Editorial Review

This rakishly chic new Mandarin Oriental joins the new religion of resolutely modern glamour; there's not lick of toile de jouy to be found anywhere. Located just a few posh boutiques away from that other bastion of unapologetic opulence, Le Ritz, the Mandarin ups the razzle dazzle of its Rue Saint Honore address in, shall we say, a decidedly less grandiloquent manner. Brightly decorated (by Sybille de Margerie) rooms flaunt elegant Art Deco touches, and the usual array of paintings of stuffy old aristos make way here for an exquisitely sensual selection of Man Ray photos; you might, in fact be sharing a room with Kiki de Montparnasse. Standing most strikingly athwart all the old pomp is star chef Thierry Marx's Sur Mesure restaurant, stripped down to a minimalist cool of greys and whites by designer Patrick Jouin. Surreal cloud sculptures adorn the walls, reminding you that French cuisine is likely as close as our earthly selves will ever get to Heaven.