So it rolled round, the 20th of August and our last day on holiday with Sue and Chilli. We thought it called for something special… lunch maybe? The South of France has many things to offer, but it doesn’t get much better than a lunch at Mirazur with a view back down the coast to Menton and Monte Carlo.
The drive from our pad in the hills behind Nice was a little longer than planned. An underestimation of actually how many Frenchies go on summer holidays. Anyhow, it only made the arrival more enjoyable. Parking in Italy and walking back across the border 100m for lunch built the appetite even more. Lucky it’s downhill!
The dining room at Mirazur is a stunner. Floor to ceiling open windows, a great view over Menton and further down the rugged coastline, elegant furniture, great staff, not too hot or too cold and one must mention the bad boy cheese cart!
Lunch began with a fine bottle of celebratory Champagne and some delicious amuses – stand out was the fried anchovy!!
What followed was 5 or 6 courses of very delicious, very beautiful and very clean food. Crab with grapefruit, almond cream, marigolds and meringue, smooth and sweet and taken somewhere much higher by the grapefruit tang!
A tomato salad, rockmelon sorbet, tomato jelly and herbs was fresh, fruity and just what we needed after the hot drive.
Bonito with miso and eggplant was fantastic. At home it’s usually bait. In the hands of these chefs it was a melt in your mouth dish fit for a Japanese emperor… or our hungry mouths! We certainly enjoyed it. Just cooked and subtle.
Duck with plums (in a variety of ways). Chillis’ favourite maybe? It was fantastic. I had something similar when dining there a year or so ago at the same time of year – it was a welcome memory!! Perfectly ripe plums, perfectly cooked duck and a little vanilla to round it off.
The final piece was madness. Almost a dream. Silky rich brownie, hazelnut cream, candied hazelnuts and hazel nut ice cream. I think all we had to say between us was “oh lala” over and over again!
This fine meal along with several exceptional bottles of wine (great little sommelier on the floor), great company and the satisfaction of a fine holiday rounded off made for a very nice afternoon indeed. Mirazur we will be back.
Wax
