Il Carpaccio is the only Michelin-star Italian restaurant in Paris, located at the very lovely and trendy Le Royal Monceau Hotel by Raffles Hotels. It first opened its doors 30 years ago, and has since established itself as a true institution. Drawing on his heritage, Chef Roberto Rispoli gives a very personal interpretation of traditional family recipes from Italy’s many regions, using the best and freshest Italian produce.
Originally from Pompei near Naples, Roberto has revived Il Carpaccio under the direction of Executive Chef Laurent Andre, with superstar pastry chef Pierre Herme bringing classic Italian desserts to a whole new level, and Head Sommelier Manuel Peyrondet (Meilleur Ouvrier de France and Best Sommelier in France) sharing his passion for Italian wines.
The intimate dining room draws on a Sicilian baroque style with an extravagant shell decor on the walls, opening onto a lovely glass conservatory drenched in light. Two contemporary artists have created unique works of art that add to the Italian theme. My choice for the evening was the Signature Tasting Menu Capolavoro, a menu of our signature dishes for the entire table, with four dishes and a dessert by Pierre Herme Paris which consisted of: Grilled octopus salad, potatoes, olives and wild fennel, Spring green Risotto Fresh vegetables and ” Primo Sale ” cheese, Sauteed fillet of John Dory, saffron and Sicilian oranges ” Tarocco “, Fennel, dried capers from Linosa, citrus fruits sauce.
Since the fourth dish consisted of Lamb, and I do not eat Lamd, the Chef created a second fish option for my choice. Followed by a celection of Italian cheese and a Panna cotta, crushed red berries, white chocolate granite, Thin layer of lemon sugar by Pierre Herme Paris. (Total price excluding beverages EUR 145). The wine selected by the expert Sommelier was a Pieropan Calvarino, and of course dinner began with two coupes of Rose Champagne. During dinner you will have the chance to taste Chef Roberto Rispoli own extra virgin olive oil created in Sicily in partnership with expert Cedric Casanova.
After dinner I was invited to do a brief tour of the property, mostly of the common areas, since the hotel was fully sold out and no rooms were available. Pending note for my next visit to Paris. I also had a look at their second one-Michelin-star Restaurant La Cuisine.
And of course, being at a Raffles Hotels, I could not help stopping for a Dirty Vodka Martini at their iconic Le Long Bar. Located at the heart of the hotel, Le Bar Long is a high, long, narrow and luminous bar. For this space, Philippe Starck wanted to break with convention, the repetitive face-to-face layout between patrons and a bartender moving behind a bar.
Truly a fantastic evening, and was a great way to began my Italian experience, which started the following day, onwards for a week to the region of Puglia.
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