#expert to help authenticate the works. enter Honor! not yet a star‚ Honor did have a decade of acting experience behind her

[mariocki]

Honor Blackman guest stars as art expert Syd Lewis in Saber of London: Deep in the Heart of Chelsea (1.3, NBC, 1957)

[thehungrykat1]

Mirèio Opens in Raffles Makati With Provençal-inspired Executive Lunch Menu

Raffles Makati continues to be my favorite luxury hotel in the city. Aside from offering the best and most exquisite staycation experience inside their fabulous suites, I often find myself going back to this classy and elegant hotel, whether it be to indulge in a bountiful buffet at Spectrum Cafe; relaxing with my Afternoon Tea at the Writers Bar; socializing over happy hour cocktails at Long Bar; or having a pampering spa treatment at Willow Stream Spa (see related links below). I have had birthday and Christmas staycations at Raffles before, but little did I expect that my birthday celebration last December would be extra special, because it would coincide with a special preview dinner at Raffles Makati’s new French brasserie - Mirèio, a restaurant four years in the making.

Mirèio is an elegant brasserie-style restaurant located on the ninth floor of Raffles Makati offering authentic Provençal-inspired cuisine. Pronounced “mee-reyo,” this upscale French restaurant had been in the works ever since the hotel opened its doors in late 2012 and it took four long years before it finally opened to the public last December 12, 2016. Perfection does take time and Raffles Makati made sure that Mirèio matches the class and sophistication of this iconic hotel brand. The restaurant is named after Mirèio, a celebrated poem by Nobel Laureate and French writer Frederic Mistral, who hails from Provence. The poem is a tender tribute to his beloved home region and it depicts a beautiful but tragic forbidden love story between the daughter of a rich farmer, Mirèio, and a modest basketmaker. I was honored to be one of the first few to enter this new dining destination last December 8, which was exactly my birthday! All I can say is that it was truly a night to remember.

As I entered the restaurant, I was first led upstairs to the Mirèio Terrace on the tenth floor for pre-dinner cocktails. This cozy air-conditioned indoor bar would be a great place to grab a few drinks while waiting for other friends or guests to arrive. It is open from 5pm to midnight.

The best and most picturesque spot in the restaurant would actually be outside at their rooftop terrace. This breezy bar and lounge has space for around 70 guests and offers cool cocktails created by the hotel’s expert mixolgists.

More importantly, it offers a magnificent panoramic view of the Makati skyline which brilliantly sparkles in the evening. Order their signature drink from the bar, named after the poem’s female protagonist, Mirèio, which is made with French vodka, Grey Goose, and Green Chartreuse. Better yet, try the “1947,” a cocktail named after the year the Philippines and France signed the Treaty of Amity. This is made with Don Papa Rum, Remy Martin VSOP, and a raspberry and lemon mixture that is poured dripping on the glass symbolizing the blood compact between the two nations.

Canapes and light snacks were also served at the terrace including this Oyster Cream with Iodine Foam which is quite different from the cocktail appetizers I usually encounter. Raffles Makati also held its New Year’s Eve celebration here at the Mirèio Terrace and I can just imagine the spectacular view that evening.

It was almost time for dinner, so I went back downstairs and wandered around the other parts of the restaurant. I found this very chic and artistic stack of books right beside the Raffles Boardroom, a small private space for executives who want to have their meetings done in style. Mirèio also has a private dining room that can accommodate ten diners. You will find various commissioned paintings and artwork from Philippine artists scattered around the area, from classical French designs to modern Cubist interpretations.

The main restaurant can comfortably seat 77 guests, which also adds to the exclusivity of the dining space. On one end of the restaurant, you will find a mural by contemporary Filipino painter Marcel Antonio illustrating the famous poem by Nobel Prize winning poet Frederic Mistral written in 1859. Mirèio is a poem written in the rare Occitan language and you can even find a copy of the antique book for viewing at the restaurant lobby.

The poem follows Mireio’s journey to reach the coast of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer to pray to the patron saints of Provence to change her parents’ minds and allow her to marry Vincent, her true love. It beautifully depicts the life and culture of the French Mediterranean region and is Frederic Mistral’s tribute to his beloved Provence. Mireio’s influence is not just limited to the painting itself but is also seen through the restaurant’s logo which is a recreation of the handwriting of Frederic Mistral. This literary connection stays true to the Raffles tradition of honoring great writers throughout the generations. 

Mireio’s interiors are elegant while remaining casual, with floor to ceiling windows displaying the breathtaking cityscape. Fancy dinner dates and charming social gatherings are the common events here, so book those special dates in advance.

