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Interview: Samy Sass on his new restaurant, The Niwaki

by: Cassandra Tanti
07/08/2022

Almost 30 years after the opening of Monaco’s most iconic night venue Sass Café, Samy Sass has embraced his love of Japan to create a new restaurant, The Niwaki, a place that he says was “written in the stars”.

Located on Avenue Princess Grace, opposite Larvotto beach, on the ground floor of the beautiful new Palais de la Plage, The Niwaki is Monaco’s latest hot spot, where lovers of Japanese cuisine – and those looking to enjoy great ambiance – come together in an exclusive environment.

The restaurant, like the art of niwaki (tree shaping), is guided by serenity, patience, and attention to detail, offering Nippon contemporary Japanese cuisine with Mediterranean influences.

And after multiple travels to the land of the rising sun, Samy Sass believes he has come up with the perfect recreation right here in Monaco.

Monaco Life: You and your father are most well-known for the iconic, celebrity-filled Sass Café. When did that open and why did you decide to go in a different direction with this restaurant?

Samy Sass: Sass Café opened its doors in 1993, so next year will be the 30th anniversary. Sass Café is a family establishment – a restaurant, lounge and party all rolled into one. But me, I am passionate about food. I am a foodie.

It was always my dream to open a concept place, particularly Japanese. I’m a huge fan, I’ve been to Japan many times.

After consulting for SBM for five years, and collaborating with Jimmy’z and La Vigie Restaurant and Lounge, I decided to start my own collaboration with partners Dean Carr and Daryl Foster.

© Fabbio Galatioto

Why this location on Avenue Princess Grace?

I was actually conceived in the building next door, I was born in the nearby Estoril building (on this avenue), and I grew up in my mum’s place here on Avenue Princesse Grace. The cherry on the cake is that The Niwaki is at number 37 Avenue Princesse Grace, and 37 is the year my dad was born. So, there we go, it was written in the stars!

During Covid, I discovered that this building opportunity was coming up. I knew the owner and asked him to keep me posted, which he did. I really liked the space and we signed the agreement two days before Christmas 2020, which was the worst timing, but at some point, you just need to take a risk.

We are next to the new Mareterra district, the new Larvotto Plage, and Testimonio II. We have a great location.

Did signing a real estate deal in the middle of a global pandemic play in your favour?

Yes and no. He was happy with the project and I was happy with the conditions. It took us 15 to 16 months to open. But it was always Japan, it was my dream to open a Japanese restaurant and a very Japanese-styled space.

The design is very serene, minimalist, and calming. Is that the ambiance you were going for?

Yes, I wanted to create something that you don’t find anywhere else in Monaco or the South of France. As you can see, the design is very pure and minimalist, very Japanese. We have the wood, the marble, the onyx, and the stone going through the to upper level.

Looking at the big picture, we may want to expand the brand if all goes well here.

It is indeed understated elegance…

Exactly. If you ask me if we’re a gastronomic restaurant, we are not. If you ask me if we are a regular restaurant, we are not. I’m trying to position myself in between – fine dining, but not over the top.

© Fabbio Galatioto

The menu looks beautiful – from the Osciètre Caviar, truffle calamari, and Wagyu tartare, to lobster tempura, chicken Katsu and salmon sashimi… How do you describe the menu?

Japanese fine dining. I don’t think it’s fusion, but you can find things that at first appearance don’t seem Japanese, but they are. I wouldn’t say our menu is 100% Japanese, but its close. Its Japanese contemporary cuisine.

How much influence have you had on the menu creation?

I rely on the team, but we do work together. I have had these ideas since day one. I gave them the DNA, and we worked with that.  We have Corporate Chef Shahar Dahan and Executive Sushi Chef Wagner Spadacio. The more brains behind this, the better it is.

The sushi chef is actually Brazilian, he grew up in Sao Paolo, where there is the biggest Japanese community outside of Japan.

We also have an Italian pastry chef who is very good. So, it’s a very international team.

Do you have a sushi counter?

Yes, we have a counter for six seats, so this is an experience. You can see the way the chefs work and interact; you can see the production of the restaurant. Most of the people who sit there are not eating off the menu, the chef is taking the lead. It’s like art.

We have part of the menu called the Chef’s Touch. It is the addition of the chef’s daily inspiration so if, for example, you order nigiri sushi, you will not have the same at the table as at the counter. It’s eaten just the way it comes, no need to add soya sauce or anything.

It’s a beautiful room, you really feel like you’re in Japan. It’s a different experience. People really love having the food served up in front of them.

