Pierre Gagnaire

There's been a lot of flowery prose describing Pierre Gagnaire's cooking. The generally accepted view is that he personifies the romantic idea of 'the chef as artist' better than anyone in France today - and there's a lot of competition for that title. This is understandable, his approach to cooking is most definitely of the cerebral school. He frequently collaborates with friend, the famous French physical chemist Hervé This, his menus often read like Rive Gauche poetry and there's a section on his website entitled Mon Universe.
There's been a lot of flowery prose describing Pierre Gagnaire's cooking. The generally accepted view is that he personifies the romantic idea of 'the chef as artist' better than anyone in France today - and there's a lot of competition for that title. This is understandable, his approach to cooking is most definitely of the cerebral school. He frequently collaborates with friend, the famous French physical chemist Hervé This, his menus often read like Rive Gauche poetry and there's a section on his website entitled Mon Universe. Looking like the suave Gallic answer to Kris Kristofferson, until recently, Gagnaire's image did nothing to discourage the notion that he was all tortured culinary jazz daddy chained to his stove.
But since 2003, when he started consulting on the ambitious Sketch in London, Gagnaire has both opened up and opened more restaurants, including the casual experimental Gaya, on gay Paris' Left Bank, and international operations in Tokyo and Hong Kong, with a Dubai outpost about to open. Nevertheless, it's at his eponymous Paris flagship that his creativity still flows most fluently, the kitchen throwing out the sort of combinations that seem insane on paper but look like works of art on the plate and feel like them on the palate.
What you're left with at the end is an overwhelming sense that he simply wants to feed and please his customers.

Behind the stove:
Pierre Gagnaire and Michel Nave

Always on the menu:
Le Grand Dessert Pierre Gagnaire

Random fact:
Gagnaire served as an Admiral Chef in the French navy

Wine list:
€55 - €8,500 (£37 - £5,755)

Menus:
From lunch for €95 (£64) to €245 (£166) for the dégustation menu

6 Rue Balzac, 75008 Paris, France
+33 (0)1 58 36 12 50
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Le Louis XV

Chef Alain Ducasse is a busy man, so he's installed trusty cohorts at each of his outposts. Executive Chef Franck Cerruti of Le Louis XV in the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo is one such colleague, a local whose heart is in cuisine at its most pure, simple and seasonal.
The four-course Les Jardins de Provence - mainly vegetarian- is a fitting introduction to the locale. Dishes like Fraises des Bois in their Natural Juice, Mascarpone Sorbet, Veal cooked 'en cocotte', Baked Potatoes and Braised Lettuce,
Chef Alain Ducasse is a busy man, so he's installed trusty cohorts at each of his outposts. Executive Chef Franck Cerruti of Le Louis XV in the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo is one such colleague, a local whose heart is in cuisine at its most pure, simple and seasonal.
The four-course Les Jardins de Provence - mainly vegetarian- is a fitting introduction to the locale. Dishes like Fraises des Bois in their Natural Juice, Mascarpone Sorbet, Veal cooked 'en cocotte', Baked Potatoes and Braised Lettuce, or Risotto with Artichokes are perfect examples of Riviera cuisine.
The setting, however, is sheer extravagance. The dining room, decorated in the style of 17th Century Versailles, sparkles with gold and mirrors, mixed with the bright light flooding in through French windows. For the lucky few, there's the magnificent Aquarium, a smaller dining room in the heart of the kitchen where six video screens stream in the action. The two marble clocks in the dining room have stopped at midday. This is no accident: the point is clear. The guest is there for the sole purpose of enjoying a magnificent repast. Nothing else matters, at least in that moment.

Behind the stove:
Alain Ducasse and Franck Cerruti

Always on the menu:
Provence Garden Vegetables cooked with Black Truffles, Terre Bormane Taggiasche Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar and top-quality salt

Random fact:
So devoted is Franck Cerrutti that he's often spotted selecting food for the restaurant at the market on his days off

Wine list:
€50 - €11,560 (£34 - £7,827)

Menu:
Two-course 'Club Déjeuner de Saison' at €125 (£85) to a four-course 'Pour les Gourmets' tasting menu, €225 (£152), both including cheese and desserts

Hôtel de Paris, Place du Casino,MC 98000, Monaco
+377 98 06 88 64 www.theworlds50best.com

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