The sun was shining brightly in Cannes as Monaco Life headed down to the Mondian Cannes, a five-star hotel that opened on the Croisette last spring, to sample the fresh fusion delights of Mr. Nakamoto.
The walk-up to the doors of this premium lifestyle establishment, along a wooden boardwalk and via a verdant garden that stretches back from the bustling Croisette, passes through the outdoor section of the Mondrian’s in-house restaurant, Mr. Nakamoto – our destination on an exceptionally warm day in late February.
Mr. Nakamoto, which is headed up by Chef Jean-Baptiste Guillaume, offers an invigorating blend of Mediterranean and Asian flavours.
The Carte du Midi features a mix of salads, a Poke bowl, a smoked salmon platter with Kalamansi jelly and sakura shoots, and a burger with Kimchi-mayo as well as the highly recommended and beautifully presented sushi range. The Omakase – “I leave it up to you,” in Japanese – plates would be a great choice for a sharing lunch, with a 16-piece platter costing €37 and a larger 32-piece selection priced at €69.
The lunch options are undoubtedly lighter than the evening menu, where the sushi suggestions – we tried the signature rolls with mango, tuna and asparagus, and the French sourced sea bass nigiri – sit comfortably alongside more classically French steak dishes, five-spiced coquelet, Tonkatsu pork with sour cabbage and a favourite among patrons: the lacquered black cod.
The fusion marriage of flavours and ingredients is continued into the dessert and even cocktail menus of the chef, who tells Monaco Life that the vision he has for Mr. Nakamoto takes inspiration from his many voyages and experiences across the Asian continent.
We chose a Matcha Fizz and a Kirin Ichiban to go with our meal, but could easily have been swayed by the Cho Milk Punch featuring Mezcal, yuzu, kiwi and butterfly pea flower or the Plum Manhattan with Nikki From The Barrel, Umeshu, Sakura vermouth and cherry.
Between sea and shopping
The Mondrian Cannes, which became the group’s first hotel to open on French soil back in March 2023, is found on the site of the former Grand Hôtel de Cannes, which had been the long-standing luxury hotel in the city.
It counts 75 guestrooms on its plans, each at least 35 square metres in size, and is the only hotel on the Croisette to offer direct access to both the seafront and the main shopping area of Cannes on the Rue d’Antibes.
Chef Guillaume heads up Mr. Nakamoto while Chef Jérôme Faget is in charge of the hotel’s private beach, Hyde Beach, which is located on the sandy side of the iconic Riviera boulevard. Chef Pierrick Cizeron, who has previously enjoyed a senior position at the Majestic and Gray d’Albion in Cannes, recently joined the team as the Executive Chef of the entire establishment.
Mr. Nakamoto is open seven days a week from 12pm to 2.30pm for lunch and from 6pm until 10.30pm for the dinner service. Click here for reservations or more information about the restaurant and the hotel.
See more of our experience in the Instagram reel below…
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Photos courtesy of Emma Lab