Mosconi: Is it really worth it?
If you've ever searched for a restaurant with sky high standards in the city than you must have come across Mosconi in the Grund. Illario and Simonetta Mosconi's first restaurant, called Domus, in Esch was opened in 1986 and then in 2000 they moved to the Grund and renamed it Mosconi. The philosophy of their restaurant remains the same, high quality ingredients prepared and presented in a way which showcases the natural excellence of the ingredients.[Please note that I am a paying customer at all my dining experiences to ensure honest reviewing. If you're impatient, scroll right down to the bottom for the final verdict!]
Upon arrival, you have to ring the bell to enter; I found this a little pretentious but I was willing to go along with it as part of the "fine dining" experience. Once you're inside, the decor is simple (mainly white), extremely polished and very elegant. Enormous arrangements of gorgeous fresh white flowers and a beautiful glass elevator right in the middle of the building for you to go up just one or two floors. There's a private room on the first floor which would be perfect for an intimate celebration or company dinner.
Something worth noting, which perhaps is particularly relevant in a multilingual country like Luxembourg, is that the staff immediately switch to the language which you and your guests are speaking in. For us it was English and I was put to ease right away at they always remembered to address us in English and a table nearby in French. A sign of a very attentive and experienced team of staff. We were offered champagne on arrival, which little did we know, was €27 euros a glass. We felt obliged as we were celebrating but in hindsight, totally unnecessary! Nonetheless, the option is there if you're feeling uber fancy. As for the menu, there is the option to order a la carte but they were also offering a 10-course tasting menu of pasta and as an absolute pasta fiend, I couldn't resist. I did wonder how I was going to fit in my trousers after 10 courses of pasta but the kind waiter reassured me that it would be just the right amount.
He was right, each course consisted of either a small mouthful of spaghetti or a few small kinds of ravioli just enough to give you a taste but not to fill you up. It's perfect if you love pasta. A lovely touch at the end is that you take home some handmade biscotti as a gift. I could not fault the service or the food, sure, the champagne was definitely eye-wateringly expensive but you're not obliged to be as naive as us!
Final verdict:Despite recently losing a Michelin star in The 2020 Michelin Guide to Luxembourg and Belgium, Mosconi is still one hell of a gastronomic experience. From the moment you ring the bell to enter to the moment the door closes behind you, the experience for me, is still the creme de la creme. If you want to celebrate a special occasion or special guests and are prepared to have your credit card melt (just a little), then this is the place I'd do it!
