Alexandre Nicolas

The Climb

Restaurant kitchens at Maison Blanche shaped the early standard for Alexandre Nicolas, first as Chef de Partie in 1998–1999 and then as Sous Chef in 2000–2001. That span established the fundamentals that define line work: precision, service rhythm, hierarchy, and the accumulation of skill through repetition. Technical range and composure came into sharper focus at the Sanderson Hotel, where Alexandre Nicolas served as Executive Sous Chef in 2003–2007. He then moved to Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester as Sous Chef in 2007–2008, before taking over as Head Chef at Restaurant Spoon Paris in 2008–2009. Each step widened the brief and raised the level of responsibility. Major hotels and international posts continued that progression. Alexandre Nicolas led the kitchens as Executive Chef at Renaissance Paris Nobel Tour Eiffel Hotel in 2009–2010, then at W Hotel Saint Petersbourg in 2010–2012, and later at The Bulgari Hotel and Residences London in 2012–2017. The sequence shows a chef moving through demanding addresses where execution had to hold up under scrutiny. Today, since 2021, Alexandre is Executive Chef of The Ivy West Street & Ivy Member Club.

Today

The 2021 London appointment spans The Ivy, West Street and the members’ club, two connected rooms under one address. It places Alexandre Nicolas in a setting that rewards consistency: cooking that relies on seasonality, but is backed by years spent inside polished, exacting kitchens.

Signature

Roasted wild sea bass, minestrone broth and basil and chimichurri sauce point to the center of Alexandre Nicolas’s cooking: ingredient-led, cleanly composed, and built around freshness rather than excess. The dish name does the work plainly, which matches the way he frames food—clear, seasonal, and unforced.

In Their Words “Simplicity in the execution. Use the ingredients when they are at their best and in the correct season. As a chef I have to respect nature and ingredients. I cook with passion and naturally.” “My favourite recipe at the moment is chimichurri sauce.”

Recognition

The 2021 Executive Chef appointment follows previous Executive Chef experience in London. That places the current role within a longer line of work in the city, where standards are high and the margin for error is narrow. Across those postings, Alexandre Nicolas has kept to a consistent method: seasonality, restraint, and execution that does not need noise to register.