David Batchelor (left), Managing Director of Raffles and Fairmont Makati, introduced the two Frenchmen, both surprisingly named Nicolas, who will be taking care of the operations and culinary masterpieces at Mirèio. Nicolas Bracq (center), who hails from the coastal town of Nice, Provence, is the restaurant manager who has worked before at Manila Peninsula and Peninsula Paris before returning to Manila. He envisions Mirèio as a casual and upscale brasserie-style restaurant which is not too pricey but offers an authetic taste of Provence.

Expertly in-charge of Mirèio’s kitchen is its young master chef Nicolas Cegretin. Also born in Provence himself, Chef Nicolas is the true embodiment of the restaurant’s focus on Provençal and French Mediterranean cuisine. Chef Nicolas started his career in Paris where he worked in two separate 2-Michelin star restaurants, namely, the renowned Lasserre and Apicius, both known for their classic and modern take on French gastronomic cuisine. He has also worked in prestigious 5-star hotels in Paris and at the iconic Hotel La Mamounia in Marrakech. At just 30 years old, Chef Nicolas is an experienced and skilled culinary professional, creating an exquisite selection that is a combination of his own nostalgic home-cooking and more sophisticated versions. Mireio’s cuisine can be described as “sun-drenched”, created around the seasons and born of traditional French cooking techniques and exuberant Mediterranean influences. He describes his dishes as elegant but in a simple way, so that the flavors of his ingredients become the highlight.

Now it’s time to start our special 6-course dinner courtesy of Chef Nicolas. First served was an Amuse Bouche featuring what could be known as Mireio’s signature dishes, the tartares. This Fresh and Smoked Salmon is served with Granny Smith apple and Dijon mustard cream. The light and sweet salmon tartare is a refreshing appetizer that will definitely jumpstart our taste buds.

One of Chef Nicolas’ favorite is the Beef Tartare with Goat Cheese, served with basil and crispy bread. I usually avoid beef tartare because I’m afraid it might spoil my stomach, but this one tasted very fresh with light flavors so I had no problems finishing it. The goat cheese also helped to even out the flavors.

For our starter, we had the Roasted Duck Foie Gras with Granny Smith apples and ginger chutney. This is one of the biggest servings of foie gras I have ever seen and I am definitely not complaining. The duck liver is simply seasoned with spices to amplify its true flavors. The foie gras was just heavenly! It almost has the consistency of butter and each bite just melts in your mouth. Some might find it too rich and too fatty, but that’s the best part about it! You can combine it with the Japanese ginger chutney as the sugar balances the richness of the duck liver.

Next, we had the Chilled Zucchini Soup with basil and chorizo. The cold soup has a light vegetable flavor which is punctuated by the saltiness of the chorizo bits. It’s a good break from the very rich foie gras and leads us to the main courses.

We were also served glasses of red and white wine to accompany our next courses. Mireio’s wine selection offers a range of French and new world wines, which were carefully curated to complement its cuisine. Featured that evening were the Chateau Roubine Cru Classé white wine, followed by the red Chateau de Roquefort Guele de Loup.

Our fourth course was a seafood dish, the Grilled Skipjack Tuna with carrot mousseline, espuma and caramel. This is bought locally from sustainable fish sources which is part of the hotel’s initiative for Sustainable Seafood. The tuna is prepared in a simple manner, but what makes this dish special is that the carrots are served in five different ways. Try to look for all the five carrot variants.

Our main course for that evening is the Slow-cooked Oxtail Parmentier with black truffle jus and mesclun. The classic French dish may seem like a simple mashed potato but dig inside the copper pot and you will find one of the most flavorful portions of beef that I have ever tasted. The pulled beef is braised for four hours which makes it so tender. Add the fragrance of the black truffle jus and you have yourself a winner. This is probably the ultimate French comfort food and it is even topped with crusty Japanese breadcrumbs. It was so filling but I was still able to finish my serving.

But thankfully, there’s always room for dessert! Our last course was the Rum Baba served on a coconut and lime panacotta with exotic soup, mango and passion fruit sherbet. Just like the other courses, our dessert was also huge and that is what’s great about the dishes at Mirèio. They all seem to be Filipino-sized and not the usual French style of serving very small portions. 

Petite Fours were also served on the table to finish off our excellent French Mediterranean dinner.

But the biggest surprise of the night was yet to come when the Mirèio staff and crew personally came out to greet me a Happy Birthday! They even sang a birthday song and gave me my own Mirèio birthday cake. I’m probably the first guest to celebrate her birthday at Mirèio and I’m sure I will have a lot more celebrations here in the future.

