10 Monaco star restaurants: Blue Bay

We continue our series of articles about Michelin restaurants in Monaco where you learn not only about the signature dishes of the restaurants but also exclusive interviews with the best star chefs and sommeliers. Discover 10 unique stories about culinary marvels of Monaco!

The Michelin starred Blue Bay is located at the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort offering an unforgettable culinary experience. Blue Bay offers both a cutting-edge designed dining room overlooking an open kitchen for culinary lovers, as well as a spectacular atmosphere at its terrace with breath-taking panoramic views.

This signature restaurant of the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort has a contemporary and trendy decor, complementing a unique style of cuisine with diverse influences that takes diners on a journey of the senses.

Chef Marcel Ravin has managed the kitchens at Blue Bay since its inauguration with his innovative culinary style and tremendous skills. Inspired by his Martinican origins and experiences, Chef Ravin has developed a fusion of Caribbean and Mediterranean influences, which give his cuisine a uniquely delicious and refined flavour profile.

At the Blue Bay, the food is intimately tied to the identity of Chef Ravin. When Chef Ravin accepted to be the head chef of Blue Bay, he brought with him cuisine, spices, products and original recipes from his native Caribbean home. He set out to blend culinary influences from his native French West Indies with the treasures offered by the land and sea of his newly adopted Mediterranean home. This creativity and tenacity was rewarded in 2015 when the Blue Bay was awarded a Michelin star.

Blue Bay offers a memorable experience with its open kitchen layout, where Chef Ravin can oversee the restaurant whilst adding the finishing touches to dishes that are a feast for the eyes and the palate.

Passionate about cooking, Chef Ravin innovates and brings modern twists to traditional cuisine. When seated next to Blue Bay‘s open kitchen, one can observe his polished technique that has brought the culinary repertoire of Monte Carlo Bay to the heights of the best gastronomy in Monaco.

As MonteCarlo Société des Bains de Mer, the owner company of the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort recommends, „whilst at the Blue Bay, enjoy Michelin-starred al fresco dining, soaking up the panoramic views over the bay before heading over to the Blue Gin bar for a drink.“

“Blue Bay is out of this world, elegantly perched over the Mediterranean Sea at one of Monaco’s most outstanding hotels. And this is what attracts and has attracted people from all over the world to Monaco for decades – the ability to sit relaxed with idyllic views whilst being served world-class food and wine.

And this is not just any food and wine, the kitchens are run by a brilliant chef from Martinique, who has developed a unique cross-over style of cuisine using his own traditions with local ingredients.

The Blue Gin bar is close by, always recommended for an aperitif and by using these two magnificent locations with first-class service, one is sure to have a memorable evening.

Blue Bay is an adventure, fashioned by Chef Marcel Ravin and if you want something away from the norm, that will tantalise your taste-buds, you will not be disappointed here.

Try the Sunday Champagne brunch, amazing value.” – Bradley Mitton

Blue Bay Specialty:

Interpretation of an Egg

Recipe (serves four)

Ingredients

For this recipe, you should choose eggs of utmost freshness and use them at room temperature; take them out of the refrigerator some time in advance. Cook them in a steam oven at 145°F for 2 hours and 15 minutes. You may also cook them in water at the same temperature using an immersion heater. Cool them in iced water after cooking.

Prepare the manioc puree: peel the manioc root with a paring knife, removing the thick dark peel. Cut the manioc root into even-sized chunks, cover it with 1/2 of its depth in milk, add a little coarse salt and cook gently. Keep checking the manioc with the tip of a knife, which should penetrate into the manioc to the core. Drain, puree in a blender and rub through a sieve to remove all fibers. Add 3 drops of white truffle oil, and beat in the whipped cream. Keep warm.

For the passion fruit emulsion, cut open the maracujas and scoop out the pulp. Add the sugar, the vanilla pod seeds (scraped out with the trip of a knife), finely chopped shallots, Xeres vinegar, white wine, nutmeg, saffron, cream, butter in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then take off the heat, pass through a sieve and rectify the season. Beat to obtain a mousse which will be used to cover the manioc purée.

Slice truffle into small disks.

On each plate, put 2 tablespoon of manioc puree, one egg on top and add the emulsified cream. Decorate with black truffles and passion fruit emulsion.

Perfect Wine Match

“Eggs and wine have always been a tricky marriage. However, the Champagne selection at Blue Bay is outstanding and is serviced by the cellars of the Hotel de Paris, so there could not be a better choice especially when all the wine and the vintages are selected by an admirable and highly professional group of sommeliers.

A recommendation for this dish and an exclusive and sensational Champagne would be the Dom Perignon Cuvée P2 1998.

P2 is a Premier Cru blend that has developed for sixteen years in bottle and is now at its peak. Rich with vanilla notes and a broad palate, the aromas have really opened out giving a broad and rich dynamic on the palate.

The impression is creamy but the wine still has an excellent back-bone of acidity. Clean, linear with firm impact and a lovely, long, endlessly beautiful finish. Sharing is optional.”– Bradley Mitton

Published with the consent of the authors of  “Signature Dishes of the Principality of Monaco with Wine Pairing Guide“​ by Bradley Mitton (Author), Zsolt Szemerszky​.

BUY THE BOOK  AT:  www.amazon.com/Signature-Dishes-Principality-Pairing-Russian/dp/1542987962/