© Fabbio Galatioto

Let talk about the bar/lounge. Can you drink there without having to eat?

Yes. I think the lounge will be discovered more in the winter though. When it gets colder, guests will want to have an apero at the bar while waiting for a table.

But we have a great wine list that matches our menu, and we have great sakis as well.

How did you decide on the name of the restaurant?

The name is important. As I always liked the trees in Japan, I found niwaki, which is the art of pruning a tree into a cloud shape. Then that led to the logo of the tree, which is now our brand.”

You are somewhat of a Monaco icon. Do you feel like you had higher expectations coming into this?

Sass is a family business, and my dad and I are above the business. We are a brand. But The Niwaki is another concept, different from the other places I’m involved in. I’m a partner, and I come and see the customers, but I don’t spend as much time here as I do at Sass. We have a great management team here, great staff.

 

The Niwaki is open seven days a week for dinner. Reservations are encouraged to avoid disappointment.

 

Click on the gallery below to see more images of The Niwaki, photos © Fabbio Galatioto… 

Video: A day in the life of Charles Leclerc

by: Cassandra Tanti
04/08/2022

A YouTube video in which Charles Leclerc shares a glimpse of his daily life in Monaco has gone viral in just 24-hours, showing just how popular the Ferrari Formula 1 driver – and Monaco – are among fans.

The 15-minute vlog, posted to Charles Leclerc’s personal YouTube channel on Wednesday 3rd August, follows the 24-year-old throughout the course of one day as he lives his normal daily life in the country he was born and resides.

It begins with the training – and there is a lot of training – and continues to where Leclerc buys his groceries, to how he likes to spend his summer evenings with family and friends.

Leclerc begins the day playing padel with his brothers Arthur and Lorenzo, who he describes as “very competitive”. The brothers share a snapshot of what it was like growing up in a racing family (Charles’ father Hervé raced in F3, as does his younger brother Arthur), and how that spurred them on to be the men they are today.

The video is a beautiful showcase of Monaco, as a trek up to the Tête de Chien with personal trainer and close friend Andrea Ferrari reveals that jaw-dropping birds-eye view of the Principality.

“Monaco is the country where I was born and lived all my life, it is the country that I love,” Leclerc tells the camera.

Charles Leclerc’s confused look as he shops for groceries at the Casino supermarket. Photo: snapshot of the YouTube vlog

We see him freezing his Ferrari socks off in Cryotherapy at the Thermes Marines Monte-Carlo, and at the new Cars Collection of HSH Prince of Monaco, highlighting his first ever racing car, an Alfa Romeo, that he owns and donated to the museum. “I have always dreamed of being an F1 driver, and with this car, my dream came true, which is amazing. But I had another dream, which was to win a Formula 1 race, and this is the car with which I did it,” he says, pointing to the Ferrari with which he won Monza in 2019. “It is probably the best memory I have of Formula 1,” smiles Leclerc, who is currently second in the F1 standings, 80 points behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

Viewers are even given a glimpse of Leclerc’s apartment, the piano that he learnt to play during lockdown, and the Casino supermarket at Port Hercule where he buys his groceries.

But as normal as his day seems thus far, it is how Charles Leclerc ends his day that is perfectly Monegasque – on a yacht, cruising the Mediterranean with his friends and family, dropping anchor at La Reserve de la Mala, and swimming in the warm, turquoise waters of Cap d’Ail with girlfriend Charlotte Sinne. “I’m a family guy, I love family. I want three children,” he reveals, before racing back to Monaco at dusk, the Principality shining in its golden, illuminated glory.

Within 24 hours, the video had been viewed almost 1.2 million times.

“Not the content we would expect, but we really needed something like this, Merci Charles!” summed up a fan.

Watch the video here:

Which superyachts will line Monaco’s harbour this year?

by: Cassandra Tanti
04/08/2022

The “Queen” of this year’s Monaco Yacht Show is set to be the enormous 115m Ahpo, a Lürssen megayacht featuring fuel cell technology. Here are some others that have made the list so far.

It’s not a complete list, but a pretty good taster of what’s to come. The Monaco Yacht Show (MYS), taking place from 28th September to 1st October, on Wednesday revealed the confirmed superyachts that will be on site for the event, with brokers expected to add more as the time draws nearer.

Over a hundred superyachts will be at the show, including 32 new builds.

Among them are Soaring, a 68m Abeking & Rasmussen superyacht featuring exceptional design and sporty lines. Built in 2020, it is also fetching an exceptional price of between 80-100€ million. For that, you get luxury accommodation for up to 12 guests in six staterooms, a lavish spa and beach club. It also goes for 500K a week to rent.

