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Having taken French cuisine to Japan, Joel Robuchon is now bringing Japanese cuisine to Monaco with his new restaurant called Yoshi. It's set to open in the Metropole Hotel in September and adds a new dimension to the other Japanese restaurants already established in the Principality. We now have the option to be able to dine on raw fish in a different place every day of the week.

If you're interested in opening a new night club in Monaco, the Principality wants to hear from you. A section of Port Hercule, between the Stade Nautique and Rascasse corner, has been opened up to new businesses, and all the leases have been taken apart from one. With a surface of just over 800 square meters, the new night club will be on the same block as the recently opened Brasserie de Monaco, Tartine Monaco and Zest.

La Tavernetta, a bar and restaurant in the old town, has recently been sold. There are lots of restaurants in this district of Monaco, on top of what we call the Rocher, or Rock, where you'll also find the Prince's Palace and the Oceanographic Museum. It's a popular destination for tourists who like to have lunch or refreshments at one of the cafes in the quaint, narrow streets.

The new micro brewery, Brasserie de Monaco, is fast becoming a favourite place for refreshment in the Port Hercule area. There are 3 beers on tap; "blonde" lager type, "ambree" ale type, and "blanche" light beer. Special brews will be added to the menu for seasonal occasions. Besides the beer being organic, the brewers are sourcing as much raw material as possible from local suppliers in France and Italy.

Residents of Monaco may remember La Porte d'Or, the Vietnamese and Chinese restaurant on rue Grimaldi that closed its doors a couple of years ago . Although located on a busy road, it was nonetheless appreciated as an alternative to the ubiquitous Franco/Italian restaurants and expensive gastronomic places. The good news is that the lease has recently been taken on by a new proprietor, so hopefully we'll soon see its golden gates opening again.

Bloody Lobster... no, we're not fed up of seeing large crustaceans wherever we go in Monte Carlo. It's the name of a new cocktail invented by the barman at the American Bar and based on the traditional Bloody Mary. In addition to the usual ingredients, the new creation includes fresh, homemade lobster stock and it's finished off with a real lobster's head delicately balanced on the rim of the glass.

Google maps are being updated for Monaco. We've noticed some slight changes recently such as the old Quai des Sanbarbani in Fontvieille finally being renamed the Quai Jean Charles Rey. Some footpaths have also been added to the Fontvieille area in the apartments complex, the Princess Grace Rose Garden, and around the Circus Tent. Still no sign of the Port Hercule extension tho'.

The new harbour extension has finally been given its street name, despite it still not being mapped by Google. The quayside will be called Quai Rainier III, named after the father of our current Prince Albert II. Prince Rainier was often referred to as the "builder Prince" because during his reign there was a huge amount of construction carried out to develop Monaco. The extended harbour has allowed Monaco to double its port capacity and to welcome larger cruise ships and yachts. Its construction started in 1999 while Prince Rainier was still alive.

Regular visitors to Monaco will have wondered what happened to Black Diamond, the Lebanese restaurant and night club on rue du Portier. If you've been in Monaco as long as us, you'll also remember it in its previous life as the Point Rouge. In Spring 2008, Black Diamond closed its doors and it's just re-opened with a complete refurbishment and new name, NoTime. Cuisine in the new place will be modern Asian, and it's part of the same group as Avenue 31 and Beefbar.