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Day: 24 December 2021

Em Sherif to bring Middle East flavours to Monaco

by: Stephanie Horsman
24/12/2021

Lebanese restaurant group Em Sherif is expanding into Europe, and they’re doing it in style by opening inside the Hôtel de Paris.

Mireille Hayek made a name for herself in her native Lebanon as a woman who had a passion for cooking, a dedication to her restaurant and a desire to give her clientele top-drawer service. This trifecta made Em Sherif the go-to place in Beirut for those in the know.

With no formal training under her belt, she opened the first Em Sherif in 2011 and in a decade has been noted as “one to watch” by food guides. In 2021, The World’s 50 Best Group declared the original restaurant in Beirut as one of the top nine female-led restaurants across the globe.

Mireille Hayek quickly expanded her restaurant chain to include 12 Middle Eastern locations, including Kuwait, Dubai, Riyadh, Cairo and Qatar, with an upcoming launch due in London at the famous Harrods department store at the end of this year, one of eight new openings in Europe.

Now, a deal has been struck for her delicious cuisine to come to Monaco in the spring of 2022. It will be only the second launch in Europe and the first on the continent, where it will take over the space left by Alain Ducasse’s Omer restaurant in the Hôtel de Paris.

“Em Sherif is a natural choice for Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer because its values ​​of tradition, transmission and excellence are in perfect harmony with the great ‘Art of life’ at Monte-Carlo SBM,” says Jean-Luc Biamonti, CEO Monte-Carlo SBM. “Renowned for its family cuisine and warm atmosphere, this house is already present in the most exclusive destinations in the Middle East and will offer Monaco, in the heart of the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, a brand new concept, which will appeal to our Monegasque and international customers.”

The restaurant, named after Hayek’s son, will serve seductive oriental cuisine for lunch and dinner daily.  

 

 
Photo source: SBM Monte-Carlo
 
 
 

Holiday classic comes to the stage

by: Stephanie Horsman
24/12/2021

No Christmas season would be complete without The Nutcracker ballet, and this year, the Ballets de Monte-Carlo is giving theatre-goers eight chances to live the magic.  

One of the most beloved ballets of all-time is coming to the Grimaldi Forum’s Salle des Princes to end the year with a bang.

The Nutcracker (Casse-Noisette Compagnie) choreographed by Jean-Christophe Maillot takes this classic holiday adventure tale to another level, adding his unique spin to make nights to remember for both young and old.

The Stahlbaum family remains at the heart of the story, with Clara and Fitz at the centre. The usual setting of a bourgeois home is replaced by a dance studio run by their parents without any flourish or flights of fancy.

On Christmas Eve, the Drosselmeyer Fairy brings an unexpected gift to the troupe in the form of a new choreographer who brings a fantastic life and energy to the mix. A short period of internal struggle between the dancers soon gives way magical journey through a winter wonderland leading to the arrival in the country of Confiturembourg where the fun begins.

Tchaikovsky’s timeless musical score accompanying the ballet will be presented by the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Kazuki Yamada.

The show runs for an hour and 40 minutes in two acts. The December performances will run every night from the 28th to 31st, with a 7:30pm start. January shows run from the 2nd to the 5th, with the 2nd being a matinee starting at 3pm. The others will commence at 7:30pm.

To reserve tickets or for additional information, visit the ballet’s website at https://www.balletsdemontecarlo.com/fr/saison-2021-2022/mc/casse-noisette-compagnie

 

 
Photo source: Ballets de Monte-Carlo
 
 
 

Link between Monaco and Alexandria explored in new exhibit

by: Stephanie Horsman
24/12/2021

The Nouveau Musée National de Monaco is hosting an exhibition at the Villa Sauber entitled ‘Monaco-Alexandria, The Great Detour: World cities and cosmopolitan surrealism’, exposing surprising links between these two seemingly different cities.

Created in collaboration with Morad Montazami and Madeleine de Colnet for Zamân Books and Curating, the exhibit hopes to “write a new page in the history of surrealism through Mediterranean cosmopolitanism” using the works of writers, poets, painters, decorators and philosophers who were looking to remain open-minded in times of nationalism and fascism.

The 20th century perspectives are fascinating, even to the most casual visitor, and are comprised of paintings, photos, sculptures, objects, texts, and videos. In all, nearly 300 works are presented, including about 50 from the NMNM collections alongside other Monegasque collections such as the Prince’s Palace, the Audio-visual Institute of Monaco, the Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology, and the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, as well as exceptional loans from public and private Egyptian collections.

The exhibition takes place until 2nd May 2022.
 
 
Photo: Communication Department / Stéphane Danna
 
 

“Changing manager is never easy”

by: Luke Entwistle
24/12/2021

AS Monaco Basketball succumbed to their third consecutive defeat at the hands of ALBA Berlin on Wednesday, further denting the side’s dwindling playoff aspirations.
Impressive personal performances from Donatas Motiejunas, who was once again formidable within the key, and Mike James, scorer of 25 points on the night, weren’t enough to see Monaco to victory.
It means that Sasa Obradovic has only registered one victory since his return as coach. Having made a triumphant return with a victory in his opening match, they have proceeded to lose three on the bounce.
The latest defeat in the Euroleague leaves the side languishing in a lowly 14th place, with the chances of securing a playoff position quickly diminishing.
The game started evenly in Berlin, Motiejunas in particular was formidable, allowing Monaco to race into an 0-8 lead. This was, however, quickly overturned, and Berlin finished the first quarter with a slender lead.
Berlin’s enthusiastic defensive efforts limited Monaco’s scoring chances in the second quarter, Monaco’s efforts also hindered by a lack of offensive creativity and a knee injury to the recently prolific Dwayne Bacon.
Going into the break behind, Monaco’s efforts at getting back into the contest were in vain. Berlin’s stubborn defensive efforts continued to frustrate the Principality side, although James did find some joy, especially within the key.
Berlin’s game management was excellent, gradually increasing their lead throughout the fixture, being proactive in preventing opportunities for the opposition, and showing a cutting edge in attack that was ultimately unmatched.
Monaco decreased the deficit in the final quarter, but Berlin ran out comfortable winners, the Germans masterfully keeping the Roca team at arm’s length all night.
Post-match Obradovic reflected on the recent upheaval at the club, and how that has affected on-court displays. “For sure, changing managers is never easy. You sometimes need some to adapt to new ideas, maybe a new philosophy, a new way of playing.”
Despite that, Obradovic believes that his side are heading in the right direction. “I could see some improvements today… We suffered in the end because of little things.”
Obradovic has the chance to quickly turn things around, as the games continue to come thick and fast. The Roca team next faces a trip to Fos-sur-Mer on Boxing Day.

 
Photo source: AS Monaco Basketball