Robuchon returns to Monaco in all its glory. Located in Portier, the new trendy district of Monaco, the Robuchon restaurant, opened a few weeks ago, displays its ambitions to revive the gastronomy of the “chef of the century”, Joël Robuchon, who died in 2018.

To take up the challenge, the owner Manal Armal has surrounded herself with a dynamic duo. With Frédéric Garnier, she ensures the security of the great tradition of French cuisine. Frédéric Garnier began his culinary career in 1999 alongside Alain Ducasse at the Louis XV restaurant in Monaco, then at the Dorchester in London and at the Plaza Athénée in Paris. A pure Ducasse chef, who nevertheless did not hesitate to embark on the Robuchon adventure. In the other hand, chef Izu Ani, the new prodigy of world gastronomy, offers him a multicultural opening. The Great Joël would have loved it. Chef Izu Ani, of Nigerian origin, is today recognized as one of the most influential chefs, particularly in Dubai where he owns several iconic restaurants such as Alaya, Carine, Eunoia by Carine, Gaia, La Maison Ani, and Kai Enzo. Trained in prestigious Michelin-starred restaurants including La Bastide Saint Antoine and l’Auberge de L’Ill, he discovered modern cuisine in Spain before conquering the Middle East.

In a decor between simplicity and elegance by Francis Sultana that we might have liked warmer, the tableware is sumptuous, particularly the Venetian Ginori glassware, mouth-blown, of remarkable finesse. Behind Salvatore Strangio, head waiter, and Maître d’hôtel Benoit Schiano, we feel the desire to succeed of an entire team, already experienced in other prestigious places.

The sweet gastronomic experience then begins, by magic, with a box of Osciètre caviar covered with a purée of fennel and finely chopped king crab. The roasted langoustines enter the scene on a mousseline of black Périgord truffle and a morel salad followed by creamy gnochetti largely flavored with the king mushroom, the melanosporum. Then in the great Robuchelonaise tradition, a tasty tournedos Rossini accompanied by its Périgueux sauce and the emblematic purée that once made its reputation. The pastry chef Francesca Loccetta holds the rope with a delicate 100% vanilla crème brûlée covered with a just-crispy opaline or this chocolate coffee soufflé tart that is already a signature dessert.

In this dreamlike world of great gastronomy, the wine list is not to be overlooked. Nicolas Baan unveils his most prestigious wines like this Vosne Romanée 1er cru from Domaine de la Romanée but can also find you lesser-known bottles that will surprise you like this Sicilian white, the Mareneve Fedegraziani, from vineyards clinging to the slopes of Etna at 1200 meters, subtle, mineral and refreshing or closer to us, the Chêne Bleu, a full and velvety red, from a medieval property nestled behind the village of Crestet, in Vaucluse.

So, as the stars have never disdained to shine for those who seduce them, they will certainly return to rest in Monaco on the Robuchon brand. Let’s bet on two of them in 2026.

JFG

Photos courtesy Robuchon Monaco