At about a tenth of the price is the 50m Arbema, built in 2008 and due to complete her most recent refit in the coming weeks.

The AAA will be among the superyachts to feature at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show

Meanwhile, the 2021-built AAA is the perfect incarnation of a classic Mangusta, a pure state-of-the-art superyacht. Priced at between 20-30€ million, the vessel features no less that two jacuzzis and a massage room.

But it is the 115.1m Ahpo which is expected to steal the show. The bespoke superyacht built by Lürssen was designed to enable a healthy and family-focussed life on board, hence the extra large gym on the sky lounge deck and the spacious wellness area on the lower deck. It’s modern technology also allows, for example, electronic anchoring in sensitive and remote areas, protecting the seabed. a

Buyers, charterers and pleasure-seekers can come and take a look at the varied collection of yachts in the dockside area, with all boats starting at 22-metres in length, 10 of which are sailing craft.

Tenders are also being listed on the MYS website, and will be displayed in two places during the show, on Quai Jarian and Quai Antoine 1er in the new Adventure Area exhibition.

For a full list and more info, visit the event’s website on https://www.monacoyachtshow.com/

 

 

 

Top photo: Ahpo super yacht. Article by Cassandra Tanti and Stephanie Horsman

 

 

 

 

New report questions “Blue Carbon” effectiveness

by: Stephanie Horsman
04/08/2022

Restoring coastal vegetation, commonly called “blue carbon” habitats, may not be working in quite the way it was hoped it would, according to a new report by researchers, who are calling the practice “risky”.

The restoration of coastal areas such as mangroves, saltmarshes and seagrasses have long been thought useful in the removal of large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But scientists from the University of East Anglia (UEA), the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the OACIS initiative of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation are challenging this view after completing a study which has just been published in the journal Frontiers in Climate.

It identifies seven reasons why carbon accounting for these coastal ecosystems is not only a big challenge but may also be harmful. They include the high variability in carbon burial rates, continued vulnerability to climate change, and fluctuations in methane and nitrous oxide output. The researchers also assessed the costs of these restoration projects.

“If you want to have extra carbon removal, you need extra habitat, and the scope for restoration is limited. Many of these sites have been built on, for coastal settlement, tourism and port development,” said Lead author Dr. Phil Williamson. “Nevertheless, we believe that every effort should be made to halt, and wherever possible reverse, the worldwide loss of coastal vegetation. That’s because blue carbon habitats are more than carbon stores – they also provide storm protection, support biodiversity and fisheries, and improve water quality.”

As more countries and businesses pledge to reduce carbon footprints, knowing what actually works and what doesn’t is important.

“If we use these ecosystems for carbon offsets in a major way, expecting that they would remove up to, say, 100 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide over the period 2025-2100, but find they only remove 10 or maybe just one gigatonne of CO2, then climate tipping points could be crossed, with really serious consequences,” said Dr. Williamson.

“Restoration should therefore be in addition to, not as a substitute for, near-total emission reductions. Where coastal blue ecosystems restoration projects are carried out primarily for carbon removal, they need to include comprehensive long-term monitoring to verify that the intended climate benefits are being achieved.”

Grace de Monaco launches new silk collection

by: Stephanie Horsman
04/08/2022

A new three-design silk collection has been released by the “luxury-for-good” brand Grace de Monaco, inspired by the Mediterranean lifestyle and Princess Grace’s inimitable style.

Comprised of scarves and twillies, the glamour, colours and romance of the Med are used to great effect in the making of these lovely pieces.

The Côte d’Azur design summons thoughts of sun-bleached beaches and blue waters as ochre and blue are intertwined in an elegant fashion statement.

The Promenade silk is a modern take on the floral bouquet from the Promenade sur le Rocher collection using a muted colour palette and stylised flowers. The Casino Silk is bold and regal using royal blue and gold with a leaf patten juxtaposed against the brand’s logo.

The pieces are hand screened with great care in Italy and based on the art of Jerome Faillant-Dumas.

This new collection is a fine addition to the brand’s fragrances, scented candles and diffusers and is well in line with the philosophy of Grace de Monaco as a “luxury-for-good” brand.

All revenue from the sale of Grace de Monaco products goes toward her legacy of supporting the stars of tomorrow from the worlds of theatre, dance and film via the Princess Grace Foundation USA.

For more information, visit the Grace de Monaco website by clicking here.

 

ASM season preview: Are Clement’s men in the title fight?

by: Luke Entwistle
04/08/2022

The curtain will rise on AS Monaco’s Ligue 1 season with a trip to Strasbourg on Saturday. Can Philippe Clement’s men challenge PSG, who reigned supreme last year?

