Pavyllon Monte Carlo serves seared trout at the counter

Three fillets of seared trout lie arranged across a lavender speckled plate, their exteriors burnished to copper, their centres still pearlescent and tender. Around them pools a silken ginger beurre blanc, scattered with caviar the colour of amber and fresh herbs that catch the light. This is the signature dish at Pavyllon Monte Carlo, Yannick Alleno’s Michelin starred restaurant within the Hôtel Hermitage, where the pleasure lies not only in what arrives at your table but in the watching itself.

The restaurant takes its name and its philosophy from the open counter, that most theatrical of dining arrangements where cooks become performers and guests bear witness to the precise choreography of fine cooking. At Pavyllon, this counter faces the kitchen directly, eliminating the boundary between preparation and consumption. The trout fillets come from the arrière pays, the hinterland behind Monaco, sourced with the particularity that defines Alleno’s approach to ingredient and place. What arrives on the plate reflects a kitchen thinking in layers: the natural delicacy of the fish, the warmth of ginger cutting through rich butter, the sharp clarity of horseradish, the pop and brine of trout roe adding textural surprise.

The presentation itself becomes part of the narrative. That lavender plate, scattered with bronze and cream fragments, frames the dish with restraint and visual grace. The arrangement of three fillets suggests clarity of purpose: this is cooking stripped to its essence, where technique and ingredient speak louder than embellishment. Each element serves the trout rather than competing with it.

Pavyllon Monte Carlo sits within the Hôtel Hermitage. Reserve through the hotel or the restaurant directly.

Imagery courtesy of Pavyllon Monte-Carlo (@pavyllon_montecarlo).