Grill de Hotel de Paris

The room has what is without doubt the best view in Monaco. It is on the 8th floor of the Hotel de Paris, with full-length windows coming around in an arc, with the back of the dining room open to the kitchens, and the multiple grills and rotisserie that the name would suggest. The small, uncomfortable chairs were designed to be looked at rather than actually sat in. The grill occasionally wafted a teasing aromo of charcoal through the dining room, and did a fine job of grilling two excellent langoustines (16/20). A lobster ravioli was also well made, both the pasta and fresh, non-chewy lobster having great texture (15/20). A poussin was roasted on a spit and carved expertly at the table, but although the chicken itself was excellent, the asparagus and girolles accompanying it were not, bringing the dish down to 14/20. Sea bream was nicely cooked though hardly spectacular (13/20).

Cheeses were in very ripe condition, featuring Reblochon, St Nectaire and very good goat‘s cheese (16/20). Chocolate soufflé was classically cooked and presented, and then, oddly, was scooped out of its dish and the pieces put on a dinner plate. This was not a presentational idea that made sense, and though the soufflé was very good it could have done with a sauce or ice cream to accompany it (16/20). Apricot tart featured very high quality apricots but a tart that was actually rather battered, as if someone had dropped it on the way up (14/20). Coffee was excellent (17/20) as were classy petit fours: fruit tart, sponge, truffle, tuile and a chocolate. We washed all this down with a Louis Jadot Chassagne Montrachet 1992 at £82.  Service was excellent.

This has 1 Michelin star. I gave it 15/20 overall, so a Michelin star seems a tad generous, but the food is certainly very good and the view is spectacular, as are the prices. The problem I have is that it is barely cheaper than the 3 star Louis XV downstairs, so my slight concern is value for money. The bill for two was £264, with a reasonable but hardly excessive wine.  However, when compared to the alternatives in Monte Carlo, at least the food was genuinely good and the view was spectacular.