One of the finest restauranta in France, with a truly grand dining room, all gold and glass, with an immensely high ceiling beautifully painted; there is even the most handsome cigar box I have ever seen, a wonderful walnut case that almost made me want to take up smoking. The current chef is Pascal Barbet, Frank Cerrutti having been promoted to an executive chef role within the Alain Ducasse group. Bread arrives on a large wooden chariot, with loaves made fresh each day: bacon bread, semolina, bread, butter bread roll, country bread, walnut and fig loaf, rye bread, raisin bread, baguette and even borrage bread (borrage is used in many local Monegasque dishes). It is somewhat a matter of taste which of these you may prefer, but from the simple but perfect baguette to the walnut and fig loaf, this is undeniable a fine selection of bread (20/20).
If I say to someone from England that the meal starts with vegetable crudités, this will conjure up images of bad dinner parties with a few stick of supermarket carrot and celery with some dip. The vegetables that you can get in the Riviera markets are a world away from such things, and here the fennel, artichoke, carrot, courgette, radish and dressed leaves were simply dazzling. I started with a North Italian dish, vitello tonato. Veal is marinated in wine, celery, onion, carrot and cloves for a day, poached slowly then served cold, in this case with celeriac hearts, capers and a little mini-baguette with roasted herbs enlivened with lemon zest (19/20).
Duck was carved by the side of the table; this particular duck had been used to make foie gras, so is quite fatty, resulting in a crispy skin due to the layer of fat just below the skin that the duck developed. This was served with beetroot, which gave a balancing acidity, root vegetables, a few fresh almonds and a roasted fig, along with a superb, rich jus (20/20).
Cheese is from no less than four separate affineurs, with Bernard Antony from Alsace amongst them. The cheeses were in uniformly superb condition, with aged Comte, gorgeous goat cheese, Morbiere, Camembert and Beaufort in beautiful condition (20/20). I tried a delicate feuillet of red berries, the fruit dazzling, with a sorbet of wild strawberries (20/20).
The chocolate croustillant is simply one of the great desserts, invented here in the 1980s and never off the menu here. It was featured on an episode of UKTV’s “Great Dishes of the World” and a version executed by Roussillon chef Alexis Gaulthier (who used to work at Louis XV) won hands down. The version here, with its smooth yet almost liquid surface of dark chocolate, crisp thin layer of hazelnuts and pastry dough has been subtly refined for years and is as close to an ultimate chocolate dessert as you are ever likely to encounter (20/20). A dish of perfect macaroons is offered, along with a fine tray of petit fours. Perhaps only the coffee is a relative tiny weakness, though there are many to choose from and perhaps there are better options than the Columbian espresso I had. Oh, and by the way, the cellars here have 400,000 bottles of wine – that is not a typo.
Further reviews: 28th Nov 2016 | 26th Sep 2013 | 03rd Jul 2004
Terry
I had lunch at Louis XV on Wednesday last. I had no reservation and turned up on chance. What a delight - as you said in your review, the continuous striving for perfection is palpable. I had a truly memorable meal (risotto to die for and more) together with good wine all for 130 Euro a head - and not a hint of stuffiness in sight. Service was a masterclass by all concerned. This restaurant shows that world class food served in a world class manner is perfectly possible at a price comparable with that of a single bottle of wine at many a starless London restaurant.
Pedro Rodrigues
After all this opinions i must tell you, that was an amazing night. Food really great 10/10,that space, uau!! But for dinner so special 1.300€, with a cheap "Château Margaux", I'm sure that Paul Bocuse was a little bit better...
Paul Loynes
Interesting comments from Mark. My wife and I ate at Louis XV on Saturday evening, having been to Per Se for Sunday lunch two weeks ago. I am not going to compare the two of them too much (do you prefer the Bentley or the Ferrari?), depends whether you prefer the sheer classicism of Ducasse or the more creative charms of Keller. Saturday was an easy 10/10. Highlights of the tasting menu were the white bean soup, the slow cooked veal and as Andy says, the cheese. Not cheap (with decent wine, the bill came to EUR 1100), but worth every cent.
Bruhlmeier
I agree with below: By far the most beautiful dining room I have ever seen, and the service is perfact. For the food, I prefer Philippe Rochat. As for Georges Blanc, Paul Bocuse and Marc Veyrat I have very same opinion as Pière. (It was fun to read what he said) For the food and deco, I prefer Nicola le Bec in Lyon 2* and Pic then those of Blanc and Bocuse)
Mark Thompson
By far the most beautiful dining room I have ever seen. We enjoyed the Menu Gourmand, with the highlights being morel risotto, the most beautiful carrots served with turbot, and the chocolate Monte Carlo served with hazlenut ice cream. Service with all the carts (champagne, butter, bread, tea, ...)was great. For the food, I prefer Philippe Rochat, Troisgros, Plaza Athenee, and per se, but we have never had such a luxurious evening. This is a very special place.
Pierre
Frankly, for a hotel restaurant, it's as best as it gets, the only (probably superior) experience that could compare would be Robuchon at the Mansion (in las Vegas...sounds weird eh?). Anway, we had lunch on the terrasse the food has some Mediterranean hints, but I found it a bit of a let down in terms of creativity. Still the technique is amazing, the quality of the products above critique, and the moment is a really great one.