques Garcia’s fertile imagination. The result is a warm, plush ambience, sans frills.
Mirazur, Menton
Promoting meaningful gastronomy in the heart of our land is the challenge we try to take up every day,” says Mauro Colagreco, the Argentine chef who has earned three stars for his incredible work in the kitchens of the “last house before Italy”. He continues: “You will therefore be able to savour the essence of the produce we grow in our two hectares of permaculture vegetable gardens, but also the fruits of wild picking, fishing and local breeding. We also aim for zero waste, allowing us to return to the land what we have borrowed from it.”
The food that results from this elegantly expressed philosophy includes a signature dish—oyster with tapioca, shallot cream and pear—while gamberoni prawns, Menton’s famous native lemons and wild mushrooms are also prevalent ingredients in a menu conceived and executed by a culinary luminary who now has an eponymous flagship restaurant at Raffles London.
The 1950s Art Deco-inspired building, with expansive views of the Mediterranean, is a fetching, spacious and light-drenched setting from which to enjoy his exalted fare.
For more restaurant recommendations, pick up the Riviera Summer edition of Robb Report Monaco & Côte d’Azur
