The Place Of Happiness

LUNCH DIDN’T BEGIN under the best circumstances. With a hatred of being late, I’d left ample time to find Chez Pierre at 4 avenue de la Madone. But after two and a half circuits of the Metropole shopping center, I obviously looked adequately harassed that I was stopped by a security guard making his rounds. “Puis-je vous aider, madame,” he politely asked, and on hearing that I was looking for Chez Pierre, he smiled and asked me to follow him. After guiding me along one side of the Metropole, ushering me into a lift and going down two floors, he led me to a discrete door to the left of the mall entrance, where I was met by none other than Monsieur Pierre himself. Walking into Chez Pierre (formerly the Japanese sushi joint, Le Fuji), the trauma of finding the place immediately lifted. With warm red velvet upholstery, subtle lighting, and simple white tablecloths, it was like stepping into a Parisian brasserie rather than a Monaco restaurant which, for me, at least, was a pleasant change. For others too it seems, as it was crazily busy for a weekday lunch (the place seats 55).

The simplicity of the decor was matched by the simplicity of the menu, with classics such as escargots (€19) and salade de haricots verts (€21) followed by seabass, roast chicken, and steak frites. I’d been advised on good authority to order the homemade hamburger, and as the freshly baked bun required slightly more time to prepare, Pierre brought us a plate of egg mimosa (€18) to share. It wasn’t the perfect presentation of the eggs that impressed me the most, nor the way the bright yellow Minion-like delicacies melted in your mouth, it was the fact that Pierre himself had brought them to our table and took the time to chat. Pierre Baldelli clearly loves what he does, as do his sons Marco and Luca who have worked with him since he opened Chez Pierre just over 18 months ago. They also clearly enjoy working together, with the banter running easily between father and sons. Chez Pierre is a lifetime dream come true for the Breton, who started his career more than 40 years ago in bistros in Paris before moving to England in 1986. (He is, in fact, a British national, with an English mother and an Italian father.) In the UK, he learned from the very best—Raymond Blanc, Michael Gill, Tim Hart, Marco Pierre White, Giuliano Lotto, and Alain Ducasse. He spent eight years at Cipriani in London before moving to Monaco in 2012 to open Cipriani Monte-Carlo. “I had the opportunity, thanks to Flavio Briatore, to run the Monaco restaurant. It was a breath of fresh air. There is a certain way of doing things that you can’t find elsewhere,” Pierre said a decade later when he opened Chez Pierre on April 21, 2022.

It was Pierre’s time to shine. And shine he does. My insider tip that the homemade bacon burger (€28) was unlike any other was not wrong. The beef, cooked to perfection, was particularly flavorsome and I wasn’t surprised to learn that another legendary beef restauranteur from Monaco tried to find out where Pierre sourced the meat when he tasted it. (Story has it that he left disappointed.) The bun was homemade brioche but perhaps the pièce de résistance for me was the barbecue sauce which left a sweet, lingering taste long after I’d finished the main course. It was the charming service that was the clincher. Pierre’s wife is English and the boys slip effortlessly between French and an ever-so-slightly “London” English. Who can say no to Happiness Cheesecake when it’s proposed with such passion and aplomb? Not me, but then I was rather glad as the vanilla cheesecake (€14) with a base made with real Digestives biscuits (a nod to his English family) left me feeling happy all afternoon.

Chez Pierre – Menu du Jour €29

+377 99 92 07 92

Monday-Saturday, lunch and dinner.

By Suzanna Chambers

Senior Editor

Suzanna is a former Fleet Street journalist who worked for The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, the Mail on Sunday and the Independent. She has lived in France for 20 years where she has carved a freelance career writing for UK, US and local publications. Meanwhile, her day job sees her leading the Communication, Marketing and Press team at Top Marques Monaco, a role she has held for ten years.