When we think of the best French restaurants, names such as Alain Ducasse at Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo or Le Cinq in Paris come to mind. Not many may immediately think of Mirazur in Menton (right at the border with Italy) where chef Mauro Colagreco prepares 3-Michelin star dishes and even earned the title of the World’s Best Restaurant in 2019. As he says: “the restaurant is evolving, my cooking and understanding too. To get back to basics and be as close as possible to nature, you have to experience it, listen to it, understand it. “
Mirazur is situated in a majestic 1930s building right on the French-Italian border with mountains as a backdrop and magnificent sea views. It boasts a magnificent terraced garden, with views over Menton and the Mediterranean that would be worth a trip to the place on its own. In the kitchens, Chef Colagreco’s team prepares the dishes dreamt up by Colagreco who draws his inspiration as much from the rare vegetables and baby salad leaves from the Mirazur gardens as he does from his Italo-Argentinian roots. His quinoa risotto, woodland mushrooms and parmesan cream, and catch of the day with celeriac and a smoked sauce are an invitation to the culinary experiences to come. Mirazur’s garden features 15 lemon trees and 30 different citrus fruits, which the team has a particular passion for. During the Menton Lemon Festival, Mirazur offers a citrus menu featuring the famous Menton lemon.
Before establishing Mirazur, Colagreco began his career at the Gato Dumas hotel school in Buenos Aires, and he also worked in some of the most prestigious restaurants in the city. Later on, he moved to Paris and became sous-chef de cuisine to Alain Passard at L’Arpège, demi-chef de partie to Alain Ducasse at Hôtel Plaza Athénée, and then spent a year at Le Grand Véfour.
What is particularly unique about Mirazur is its commitment to sustainability. In 2016, Mirazur began to seek sustainable alternatives to plastic in its operations and supply chain. The search led to a long-standing relationship with Italian Company EKOE, which proved such a catalyst that Mirazur pushed to capture the knowledge developed in a framework that could help others act. This led to the launch, in 2019, of a groundbreaking, “plastic-free” certification by an EKOE spinoff.
Images courtesy of Relais & Chateaux
