In life, it’s nice to have small habits, trusted friends to hang out with, favorite composers to listen to, places of the heart to go to to find yourself and feel ok.
Above all, places are important. Because they are the ones who create that sense of “being at home”, feeling good, light-hearted. And this is something particularly important in such a strange time, when a creeping sense of insecurity sneaks into us every time we have to travel.
For many years now I have a gastronomic ritual in the summer: going to dinner in one of the Principality’s iconic hotels, the Metropole, choosing the most confidential of its restaurants, the Odyssey, by the pool, overlooking the facade of the hotel and the Côte d’Azur sky.
The tables are few, the atmosphere is private, the stardust pool is made unique by Karl Lagerfeld’s mural illustrating the journey of Ulysses … to travel without leaving home …
Obviously the journey is above all culinary, for which we rely on Chef Christophe Cussac, at the helm of the Metropole’s kitchens for many years, one of those “friends” I wrote about before, whom you know you can trust.
Chef Cussac transports you to the Mediterranean, to taste fish and meats flavoured with the most classic basil and chilli, but also with bergamot and pomegranate, turmeric and lemon. There are no too daring combinations, few surprises, the everything is reassuringly sublime. But isn’t this exactly what you expect when you go to dinner with a friend to relax and feel good?
The Odyssey, the secret garden in the center of Montecarlo, represents just that: the essence of well-being.