I spent a pampering day at Le Royal Monceau in Paris, a Raffles property, taking time to discover the art scattered throughout the hotel, the spa and its Michelin-star French restaurant ‘La Cuisine’ . If you sit inside the restaurant, you’ll be bathed in artistic decor that elegantly combines large tables and more private alcoves. The design choices are largely the work of the infamous French designer Philippe Starck who made some interesting choices, blending modern, urban with chic and classic traditional all under one roof.
Guest tables face the open kitchen of Chef Hans Zahner and Executive Chef Laurent André. Unlike so many more traditional French cuisine, their style is light and flavorful and they try to use seasonal ingredients as much as possible. A magnificent fresco, ‘A Garden in Paris’, by French artist Stéphane Calais, graces the ceiling.
Starting in 2008, it was closed for two years while they went through major renovations, all under the design lead of Philippe Starck. In addition to the exquisite style throughout the restaurant and hotel, they put in a 99 seat private movie theatre, a private art gallery and an art book store, which I love. The hotel itself is just a delight to walk through because of the abundance of top notch, well thought out design.
You can view a wooden reindeer display by Russian artist Nicolai Pollisky on one of the upper floors, the incredibly seductive walls in their Michelin star restaurant by Dutch artist Thomas Boog, and the fabulous walls in the private dining room, the creative work of New York artist Rosson Crow. It’s the only palace hotel with a concept store and a customized art concierge service so guests can use the store to buy red carpet dresses, designer shoes and more. Fun fun fun!
Their menu for lunch changes weekly and the menu for the week I was there in September, included a number of scrumptious choices, such as octopus and sautéed French zucchinis with lemon and thyme, cold soup, “Alentejana” style, garlic croutons and anchovies confit, Rabbit saddle and leg, Niçoise style with small caramelized onions, a roasted steak of pollack with wine peaches and flowering tops of cauliflower and an escabèche sauce.
The dessert choices by famous pastry chef Pierre Herme included a tarte fine Chloé, Pâte sablée with cornmeal, raspberries, chocolate manjari 64% ganache and a thin layer of dark chocolate with fleur de sel and the coupe glacée Mozaic with pistachio ice cream, morello cherry sorbet and poached blackcurrants. He’s known for his macaroons so it’s worth stopping into the restaurant to sample a few flavors of macaroons alone. Yum yum yum!
During the month of September, they celebrated the launch of Dom Pérignon Rosé 2003 Vintage, which was described by Dom Pérignon Brand as ‘‘a year of superlatives. As such, we had additional menu items to choose from, a selection that was curated by 9 chefs from around the world.
Because it was such a warm afternoon when I was there, we opted to sit in the garden terrace, which faces water and beautiful green trees on all sides.
Now, to get your mouth watering, let’s move onto the food. I tried the Pan Sauteed Duperrier Duck Foie Gras, served with raspberry and fresh pistachio marmelade, Xeres vinegar and raspberry espuma. There was just a touch of lemon and it had oh such a perfect balance. Then there was the Hamachi sashimi served ceviche style with Rhubarb and scallop crisp. On the menu from Nobu apparently was the Marinated Black Cod, served with braised black rice, honey, ginger and lemon.
A special on the menu was a watermelon like tartine, served with squashed raspberries, strawberries, orange and lemon zest. Also below is that delicious Roasted Steak of Pollack, served with wine peaches and flowering tops of cauliflower “escabeche” sauce I mentioned above.
Unusually prepared desserts included a balsamic vinegar sorbet with violet candy silvers (yes, really) in a homemade cream. And no, there’s no typos there – the chefs really experimented with different flavors for this one and somehow, it just worked! Also, a raspberry chantilly cream with fresh raspberries, raspberry coulis, sable cookie, raspberry sorbet and lemon meringue.
For the first time, they tried out a raw and gluten free menu this past summer. The chefs offered a tasting menu for 110€ without wines or 155€ with a selection of wines. The menu included a Green tomato jelly, “Espelette” pepper sorbet, Carpaccio of wild jumbo shrimps, Light mayonnaise with corn cream, French veal tartar, Red onions and “Opaline” potatoes and for dessert, Infiniment framboise, Shortbread biscuit, fresh raspberries, Chantilly cream, raspberry coulis and a Raspberry sorbet with lemon meringue.
Also, note for the vegans and the health conscious — they run detox programs on-site, which is tied to their gluten free and raw menu.
Details:
Le Royal Monceau – Raffles Paris
37 Avenue Hoche 75008 Paris
Tel:+33 1 42 99 88 00
https://www.leroyalmonceau.com/
Be sure to check out our Paris section for great shopping tips, restaurant finds, and other reflective pieces like this one. There’s also lodging & top hotels in France, and top hotels in Paris as well as general content on France. (travel to France).
Renee Blodgett is the Founder and Managing Editor of We Blog the World, a global travel, culture and lifestyle publication exploring the world through the lens of meaningful experiences, human connection and cultural depth. Having lived in 10 countries and traveled to 95, Renee has spent much of her life immersed in the people, traditions, landscapes and ideas that shape how we experience the world.
Since launching We Blog the World in 2007, she has written and produced extensive editorial coverage spanning boutique and luxury travel, culinary experiences, arts and culture, wellness, adventure, technology, spiritual traditions and transformative travel. Her work is rooted in the belief that travel is about more than where we go—it is also about what a place, culture or encounter awakens within us.
Renee brings more than three decades of experience across journalism, photography, media, brand strategy, technology, wellness and global storytelling. She has worked with companies and organizations around the world on brand positioning, communications, product launches, media strategy, speaker positioning and storytelling. Through Blue Soul Media, she works with authors, entrepreneurs, thought leaders and purpose-driven brands to clarify their message and expand their impact, which includes speaker coaching/training for high-profile stages such as TED and bringing authors’ work to market while retaining authors rights.
She is also the co-founder of Blue Soul Earth, an educational platform exploring consciousness, ancient wisdom, spirituality, healing and the intersection between science and the nature of reality. Renee is the producer and host of the award-winning Blue Soul CHATS, a conversational series bringing together leading voices in science, technology, consciousness, wellness and spirituality.
Her growing body of work also includes Blue Soul Living, which extends her interest in consciousness and well-being into the spaces we inhabit, exploring how intentional design, energy and environment can support greater harmony and connection.
Renee is the award-winning co-author of the bestselling Magdalene’s Journey and founder of the Magdalene Collection, inspired by women’s voices, stories and wisdom across cultures and generations.
A longtime photographer and storyteller, Renee has documented people, places and cultures around the world and produced photographic collections focused on destinations including the Galápagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome and Ecuador. She also co-founded Traveling Geeks, an international initiative that brought entrepreneurs, journalists, creators and technology leaders together with their counterparts in other countries to exchange ideas and explore innovation across cultures.
Renee’s work has been recognized by Forbes, the United Nations and others for her influence in media and social storytelling. Across her work in travel, media, consciousness and culture, a common thread remains: curiosity about the world, the stories that connect us and the ways meaningful experiences can change how we see ourselves and one another.
