Sunday brunch is often a spectacle of abundance. At Pavyllon Monte-Carlo, they have taken a different view entirely. Inside the elegant dining room of the Hôtel Hermitage, the traditional buffet has been replaced with a plated, à la carte format — every dish arriving exactly as the kitchen intends it, at the right moment, in the right condition. It is the kind of precision you would expect from a restaurant bearing the signature of Yannick Alléno.

Served every Sunday between midday and 3pm, it means no queuing, no silver lids to lift — only a succession of dishes prepared to order and brought directly to the table. The pace is deliberate, the sequencing considered, giving the kitchen full control over how each course is received.

Six months ago, day-to-day direction of that kitchen passed to Hendry Angwe Mezah, whose career in Monaco has included time at Le Louis XV at the Hôtel de Paris. His familiarity with seafood and produce of this coastline informs the brunch menu in subtle ways, grounding the experience firmly in its Mediterranean setting.

Before you begin

A word of warning, offered with the best intentions: approach the pastries with restraint.

This is the only moment in the meal that nods to buffet tradition, inviting you up from the table to the counter where golden viennoiseries, still fragrant and delicately crisp, sit beside homemade sugarless “modern fruit jellies” and freshly churned, Pavyllon-branded butter. It is all dangerously good, particularly the apple slipper with cinnamon.

It takes serious discipline not to load your plate. But the courses that follow are generous and carefully paced, and you will want to leave yourself room to do them justice.

Course by course

A fritto misto of fish and vegetables arrives first from the kitchen — properly crunchy, greaseless, served with a gourmet mayonnaise. A shard pie follows, its pastry impossibly thin, the filling deeply flavoured.

Then comes a choice between two egg dishes: the signature poached egg on Greek bread with a Béarnaise and  tomato Choron sauce — a personal favourite of the chef — or the egg on crispy croissant with avocado. Both have their advocates, and both demonstrate the kind of technical attention that separates this kitchen from most.

The mains are where Chef Mezah’s Mediterranean sensibility takes full hold. A braised seabass arrives with nothing superfluous on the plate. The Bresse poultry with macaroni gratin is exactly as good as the reputation of Bresse chicken demands — rich, deeply flavoured, the gratin providing exactly the right weight alongside it. The Provençal agnolotti, meanwhile, is the kind of dish that reminds you why this region has always produced food worth travelling for.

The finale

Dessert at Pavyllon brunch does not arrive quietly. The giant île flottante is served tableside, the silky crème anglaise and pillowy meringue finished with maple syrup and walnut praline. It is theatrical in the best sense — a moment rather than just a course — and it tastes as good as it looks. Seasonal cooked fruits offer a lighter counterpoint alongside it.

A winning formula

The decision to serve brunch entirely à la carte rather than as a buffet is the detail that makes everything else possible. At Michelin-star level, a buffet presents an almost irreconcilable tension — the format demands volume and display, while the kitchen’s instinct is toward precision and control. A dish designed to sit in a bain-marie for 40 minutes is a fundamentally different proposition to one that travels 30 seconds from pass to plate. At Pavyllon Monte-Carlo, every dish arrives as the kitchen intends it: at the right temperature, in the right condition, with nothing lost in transit.

“Buffets often lead to waste because there is always the desire to create a ‘wow’ effect with an abundant display,” Chef Mezah tells me. “It requires a lot of preparation and large quantities of food, and unfortunately much of it can end up being thrown away. Here, we focus more on precision. Guests can choose from many options, but in return, we significantly reduce food waste.”

The result is a brunch that feels genuinely indulgent without ever tipping into excess — which is, when you think about it, exactly what a Sunday should be.

Pavyllon Monte-Carlo, Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo. Every Sunday until 31st May, 12pm to 3pm. €145 per person including juice, champagne and hot drinks. Children aged 6-12: €60. Under 6: free. Reservations: +377 98 06 98 98.

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Main photo of Chef Hendry Angwe Mezah, credit: Cassandra Tanti