Luigi Visciano, above, is Director of La Môme Monte-Carlo – he’s worked around the Principality in the last couple of decades, at such other key places as HOTEL METROPOLE MONTE-CARLO. Now, at La Môme, he is actually running a ‘hotel restaurant’ on the sixth floor rooftop of PORT PALACE, Monte-Carlo, but who would know it?
La Môme Mont-Carlo opened four months ago. The brand’s already known to Monagesques and many others as, 30 minutes west, in France, the Lecorché brothers’ La Môme has occupied a growing percentage of Cannes’ scoffing street, rue Florian, and there’s also a popular beach restaurant, La Plage La Môme.
Why does La Môme have such a following? Just as with Cinquante-Cinq in St-Tropez, La Môme minutely interprets what impresses the most desirable customers and gives it to them, and more so.
La Môme Monte-Carlo opens directly off avenue de Monte-Carlo, seven minutes’ walk down the heavily sloping street from the Casino. Year-round, unless the weather makes a rare intrusion, it’s cocktails outside on a terrace, looking across at the hilltop Palace. There’s also a prominent semicircular bar, silver with eight tall bar chairs, blue and white on metal turning plinths – designer Soraya Djemni-Wagner of the memorably-named Liautard and the Queen were inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 epic To Catch a Thief, starring Grace Kelly. That hints at chiffon and bias-cut and glamour. Just like the restaurant, in fact.
The players in this, La Môme, performance are led by Luigi Visciano, Italian charm to make you want to buy-up, say add Beluga to a tuna tartare and guacamole appetizer. Go on to simple seabass in salt, or a Wagyu sirloin Kagoshima Grade 5 (don’t miss a ceramic bowl of eat-forever sweet potato mash). Luigi personally recommends Pez 2019, the second label of Saint-Estèphe. His team is alert, moving at Grand Prix speed, uniform logo white shirts your-choice lower half, typically 25-cm black skirts over basketball-height black tights. As Ugo Lecorché told Girlahead, he chooses people who are happy, helps them look good and trains the rest.
Another big plus is this is a restaurant with rooms. Beneath La Môme, locked directly into the mountain wall, are five floors, 50 bedrooms, all facing out, directly over rue JF Kennedy to the super-yacht harbour five metres in front. Best view of the Grand Prix is down at 62sq m suite #201. One C-shaped window allows superb views of the cars emerging out of the tunnel. Sadly, it’s long since booked for the weekend of 26-28 May 2023, regardless of price hike.
At breakfast head back to La Môme. Dip a still-warm croissant – just arrived from the company’s bakery in Cannes- into Bonne Maman chocolate spread, add yet more caviar to a brought-to-order omelette embellished with a baby tomato and tiny lettuce leaves. One more espresso, and it’s time to head up to Carré d’Or for a spot of retail therapy. Bulgari, Chanel, Dior and the rest await.
Now from one royal area to another, London. Let’s hear from the boss who runs the only hotel given a Royal Warrant by Her Majesty:
