Mirazur, Menton 9

Even though Mirazur is one of our most frequent blogposts (this is the ninth) and one of the best restaurants in our region, we had not been there for over three years when Linda and I returned for lunch on September 21, 2017.

We were seated by the window in the front corner of the dining room with its great view towards Menton.

The chef offered glasses of Alexandre-Penet Champagne. A nice start.  A freshly baked warm loaf of “sharing bread,” a custom from Argentina, like the chef, arrived with a dipping bowl of Mirazur’s lemon and ginger olive oil.

The Canapés de réception were:
a savory boudin blanc macaron with a Granny Smith and boudin noir filling;

a cured sardine;

the skeleton was completely softened and easy to eat; lovely fresh flavor;

a beet root gel with a dab of goat cheese;

a “little club sandwich,” which had caramelized bacon on top of avocado mousse and little salad pieces;

a kohlrabi snail filled with little herbs and flowers.

We ordered the Menu Inspiration and a bottle of Les Deux Montilles white Burgundy. 

The menu proper started with
Émietté de tourteau et gamberoni de San Remo
Hibiscus, voile de navet

I forgot to take a photo until after I had started eating, which was probably a good thing, as otherwise you would just have seen the white dome of the turnip veil sprinkled with hibiscus powder on top. Underneath were local pink shrimp with shredded crab, grapefruit pieces and a hibiscus gel.

Courge de notre jardin
Sauge et sirop d’érable

Dried, but still supple, pieces of squash, porcini and ham were formed into a loose picturesque and tasty ball. Underneath was a sauce with crème fraîche and many types of grains. I did not detect the sage or maple syrup in the menu title.

The bread basket was passed.

Betterave en croûte de sel
Sauce au caviar Schrenkii



We had been shown a beet root which was 2½ years old, having been lifted and replanted at one year. A beet like it had been roasted in a salt crust and sliced into thin sheets. Some were presented in a loose mound with a lovely color. At the table, crème fraîche with farmed Chinese caviar was spooned over it. This was elegant and delicious.

Calamar de Bordighera
Sauce Bagna Cauda

A local squid had been grilled and sliced into long, thin strips. They were on top of a sauce traditionally made with garlic, anchovies, olive oil, and butter. We were told to eat them like pasta, rolled around our fork. On the side were rice and squid ink chips on artichoke purée. I really liked this dish with its clear, fresh flavors.

Espadon
Purée d’ail noir et sauce hollandaise à la réglisse

A chunk of grilled swordfish was served with a licorice hollandaise sauce, a dab of black garlic purée, baby leeks and green herbs. The swordfish was good, but a bit dry; it could not profit properly from the hollandaise which had too strong a licorice flavor.

Agneau de Sisteron
Déclinaison d’aubergines

A pink chunk of good lamb was accompanied by eggplant in several forms. This classic combination was richer than the previous dishes.
We had finished our white wine and so with this I had a glass of 2014 Domaine de Begude Bandol Rouge. Good. 

The good-looking cheese tray was presented, but we declined.

The pre-dessert was
Premiers Kakis
Crème d’Armagnac Laberdolive 1995, fleur de romarin

A piece of ripe persimmon was accompanied by a brandied cream with walnuts.

Chocolat
Romarin, brûlé, huile d’olive

Underneath the chocolate mousse cover were more chocolate and rosemary ice cream.

Chef Mauro Colagreco came around to chat. He posed for a photo at our request.

Mignardises

A spiced date tartelette; a matcha confection and a berry gel.

Coffee was served with rock sugar swizzle sticks.

The cuisine was inventive without being bizarre. The combinations worked very well whether they were creative or traditional like the lamb and eggplant.. The presentations were varied, lovely and appetizing. Mauro Colagreco continues to deserve his high reputation. The service was always good, the pace fine and the music-free sound level mercifully low. We should go back to Mirazur more often.

http://www.mirazur.fr/le-restaurant.php

To see all of our blogposts on Mirazur click here.