Restaurant Review #19 - Le Luis XV by Alain Ducasse
Hi everyone,
The final restaurant from my Monaco trip is arguably the best: Le Luis XV by Alain Ducasse. This 3 Michelin star establishment is the crown jewel of the Monaco food scene which is famed for its luxury and elegance. Located in the famous Hôtel de Paris, this famous restaurant is where many of the social elite have had a meal. The restaurant itself reminded me Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester in London; it is also located in an elite hotel and exudes luxury. The tables are large and round, even if it is only for two people. The menu is peculiar with seasonal dishes and very high price points. Save this for a special occasion because it will cost you a lot of money. You start with crackers which are designed with pictures of vegetables. Strangely enough, the crackers taste the same as the pictures that are designed on them. But the real food experience started with a selection of seasonal sea food. The dish came enclosed in a bowl full of steam which made quite a spectacle. It was a food presentation which was befitting of a 3 Michelin star establishment. The food itself was fresh and interesting.
This dish was only an appetiser, my starter was a seasonal vegetable minestrone. The flavours were beautifully balanced and rich. Despite being such as simple dish to make, Luis XV makes this minestrone different and refreshing. It is obvious that their ingredients are of a very high quality and the chefs are very skilled. I also decided to try the pigeon for my main course.
By this point, I was already feeling the richness of the dishes. My glee continued with this next dish. The pigeon is a staple of many luxury restaurants and this particular dish was very well cooked. However, I feel that many French restaurants cook pigeon the same way. Despite it tasting special, I had already tasted those flavours before. It would have been more impressive if the restaurant would have had a more innovative dish. Nevertheless, the menu contained a cheese table. I am a cheese enthusiast so I was particularly excited for this course.
The cheese table presentation was impressive and made me excited to try different types of cheese. The selection was obviously of a very high quality but I could not try as many types of cheese due to my stomach being full. The issue, which is actually a positive, was that the food was very rich and thereby very filling. For those that think that gourmet restaurants are not filling, they should revaluate this assumption after going here.
Those that know me are aware that I prefer savoury dishes compared to desserts. However, I do appreciate the skill required in making a good soufflé. The soufflé offered by Luis XV was very well cooked and a very pleasant ending to this experience. It had the customary ice cream which usually accompanies this dish but also had a sorbet which added an extra layer of refreshing sugar.
The whole experience was quite surreal. For those that have not been to a 3 Michelin star establishment, this provides an excellent example of what makes a restaurant special. However, the price is very high, more than double other 3 Michelin star restaurants. The experience is not better or worse than Restaurant Gordon Ramsay or Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester. In my opinion, perhaps it is best going to those restaurants instead. However, if you want to have the experience of Hôtel de Paris, going to Le Bar Americain provides many great cocktails.
Price: High Luxury
Food: French Luxury
Service: Very Professional
Rating: 4.5/5
Fun Fact: Alain Ducasse became the first chef to own three 3 Michelin star restaurants; these are located in Monaco, Paris and London.
The final restaurant from my Monaco trip is arguably the best: Le Luis XV by Alain Ducasse. This 3 Michelin star establishment is the crown jewel of the Monaco food scene which is famed for its luxury and elegance. Located in the famous Hôtel de Paris, this famous restaurant is where many of the social elite have had a meal. The restaurant itself reminded me Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester in London; it is also located in an elite hotel and exudes luxury. The tables are large and round, even if it is only for two people. The menu is peculiar with seasonal dishes and very high price points. Save this for a special occasion because it will cost you a lot of money. You start with crackers which are designed with pictures of vegetables. Strangely enough, the crackers taste the same as the pictures that are designed on them. But the real food experience started with a selection of seasonal sea food. The dish came enclosed in a bowl full of steam which made quite a spectacle. It was a food presentation which was befitting of a 3 Michelin star establishment. The food itself was fresh and interesting.
This dish was only an appetiser, my starter was a seasonal vegetable minestrone. The flavours were beautifully balanced and rich. Despite being such as simple dish to make, Luis XV makes this minestrone different and refreshing. It is obvious that their ingredients are of a very high quality and the chefs are very skilled. I also decided to try the pigeon for my main course.
By this point, I was already feeling the richness of the dishes. My glee continued with this next dish. The pigeon is a staple of many luxury restaurants and this particular dish was very well cooked. However, I feel that many French restaurants cook pigeon the same way. Despite it tasting special, I had already tasted those flavours before. It would have been more impressive if the restaurant would have had a more innovative dish. Nevertheless, the menu contained a cheese table. I am a cheese enthusiast so I was particularly excited for this course.
The cheese table presentation was impressive and made me excited to try different types of cheese. The selection was obviously of a very high quality but I could not try as many types of cheese due to my stomach being full. The issue, which is actually a positive, was that the food was very rich and thereby very filling. For those that think that gourmet restaurants are not filling, they should revaluate this assumption after going here.
Those that know me are aware that I prefer savoury dishes compared to desserts. However, I do appreciate the skill required in making a good soufflé. The soufflé offered by Luis XV was very well cooked and a very pleasant ending to this experience. It had the customary ice cream which usually accompanies this dish but also had a sorbet which added an extra layer of refreshing sugar.
The whole experience was quite surreal. For those that have not been to a 3 Michelin star establishment, this provides an excellent example of what makes a restaurant special. However, the price is very high, more than double other 3 Michelin star restaurants. The experience is not better or worse than Restaurant Gordon Ramsay or Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester. In my opinion, perhaps it is best going to those restaurants instead. However, if you want to have the experience of Hôtel de Paris, going to Le Bar Americain provides many great cocktails.
Price: High Luxury
Food: French Luxury
Service: Very Professional
Rating: 4.5/5
Fun Fact: Alain Ducasse became the first chef to own three 3 Michelin star restaurants; these are located in Monaco, Paris and London.
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