Speaking at a press conference, which inaugurated the beginning of pre-season back in June, sporting director Paul Mitchell said that the objective was to “improve” on last season. Given that Monaco finished on the Ligue 1 podium last season, “improvement”, at least on a domestic level, can reasonably be interpreted as mounting a title push.

PSG will once again begin the season as hot favourites, and few would bet against them winning consecutive Ligue 1 titles, and their eighth in the last 10 seasons. The club have invested smartly during the transfer window. Vitinha, Hugo Ekitike and Nordi Mukiele bolster a team that is already primed to compete for the top honours in European football. Should the arrivals of Milan Skriniar and Renato Sanches also be confirmed, they would represent a truly terrifying outfit.

There are, however, uncertainties going into the upcoming campaign. New manager Christophe Galtier has never handled a team full of international stars. Undoubtedly a shrewd technician, a different kind of challenge awaits the Frenchman at the Parc des Princes. Time will tell how he rises to it.

Should that appointment not work out, it is hard to argue that anyone other than Monaco are best place to profit from any slip-up. Despite losing their talisman in Aurélien Tchouaméni, few, if any of their rivals, have invested as smartly as Monaco, although gaps do admittedly remain.

A forward line consisting of Kylian Mbappé, Neymar and Lionel Messi cannot be rivalled, but on paper, it is hard to see anyone other than the current French champions scoring more than Monaco this season. The fourth highest scorers during last season’s campaign, Monaco have strengthened further in the forward department.

Both Takumi Minamino and Breel Embolo arrive with elite international and European-level experience as well as with a point to prove. They are both arriving in the prime of their career and looking to take on a more prominent role. That applies particularly to Minamino, who after dazzling at Red Bull Salzburg and whilst at Southampton on loan, saw his game time heavily constrained at Liverpool.

Whilst Monaco have a wealth of attacking options, including the returning Krépin Diatta, who Mitchell said would feel like a “new signing,” their midfield, and potentially defensive options still need enhancing.

Tchouaméni has yet to be replaced, although the club are heavily linked with a move for Leicester’s Boubakary Soumaré. Regardless of his arrival, there is an expectation that others will have to step up to bridge that deficit. Chief amongst them is Youssouf Fofana, who will be looking to pick up where he left off after hitting a purple patch at the end of last season. Youngsters Eliot Matazo and Félix Lemarechal can also expect to feature more prominently. Replacing Tchouaméni won’t be the role of an individual, but of the entire team.

Whilst Monaco have great depth in both full-back positions, the same cannot necessarily be said about centre-back. Given that Monaco will compete in some level of European competition next season, the trio of Axel Disasi, Guillermo Maripán and Benoît Badiashile, may not give them the required depth to compete on all fronts. The future of the latter also remains unclear, and given many top club’s need for a quality centre-back, those rumours will likely drag on until the end of the transfer window. Whether he goes or stays, Monaco may still be a player short in that department.

However, overall, Monaco fare better than most. Closest rivals Marseille, Rennes and Nice have not had transfer windows as plentiful as the Monégasques. The latter in particular have struggled to recruit, and given that they will compete in the Europa Conference League next season, they currently don’t have the depth to compete on all fronts.

“Improvement” as Mitchell puts it, is very much within this squad’s capabilities, especially now that Clement has a full pre-season under his belt as Monaco manager. The Belgian technician certainly showed enough promise last season to suggest that Monaco fans should be excited.

That bubble of excitement could, however, be easily burst, with Monaco facing an incredibly tough start to the season. As well as facing six of last season’s top eight in the first seven Ligue 1 fixtures, Monaco must also try and succeed where they failed last campaign, by qualifying for the Champions League. Their route into the group stages will be tough. Having drawn PSV in the third round, they must first beat their Dutch opponents before also advancing in the fourth round, where they will face either Rangers or Union Saint Gilloise.

The club’s relentless start to the campaign does abate after the September international break. The hope will be that Monaco are still alive and kicking on all fronts when that (slight) respite arrives.

The title may be a step too far for Monaco. PSG, on their day, are a tough match for every elite side in Europe. The key for Monaco will be keeping within striking distance so that should they slip-up, should the Galtier appointment prove to be a failed gamble, they will be the ones to profit. As is the case every season, there is a feeling of opportunity and optimism going into the opening weekend, it is now up to Clement’s men to keep that feeling alive as they head into “the sprint within a marathon.”

 

 

Photo source: AS Monaco football club