Walking through the doors of Marcel Ravin’s freshly revamped Blue Bay feels like entering a sanctuary dedicated to Créole and Mediterranean cuisine. Design-wise, it’s akin to wandering into a traditional type of housing found throughout the old French colonies, called a case, a structure that is deeply ingrained into Créole customs. With Blue Bay, Ravin takes diners on simultaneous transatlantic and pan-Mediterranean voyages, reflecting his Martinican roots and where he has chosen to lay them: Monte Carlo.
The design of the place evokes the five elements: water, rock, metal, wind and fire, reminiscent of Martinique’s landscape and environment, a volcanic, rocky island set amidst the deep blue of the Caribbean Sea and brushed by the Easterly trade winds. While his education and experience mostly took place in France, it’s clear Marcel belongs to Martinique.
Marcel’s vision, he tells me as I sip on my Rhum Arrange, “was to bring some Caribbean warmth to my guest via my cooking whilst ensuring a Mediterranean twist. Above all, I wanted to put forward my personal story and experiences”. This feeling is heightened the evening I visit, with special Créole on offer. This menu, he goes on to say, “is a reflection of my time spent in Martinique and the vivid memories I have of my grandmother Yvanesse’s cooking”.
Marcel’s journey into gastronomy was tortuous and atypical. Having never been formally trained or mentored by an influential chef, like many of his peers, he had to reinvent himself to stand out and make his mark. Perhaps his catalyst for success came when Alain Ducasse told him to embrace his unique story and experience and communicate that to his diners. That invaluable advice served him handsomely, with Blue Bay’s accolades speaking for themselves: two Michelin Stars and three Gault & Millau Toques. Marcel has worked himself to be one of the great chefs of the last decade.
The evening’s special Créole menu is a journey of discovery capturing some of the island’s treasures beautifully: leafy mornes upon which organic vegetable patches are cultivated, flowing rivers, choucou-producing rainforests, mangroves that clams call home, and white powdery sandy seabeds upon which majestic conches settle. Each dish is a representation of Marcel’s story and builds in the riches that Martinique has to offer. The food is resoundingly tasty, light, well-worked and impeccably presented.
With Blue Bay, Marcel has weaved himself into the fabric of great culinary institutions and now ranks amongst the prestigious Les Grande Table du Monde ranking.
To find out more about Blue Bay and book, visit the links below:
Blue Bay Marcel Ravin
Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort
40 Av. Princesse Grace
98000 Monaco
Web: montecarlosbm.com/le-blue-bay
Tel: +377 98 06 03 60
Online Booking: sevenrooms.com
Instagram: @bluebaymarcelravin