Il Carpaccio – Italian Cuisine Shines Bright In The City Of Light

If you want to feel you're in the center of everything chic in Paris, a trip to Le Royal Monceau Raffles Paris hotel and its Michelin-starred Italian restaurant, Il Carpaccio, is an essential for your things to do list. Close enough to Champs-Elysées for shopping, but far enough away to avoid the crowds, Le Royal Monceau itself, designed by Philippe Starck, is beyond fabulous.

Check Royal Monceau Availability

Cool & Chic Sicilian Style at Il Carpaccio

The dining room at Il Carpaccio, photo by Mark Craft

Starck situated all of the hotel's gastronomic offering horseshoe-style around the outdoor terrace where he created an aquatic feature in the center, part geometric pond, part water experience. Inside the hotel, in the middle of the horseshoe facing the terrace, is Le Long Bar. Flanking it, on one side, is Japanese restaurant Matsuhisa, led by world-renowned Chef Nobu Matsuhisa.

But it was the other side of the water feature that was our destination one recent evening in Paris — restaurant Il Carpaccio, holder of a Michelin star and named The Best Italian Restaurant In The World by 50 Top Italy.

Center of the Cocktail World

Le Bar Long, photo by Mark Craft

Le Bar Long was hopping when we arrived, with a crowd enjoying afterwork cocktails and bites to eat. We met young Gabriele Del Carlo, recently appointed Head Sommelier, who had completely redesigned the wine list with special attention to the regions of Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, and Porto.

Next door, at Il Carpaccio, Starck was inspired by Sicilian baroque to create a dining room with an intricate shell decor, including a statement shell chandelier. The dining room is a light-drenched glass conservatory draped with white fabric, a Starck signature. The conservatory opens onto a terrace that overlooks the water feature, and that's where we chose to be seated.

Chefs Oliver Piras and Alessandra Del Favero, photo by Mark Craft

Il Carpaccio's menu circles back to the classic pleasures of Italian cuisine, employing a free hand and a modern touch, always light on the sauce and cream. In the kitchen are chef-couple Oliver Piras and Alessandra Del Favero. They picked up the Il Carpaccio whisk in 2021 and within a year the restaurant garnered a Michelin star. Both chefs hail from Italy — he from Sardinia (born in 1986), she from Venice (1988). Despite their young ages, the duo have loads of Michelin experience, including earning a star at their restaurant, Aga, in the Dolomites. Their skills were honed at the Michelin 3-star Da Vittorio, near Milan, where they met in 2012.

Silky, Smooth & An Italian Dream

The restaurant's namesake carpaccio, photo by Mark Craft

At our outdoor table we were handed a photo-illustrated tome featuring chic cocktails with names like The Whisper, Spring Breeze, and The Royal Suite. We resisted and began a more traditional choice. A glass of champagne turned out to be the perfect accompaniment to the trio of starters and amuse bouche: shards of crispy bread with tomato powder, thick slabs of homemade focaccia, and a delicate carrot amuse with miniature diced and reduced carrots, sitting on a carrot chip with a dab of carrot cream. The little appetizer packed a punch, delivering a mix of crunchy and soft textures.

When they arrived at Il Carpaccio, Chefs Piras and Del Favero envisioned modern, Italian cuisine, with a mission to serve "complexity in simplicity". This could be seen in the fish appetizer — thin slivers of fresh, tuna with salty capers, and the couple's famous tomato water.

During the meal, Pino, the maitre d', attended, to our needs smoothly and professionally — as he did with all the other diners. The namesake carpaccio, thin slices of beef, was served with with dots of thick, garlicky caesar sauce and a generous scattering of Italian summer truffles. It was pitch perfect; the meat rich and silky with just the right amount of seasoning provided by specks of sauce.

The Spaghetti That Stole the Show

Spaghetti con colatura di capperi crudo di scampi, photo by Mark Craft

But, for us, the star of the evening was a teacup-size serving of spaghetti with capers colature and raw scampi (spaghetti con colatura di capperi crudo di scampi). It was the best pasta we've ever had in our entire career of professional eating. The spaghetti was perfectly al dente, expertly coated without an extra drop of sauce, and topped with tender scampi. A skilled hand created this dish.

We couldn't imagine what could possibly follow the spaghetti-of-a-lifetime, but a grilled lamb chop was the perfect choice. When served lamb, you want it moist, easy to cut and flavorful, and that's just what arrived on our plate. To highlight the superior lamb chop was a drizzle of pistachio and basil sauce.

With a tasting menu you want to end the meal feeling refreshed, not weighed down. The finale at Il Carpaccio did the trick — le chocolat façon stracciatella. A delicate layering of chocolate wafers, each one smaller than the last, was topped with hazelnut ice cream and a pillow of stracciatella. (Stracciatella is made by drizzling hot melted chocolate into churning vanilla gelato. The chocolate hardens and then cracks into fine streaks.)

As we departed, we had a quick chat with the chefs. Even after an evening behind the piano the couple looked fresh, lively, and as sweet as a pair of culinary cherubs. We recommend you round out your visit to Paris with an evening at Il Carpaccio. Italian cuisine is shining bright in the City of Light.