The Mirazur Restaurant

The Mirazur is home to Chef Mauro Colegreco, an Argentinean who has transplanted himself to this wonderful place. Chef has recently been named the best in France, and the restaurant is rated as one of the top 50 in the world.

It did not disappoint.

This dining experience was my 45^th birthday present from Paul. He sure has something to live up to for the future!

Upon entry, we were greeted by a wonderful hostess who escorted us from the front foyer up a sweeping spiral staircase to the mezzanine level. There an unparalleled view of Garavan bay, across the sea from Italy to the old town awaited us (admittedly, it is almost the exact same view as from our apartment, just up a little higher!). We were seated at (what we think!) was their finest table, me facing South West towards town and Paul South East, overlooking Queen Astrid’s Villa (the Maria Serena) and the Italian coast line. Every staff member that we passed between the door and our table said good day to us in a discrete and polite way.

Once comfortably seated and given a few moments to get accustomed to our surroundings, one of the two Sommeliers appeared and offered us some champagne. We were given a choice and both opted for the Taittinger, which was delicious (surprise). The other choice was Billecart Salmon and would have been every bit as good. We were also provided with a bottle of sparkling water, and left for some time to just take it all in.

We were overjoyed with the décor (we have peeked in many times before). It is a modern version of 1930’s deco chic; white leather chairs with contrasting black lacquered wood, crisp white linen tablecloths and napkins, white walls, natural marble floors, blue striped glass chargers and pale blue water glasses. Clear glass wine glasses, and the most stream-lined cutlery I think I have ever seen! The windows were shaded with a double layer of sleek grey on black retractable shades, which were open all the way to take in the glorious view.

Shortly, we were presented with a selection of amuse bouche to get us started. This consisted of “truffles” of shrimp bisque (hot liquid (not congealed or semi solid, but actual soup!) shrimp bisque somehow encapsulated and deep fried in an outer coating; a planche of agate stone on which sat lemon-flavoued tulles, topped with a scoop of lemon cream; and Norwegian salmon nestled on a rice chip. The presentation was just marvelous!

While enjoying these creations, the Maitre d’ appeared with our menus and took the time to discuss the various options that we had available to us. We could have A la Carte, a Formule (our choice of entree & plat or plat & dessert from the menu), the Dejeuner (entrée, plat & dessert from the menu), the Menu Decouverte (6 courses, Chef’s choice, none of the dishes on the menu), Degustation (8 courses, as above), or the Carte Blanche (10 courses, as above). We discussed the merits of each, and decided we must be willing to expand our horizons, so we selected the Menu Decouverte. The Maitre d’ confirmed that we understood that the courses are all a “surprise” and completely at the discretion of the Chef. We told him we understood.

And so it began.

Not knowing what we were going to be getting to eat did make wine selection a bit of crap-shoot though. We were advised by the second Sommelier (an exceptionally handsome (and young!) red-headed Frenchman, who seemed to be the only one of the staff who did not speak English), that our main would most likely be seafood, and therefore he did suggest a white. I inquired about rose and he seemed interested in my daring and confirmed that there were several exceptional choices that would work well (the wine list was impressive, extensive and very accommodating). Paul left it to me, and knowing Chef’s passion for local ingredients, I decided to go terroir and selected a bottle of 2010 Rimauresq Cru Classe Cotes de Provence. The Sommelier agreed with my selection and presently arrived with the bottle.

The wine drank beautifully right from opening. It was slightly dry, less fruity and less full-bodied than most roses, and worked exceptionally well with all of the courses that were to come, complementing each in a distinctive and different way. The colour was ravishing!

To help get us started, the server appeared with a warm loaf of home-made sour dough bread. It was accompanied by the Chef’s own ginger and lemon infused olive oil for dipping. We pulled the loaf apart with zeal and were soon mopping up the sumptuous drops of oil and savouring each bite.

When the appropriate time came, our server appeared with our first course.

It was a delicious salad composed of marinated fennel with shavings of heirloom carrots (both orange and purple). At the table, the server poured over a carrot juice reduction as the dressing. It was exquisite! The gentle anise flavour of the fennel and the sweetness of the carrots was an amazing juxtaposition on the tongue. They were all of a uniform crispness, which was pleasantly satisfying, and served chilled just slightly below room temperature – just enough to keep the vegetables crisp without being so cold as to jar your teeth or deaden your taste buds. The wine was excellent with it.