To make my impromptu birthday party even more special, restaurant manager Nicolas Bracq brought out the fireworks and showed us their grand Absinthe Fountain. Absinthe is a highly alcoholic beverage with a history as colorful as its alcohol content. It was first created in 1792 by a French doctor and eventually grew to become the favorite drink of the French aristocracy and almost everyone else. This “Green Fairy” with a 65% alcohol content is also said to have provided the inspiration for many artists, poets and writers.

The French style of drinking Absinthe is by way of the Absinthe fountain which releases drops of water over sugar cubes suspended on perforated spoons which trickles into a glass of Absinthe. This is done until the concoction achieves the desired level of sweetness and dilution. Today, diners also drink Absinthe as a form of digestive served at the end of a meal. At least that’s the excuse they have whenever they want a sip of this powerful beverage.

I had a few sips of Absinthe myself and I can say that it really is a strong alcohol. But I had an excuse to drink that night because it was my birthday! You can have your glass of Absinthe both at the restaurant and at the rooftop terrace. 

I also wanted to see this beautiful restaurant during the daytime so I visited Mirèio one time to sample their executive lunch sets. They are offering their Menu Déjeuner from 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm daily where you can savour a selection of appetizer, main course, and dessert at a very reasonable price. Mirèio takes on a different character during lunch, with bright natural light enveloping the restaurant. The place is very conducive to quick business meetings, corporate events, or even just a friendly get-together with an old friend.

In-house guests of Raffles Makati now also get the option of having continental breakfast here at Mirèio aside from the buffet selection downstairs at Spectrum Cafe. This gives Raffles guests a more exclusive dining experience compered to guests of sister hotel Fairmont Makati who also have their breakfast at Spectrum.

Mireio’s Menu Déjeuner lets diners tailor-make a two or three-course menu from a selection that changes every month. For only P988+, the two-course option gives guests a choice of appetizer plus entrée or a main course plus dessert, paired with coffee or tea. But it’s better to get the three-course set for only P1,100+ and enjoy a satisfying meal with an appetizer, main course, and dessert with coffee or tea. This February, you can start your lunch set with this Beef Carpaccio garnished with pesto and arugula. The thinly sliced beef was so flavorful and I highly recommend you select this. Other appetizers to choose from include the Chilled Zucchini Soup with basil and chorizo, or the Fresh and Smoked Salmon Tartare which I had during their media night.

For the main course, the Grilled Mahi Mahi is a popular choice with its black olive sauce and served over the traditional ratatouille. The fish is exquisitely tender and the serving is big enough to satisfy even big eaters.

Other delicious entrées include the Homemade Seafood Tagliatelle with prawns and clams in garlic and olive oil. This traditional type of Italian pasta is quite filling as well, especially when loaded with seafood and topped with parmesan cheese. Another available main course is the Roasted Chicken Breast dressed with green peas fricassee and parmesan espuma. 

Cap off the Menu Déjeuner with this Lavender Crème Brûlée with lemon madeleine and roasted compote provencale. The crusty creme brulee is a sweet treat that everyone will love. You can also try their Tart of the Day which in this case comes with a strawberry sorbet. These executive lunch sets really give good value because ordering them as a la carte items will cost almost double the amount.

If it’s still too early to have wine or cocktails for lunch, Mirèio offers refreshing smoothies and juices as well. Try their Strawberry Mango Iced Tea or the Banana Carrot Smoothie if you need to stay sober when you go back to the office.

The Menu Déjeuner selection will be changing every month, but Mirèio also has a lunch a la carte menu that provides a variety of lunch options. The Tomato Tart comes with clams, snails, and parmesan cheese makes for a great appetizer.

But those who are always as hungry as me should order the Grilled Butcher’s Choice Beef with sautéed potatoes and black pepper sauce. The choice beef that afternoon was this premium Sirloin Steak cooked according to your preferred doneness. I had it cooked Medium and it came out gorgeously pink in the center.

One of my favorite desserts at Mirèio is their 70% Guanaja Chocolate Mousse garnished with a hazelnut crust. The creamy chocolate mousse is just heavenly and this is the perfect way to finish my amazing lunch at Mirèio.

Thank you so much to Ms. Margaux Hontiveros and Ms. Monique Toda for giving me such a wonderful and memorable birthday dinner and for the enjoyable lunch treat. We now have a new dining destination in Makati to celebrate those special occasions, romantic dinner dates, or even just friendly business meetings. The four year wait was truly worth it.

Mirèio

9/F Raffles Makati, 1 Raffles Drive, Makati Avenue, Makati City

795-0707 www.raffles.com/makati www.facebook.com/RafflesMakati

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