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Day: 10 February 2018

Monaco Insider: Will you be my Valentin?

by: Cassandra Tanti
10/02/2018
Simona Pastor and Pierpaolo Aimo owners of restaurant Valentin Photo: Gabrielle Darricarrere
Simona Pastor and Pierpaolo Aimo owners of restaurant Valentin Photo: Gabrielle Darricarrere

Chef Simona Pastor and her wine expert husband, Pierpaolo Aimo, make a formidable couple at their traditional family restaurant at 27 ave de la Costa – Valentin.

This discreet lunch venue, which seats 60, is no secret to Monegasques or those working in the Principality, but it will most likely be a new address for others on the Riviera.

Tucked away inside Park Palace, in the very heart of Monaco’s Carré d’Or, Valenetin is dedicated to healthy, simple and inventive dishes.

When to go
Open Monday to Friday, from 7 am to 6 pm, lunch reservations are a must (+377 93 50 60 00) – but there’s also a takeaway option at €4 less per item.

On Friday evenings, Valentin transforms into a wine bar until 9: 30 pm, with dégustations of homemade delicacies, perfect for an after-work apéro.

Photo: Gabrielle Darricarrere
Photo: Gabrielle Darricarrere

What to order
Simona and Pierpaolo live by the words: “Rester simple.” (Keep it simple.) This is reflected in their menu, which changes daily, depending on the arrivage of fresh farm products from around Monaco and Ventimiglia, meaning that each dish is organic and made from scratch every day (you won’t find a freezer here).

Valentin is famous for its wild boar civet (stew), which I highly recommend during the winter season, as well as for a variety of ever-changing mains (grilled sea bass fillet and sweet and sour smoked cabbage, €21) and pastas (paccheri with white speck Bolognese and red onion, €20). There’s also a soup of the day, like cream of turnips, with pan-fried carrots and cumin, and a compose du jour – try the spicy beef Samosa with mozzarella, fleur de lait and sautéed vegetable and served with a salad (€19 includes a salad). There’s a choice of excellent desserts, too.

Restaurant Valentin Photo: Gabrielle Darricarrere
Restaurant Valentin Photo: Gabrielle Darricarrere

What to drink
Don’t forget to ask for Pierpaolo for some wine suggestions (hint: his favourite is from the Bourgogne region), not only is he a genuine connoisseur but you will certainly learn some French from him, too.

With Valentine’s Day on Tuesday, what could be more romantic than a meal shared at this “small Italian restaurant in the heart of Monaco and its people”?

Monaco Insider, Gabrielle Darricarrere, is Editor of Riviera Quality Life, a site offering information about the Riviera (rivieraqualitylife.com or facebook.com/RivieraQualityLife). Article first published on February 10, 2018.

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No Finish Line heads to Nice for the first time

by: Cassandra Tanti
10/02/2018
No Finish Line 2016. Photo: Palomba/NFL
No Finish Line 2016. Photo: Palomba/NFL

Monaco’s favourite fundraising event is heading to Nice. No Finish Line, the concept of running or walking on a 24-hour multiday circuit to raise money for projects that support disadvantaged or sick children, will hold its inaugural course in June.

NFL Founder, Philippe Verdier tells Monaco Life that Nice NFL will take place from June 6 to 10 on a 1.1 km circuit on the Promenade des Anglais.

“We’ve had amazing support from the City of Nice,” Philippe says. “Everyone is behind us, from equipment supplies – tents, podium, barriers – to media promotion, like billboards ads and distribution of flyers.”

Monaco resident Patrice Loquet at inaugural NFL Athens in 2017
Monaco resident Patrice Loquet at inaugural Athens NFL in 2017

Unlike the Monaco NFL which runs non-stop over 8 days, Nice’s model will follow that of NFL Paris, Oslo and Athens – a five-day event. “It’s very difficult to motivate volunteers for 8 days, to mobilise a team of organisers for 8 days, and to obtain authorisation from local authorities for a long time,” explains Philippe, Director at Gramaglia Assurances in Monaco, “but I hope that one day we’ll see another 8-day NFL. Especially after launching Athens NFL last year, where I witnessed how the collective drive of participants can bring a smile to hundreds of children everywhere.”

When the first No Finish Line took place in Monaco in 1999, the idea was to have at least one person always on the circuit over 8 days. But early feedback from participants was that whether it was 10 km or 100 km, the results would be the same. Then, in 2002, a bank sponsored Monaco NFL for €20,000 and that year saw 18,000 km completed. It was reported that the bank had donated one euro for each km travelled, and so the 1 km=€1 concept was born in 2004.

Philippe Verdier, founder of No Finish Line, Ariane Favaloro, President of Children & Future, Dr François Bourlon of Cardio-Thoracic Centre and Francesco Grosoli, CEO Barclays Wealth & Investment Management EMEA. Photo: CCM/PALOMBA
Philippe Verdier, founder of No Finish Line, Ariane Favaloro, President of Children & Future, Dr François Bourlon of Cardio-Thoracic Centre and Francesco Grosoli, CEO, Private Bank EMEA & Monaco Branch, Barclays Private Bank. Photo: CCM/PALOMBA

All monies raised during NFL events go to the association Children & Future, which Philippe founded in 2001. Last year, NFL distributed €392,516 to over 20 organisations, including the Cardio-Thoracic Centre of Monaco, which helps save children with serious heart defects, Monaco Town Hall for the Parc Princesse Antoinette Project to enable handicapped children access to a specially-adapted play area and Nice’s Lenval Foundation for the purchase of a gastroscope suitable for infants of 2.5 -7 kg.

Philippe’s goal for the first edition of Nice NFL? “To go around the world in 98 hours – 40,000 km completed by 4,000 participants.”

To accomplish this mission possible, Nice NFL needs volunteers, especially at night (contact: nflnice06@gmail.com) and participants. From mid-February, team and individuals will be able to register online.

Article first published February 10, 2018.

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News

Polling station opens Sunday at 8:30, valid ID required

by: Cassandra Tanti
10/02/2018
Photo: Facebook Mairie de Monaco
Photo: Facebook Mairie de Monaco

As the campaign trail heats up for the National Council elections on Sunday, February 11, town hall has announced one polling station will be open on voting day at Espace Léo Ferré (7 Terraces of Fontvieille), from 8 am to 5 pm, and will not close for lunch.

Voters will need to bring their valid identity card or passport with them to cast their ballot.

Monegasque nationals who need to renew their identity cards can do so from Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 4 pm, until February 9. However, the old model of ID card is valid to vote.

Proxy votes can be arranged when an elector (principal) designates a Monegasque voter of his choice (proxy) by completing the form available at the Town Hall or on the Monaco Town Council website www.mairie.mc or the Prince’s Government www.gouv.mc.

Proxy voting is reserved for electors who reside permanently or temporarily abroad for study or training purposes, outside the Alpes-Maritimes or the neighbouring Italian province of Imperia. Additionally, in the case of a disability or illness, or professional or sports obligation, voting power may also be delegated to a representative.

In all cases, supporting documents must be provided.

Proxy requests must be sent to the Town Hall by February 2, 2018. Further information available at the mairie’s Civil Status- Nationality Service or at Espace Léo Ferré, on voting day.

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