Disclosure: I was a guest of the property for this meal.
I’ve been graced with several opportunities to dine in Michelin-starred establishments, but while I’ve tried my fair share of French tables, one fusion creation inspired by the flavors of the Middle East, and even a Michelin-starred sushi restaurant in Tokyo, very few of these star-caliber spots have been focused on the cuisine of Italy. It was entirely by happenstance that I was invited to dine at Il Carpaccio just days before I flew to Rome, but it opened my eyes to a whole new world of excellence by tapping into a handful of nostalgic flavors from my youth.
Il Carpaccio is the one-Michelin-star restaurant at the palace hotel Le Royal Monceau, just steps from the Champs-Elysées. It’s not my normal stomping grounds, and I’ll admit I was surprised at how genial and friendly the service was while also being aptly ultra-pro.
The tasting menu is designed by Chefs Oliver Piras and Alessandra Del Favero, who took over in 2021. Both natives of Italy – he from Sardinia, she from Venetia; he previously of Noma, both previously of Da Vittorio and their own Aga, this power couple has loads of starred experience under their belt, which might be what makes their current project so convivial and playful, a Michelin-starred spot that refuses to take itself too seriously but still hews to authentic values that are palpable throughout the dining experience.
Our first bite was straight from Sardinia: a toast finger topped with creamy Sardinian sausage and a pickled sardine. The flavors popped so much as to be nearly over the top, and that nearly was so essential. The diminutive size of this flavor-packed bite made the acidity pitch perfect, a mouth-watering apéritif in the truest sense of the word that set us up wonderfully for what was to come.
The team here walks the walk of the no-waste mindset, as Piras himself told us when he served this next morsel: trompe l’oeil cuttlefish made from egg whites saved from housemade pasta dough. Flavored with garum, an Ancient Roman answer to fish sauce, it replicated the texture and flavor of the seafood with surprising precision.
The next bite, while clearly made with exquisite-quality tuna, was not my favorite of the night. A fatty slice of tuna was served with a caper-infused gelée and oregano, and while the flavors were indeed interesting, they didn’t pop nearly as much as some others, and what’s more, the soft-on-soft texture of the luxurious tuna and the gelatinous caper wasn’t quite my cup of tea.
Luckily, I was wholly bowled over by what came next: the namesake carpaccio served with with caesar sauce and a generous scattering of truffle. It would have been easy to let those piles of truffle shavings do the talking, but this carpaccio was indeed pitch perfect, with rich, silky meat and just the right amount of seasoning from those specks of sauce.
Delicious, too, was this surprising risotto, whose green color didn’t evoke the basil or spinach one might expect, but rather a combination of dill and pistachio. The nuggets of perfectly cooked Mazara del Vallo prawns, with their creamy sweetness, sealed the deal on this dish.
Tableside service and preparation are traditions of French luxury establishments that are slowly falling by the wayside, so I loved having the chef come stir together this paccheri with rich tomato sauce and parmesan. And the embroidered cloth bibs we were each given before digging in certainly lived up to the chef duo’s stated mission: “complexity presented in simplicity.” To that I would add playfulness, or even esprit ludique, something I love seeing in establishments whose caliber could lead them towards unnecessary stuffiness.
Beef filet was perfectly cooked and served with Roman-style Jewish artichokes. A touch of anchovy lent a lovely bit of brininess to the otherwise rich dish.
For dessert, carpaccio was evoked yet again with thinly sliced pineapple studded with pistachios, served alongside a rich and creamy pistachio gelato.
I thought the mignardises of fraises des bois and passionfruit chocolate bonbons would be the last thing I ingested before hobbling home…
…but the tableside chariot made one last appearance in the form of panettone and puff pastry cannoncini filled to order.
An exquisite end to an exquisite meal.
Il Carpaccio – 37 Av. Hoche, 75008