Mauro Colagreco, the Argentinian-born chef who moved to France in 2001, perfected his skills working with four of my favorite Michelin-starred chefs: Guy Martin at Grand Véfour, the late Bernard Loiseau at Relais Loiseau, Alain Passard at L’Arpège and Alain Ducasse at Plaza Athénée. In 2006, he launched his flagship restaurant, Mirazur — a name derived from the Spanish words mirar (to look) and azur (blue) — which appropriately describes its location overlooking the Mediterranean Sea from a terraced, 1930s modernist watch tower at the foot of the mountains in Menton, France, near the Italian border. This restaurant boasts three Michelin stars.

Tropical plants thrive in Menton’s unique microclimate, famous for its Menton lemons. At the chef’s 100 percent natural biodynamic Rosmarino garden, there, amidst the olive trees, Colagreco grows as many as 1,500 varieties, including 70 tomatoes. more than a dozen citrus fruits and an abundance of vegetables. Restaurant guests are invited to visit the garden before dinner, for which Colagreco created the Mirazur Univers menus from this biodiversity. His four set menus— Roots, Leaves, Flowers and Fruits — offer visual, olfactory, auditory and gustatory experiences.

© Restaurant Mirazur/Matteo Carassale

There’s a vast wine list at Mirazur, where Colagreco also offers innovative non-alcoholic pairings. Here, the by-the-glass wine menu presents a choice of three biodynamic wines by Gérarde Bertand: Clos du Temple Rose, 2023 AOP Languedoc Cobrieres; Domaine de L’Aigle Blanc, 2023 AOP Limoux Vin; and Chateau l’Hospitalet Rouge, 2021, La Clape AOP. AOP or “appellation d’origine protégée” translates to “protected designation of origin,” and is the European equivalent of AOC, appellation d’origine Contrôlée, used for French agricultural products.

But my first opportunity to experience Colagreco’s talent and creativity occurred this past May at the exclusive Terrasse by Albane, a pop-up restaurant for the Cannes Film Festival, presented by Albane Cleret in collaboration with the star chef. This year, the dynamic duo invited the public to one of the select meals. I noticed extravagant details from the moment I stepped off the elevator, where a large mirror on a floral-covered wall was inscribed LA TERRASSE BY ALBANE with the name MAURO COLAGRECO.

© Irvina Lew

The entire rooftop pool terrace was transformed into an ultra-chic dining space with guests seated at white umbrella-topped tables. Ours faced the Mediterranean Sea and viewed La Croissette, the famous promenade, as well as the beach below. Mega-yachts were visible in the foreground, as was the island of Saint Marguerite and mountains around the coastline of the Old Port. The distinctive words on the mirror reappeared on the menu, monogrammed cloth napkins and even the server’s aprons; among the handcrafted plates by Agnes Sandahl, many were individually painted in bold, bright colors.

The menu featured bread from Colagreco’s artisanal Mitron Bakery; olive oil from Huilerie Saint-Michel and Bocconcino de Bufala Campana; and Ligurian catch of the day served with tomatoes, courgettes and Taggiasche olives. We started with a glass of Champagne Laurent Perrier and ordered a lunch as elegant as the setting: battered and delicately sauteed zucchini blossoms, a gloriously light mushroom salad, and linguine topped with blue lobster. I ended with a Duplanteur’s 70 percent chocolate mousse topped with a circle of fresh, halved cherries. My friend followed suit, but she ended her meal, as she often does in France, with her favorite dessert: Le Baba au Rhum, this one with edged with an eggnog and coffee caramel.

© Irvina Lew

Mauro Colagreco is a veritable restaurateur phenomenon with 25 outposts, including Bangkok, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, London, Palm Beach, Saint-Mortiz and Tokyo.

In 2022, he received the distinguished Légion d’Honneur award. His role as UNESCO’s Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity, since 2022, reflects his dedication to be environmentally friendly and sustainable. Colagreco was the first in the world to be certified Plastic-Free (2020).

And he reminds us, “Let’s never forget that by choosing what we eat, we are choosing the world in which we want to live.”

Mirazur by Mauro Cologreco

30 Av. Aristide Briand
06500 Menton, France
tel 33 4 92 41 86 86