“It was really unexpected”, he says, reclining in one of the coffee-coloured armchairs on the hotel’s first floor. “To be recognised for your work by peers in the business is an absolute honour”. But why does he think he came out on top, when the award often goes to more well established hoteliers? “I think it’s because I’ve overseen a lot of firsts,” he says, after reflection. “We’ve done a lot for the environment, we’ve brought down water and energy usage, we’ve has some wonderful events, we’ve worked a lot on selling Monaco as a destination, I believe we’re seen as being ‘the ministy of ideas’ here.”

Internal dissent

And ideas were just what the establishment needed, after internal problems and murmurings of the place being up for sale. Aspegren does not shy away from this reality, but says, “During the ’79 oil crisis in France, they said: ‘We may not have petrol, but we have ideas.’ We’re the same here. We’re in the more discreet side of Monaco, without casinos and money behind us, but we have imagination.” And imagination is certainly evident in the restaurant.

We sat with a view over the terrace, and began with the hotel’s signature champagne and rose liqueur cocktail, created for the anniversary of Princess Grace’s death. Next were platters of buttery foie gras, followed by a lighty battered fillet of seabass, on a bed of mashed potatoes and warm stuffed green olives. Just when we thought it was all over, the cutlery changes and out of the kitchen comes tender succulent lamb, with a side of golden brown polenta. And to finish us off, an elegant martini glass filled with a soft meringue floating on whipped cream and cheese, topped with impossibly delicate pink spun sugar. Needless to say, still sitting wedged into the table, we spoke to chef Laurent Sturbois who has been here for five years now. “I come from a classic French style, having trained under top chefs in Paris, but here, given that we have a lot of Anglo-Saxon clientele and quite a few from over the border, the mix is English/French/Italian.” In fact, not to do things by halves, Sturbois has an Italian chef who prepares his own authentic menu for his compatriots.

British on the menu

And the Brits are cetainly well catered for too: Friday lunch-time it’s fish and chips – “but done well,” chef insists – and Sunday dinner is roast beef and homemade Yorkshire puddings! “I’m not into molecular cooking, it’s not my thing,” Sturbois says, though he can clearly turn his hand to impressive gastronomy. “Most of the time, when people come out for a meal, they don’t want to have to concentrate or have to try and guess what they’re eating. They want simple, good food, and we offer that.”

Seasonal fare

Needless to say, Sturbois’s kitchen sticks to very fresh, seasonal ingredients, and he tries his best to use regional produce. For Christmas, the brasserie will of course be offering the traditional turkey dinner, with a mouth watering caramelised quince dessert to really send you off with the festive spirit.

“A good hotel should feel like an old slipper,” says Manager Aspegren, and although the Columbus is more chic than any slipper I’ve ever owned, I can see what he’s getting at. The place is soft, warm and comfortable. The food is good, the service is wonderful and the atmosphere is calming.

And if it’s true that a hotel can have a soul, then the Columbus is well on its way to capturing that.

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