The next course was an absolutely gorgeous plate. It was a composition of asparagus shavings, grapefruit sections and green apple, interspersed with tender greens. The whole was brought together by a plated sweet caramel made from the reduced apple juice, accompanied with a slightly sour crème fraiche. For a garnish, chef chose beautiful purple borage flowers. This course was a real feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds. The asparagus was raw (it had not even been blanched) and the shavings were the exact same thickness as the apple slices, a small detail, but one the mouth could distinguish and a courtesy to the diner. The bitterness of the granny smith apple, the sour of the grapefruit and the slightly nutty freshness (and taste of spring) of the asparagus interplayed beautifully. The plate was served room temperature, for the ultimate flavour.

This was all accompanied by a light and most unusual savoury roll made with almonds (again, enhancing the nuttiness of the asparagus).

The next course (which turned out to be my absolute favourite amongst all the delicious things we ate) was a bowl full of textures. It was potatoes done three ways, roasted, crispy-fried and crystallized (how did he do that???), with morels, sweet peas, quinoa, spring onions and parmesan cream. It was accented by herbed foam, fresh snipped herbs and edible flowers. I truly was blown away by this dish. It was served warm, and almost comes off as a sort of vegetable stew. As I say, while the taste was amazing, everything was a different texture in the mouth, and it was heaven. The graininess of the quinoa was subtle, while the sweet peas popped and the wholesomeness of the potatoes was satisfying. As many of you know, I’m really the biggest fan of parmesan – but the smooth cream – the carrier of all the rest of the textures - was just a subtle back drop for all the other things that were going on. The morels almost disappeared in the dish, but presented a wonderful earthiness accenting the potatoes, while the onion offered a sharp cut through the heaviness of the cream. This dish was complete genius and is one that I will definitely try to re-create on my own. It was wholesome, satisfying and could become a sort of “nouveau comfort food” if I could pin its composition down.

Following this came the main protein course. It was a piece of perfectly fried Bonito tuna fillet, accompanied by a mixed green and radish salad and pureed sweet peas. The fish was delicately seasoned with nothing more than black pepper and fleur de sel. The flesh was firm with a very mild flavour, and thankfully, Chef served it cooked through, but not dry, resisting the North American ideal of raw inside (which I just hate). The pea puree was a bit curious with the fish, however its delicacy matched the flavour perfectly. The uncomplicated salad was most pleasant – but I found that the radish in it to be a little strong given the overall mild taste of the dish. It was, however, perfectly prepared and a delight to eat!

We then had the pleasure of being served a wonderful palette cleanser, which was a fennel jelly, topped with orange granita and a scoop of mascarpone mousse. The first spoonful seemed a bit odd to me, but as you continued to eat, the flavours blossomed. It was wonderfully palatable and did the job it was supposed to do.

Next came our “pre-dessert.” What a delight! An unsweetened molten chocolate cake broken into pieces, accented with bitter-sweet white chocolate mousse buttons and a quenelle of crème fraiche – all accompanied by dark chocolate craqelleure. This desert was such a surprise, because our eyes told us to expect something really sweet – but it was a lover in disguise, the chef purposely avoided the ideal of sweet and built the flavours around the natural bitter flavour of chocolate. It was a stoke of brilliance on his behalf and a really surprising treat for the diner!

Our final course was an amazing presentation of macaroons Mentonnaise (lemon flavoured macaroons), agrume scented fruit jelly, white chocolate “chips” (sweetened this time) and mousse filled chocolates. Scrumptious – and the lemon items balanced out the sweet.

We finished the meal with a cup of French coffee (espresso, really).

This was a glorious meal in a gorgeous restaurant. I can’t believe how lucky we are – just a pair of guys from Elora, to have had the honour to dine here.

But guess what? The story isn’t over….

After the bill had been paid and we were leaving, we decided to be a bit nosy and check out the banquet facilities on the lower floor, as well as check out the garden as described in the promotional pamphlet and on the web.

When we were in the banquet facilities, Chef Colagreco actually came out to meet us! He spent about 15 minutes with us, telling us about his restaurant and graciously posing for photos with us. He invited us to “make ourselves at home” and spend as long as we wanted in his garden. We were so honoured to meet him (and know that our meals had been prepared by him, not just created by him!) and be at his restaurant today. I know this is a long post, but this is one of the most memorable things that has ever happened to us – a meal in a double Michelin Star rated restaurant!

Formidable!