The Song of the Herbs on the Border of Italy: A Chapter from Avital Inbar's Book “50 Delights of Provence”

The second important addition to the city of Menton on the Italian border, in addition to the Cocteau Museum, is the Mirazur restaurant by Mauro Colagreco, an Argentine chef of Italian origin whose name contains the Greek word, Greco. The view of the sea and sky from its windows justifies its name, which means “look at the azure.” The restaurant is located in a small house on a hillside in the east of the city, overlooking Menton and the cape beyond which Monaco stretches. A spectacular view. Only the Château de la Chevre d'Or and the Château de Gaza have a more beautiful view. The view of the sea, the soft pastel colors of the old town, the green vegetation, the mountain, expand the mind.

Colagreco, 36 in 2016, arrived in France in 2000 and worked for Bernard Loiseau until his death. I think I saw him in the kitchen when I came to visit Bernard and Dominique a few months before Bernard committed suicide. He started in Menton in 2006. In 2009, after his first star, he was named Gommeau's Chef of the Year. In 2012, he won his second star. The restaurant is a must for gastronomy lovers visiting the Riviera.

Eating on wooden tables, with or without a tablecloth. What is the legality? The absence of a tablecloth is intended to reveal and highlight the beauty of the olive tree. A table with, a table without. An aesthetic decision by the chef. In the middle of the table, in a recess in the wood and surrounding it, a handsome original decoration of black stones, leaves, wood fragments and moss.

 

The meal

The meal at Mirazor was light and excellent. We started with three tiny “tapas”: thin sardines in lemon confit, decorated with flowers, served on a black stone and were excellent. A small, delicate cannelloni with crab meat, covered with petals and leaves. Then a salad of green asparagus heads, leaves and flowers, yogurt, grapefruit, lemon and acacia honey – so far so clear. And one unfamiliar flavor – the Mouron des Oiseaux flower, a common star anise.

A beautiful painting was served to the table, a white piece of fish as the centerpiece, and at the other end of the plate a black garlic mash and other garnishes, each of which contributes to the flavor. Alongside the fish was a little sauce in a shade between yellow and golden, probably from a lily bulb. A spectacular picture. In our opinion, this was the best fish we ate on the spring trip, at least the rarest of all.

We asked for its name. Each waiter contributed an answer, until one came and determined definitively that it was a Centrolophe, known in French as Requin Chagrin, “sorrow shark.” A deep-sea fish that feeds on seafood. Like us. In English, it is called black ruff, and in French Wikipedia it has no value at all.

On the table was a beautiful plate with tiny, uncooked garden vegetables, accompanied by Capucin ice cream – the monk’s hat, and pea cream. A wonderful dish. The dessert was also beautiful and interesting. Strawberry “soup” with rhubarb and mascarpone.

Because of the road ahead of us, we drank very little wine, a white Roll. The restaurant has an extensive wine menu without bottles. Bordeaux Expensive. It starts at €45 and goes up to €3500 for white Burgundy wines.

The coffee was excellent, how could it be otherwise on the border of Italy? It was served with original palate pleasers, one of which was installed with two types of carrots.

Kolagreko is fully worthy of his two stars. His creativity is tested and restrained. He juggles with flowers and herbs. I've known chefs who insisted on filling their plates with herbs, vegetables, and wildflowers. Here, everything is in moderation, in good taste. There wasn't a single disappointing dish. A chef friend whom I recommended to eat at Kolagreko had dinner there a few months later. He was amazed by the originality. But he mentioned two creative desserts whose level of execution did not satisfy him.

 

The Kolagreco Method, from the moment to the moment

In serious restaurants, there is a note in the margin of the menu, stating that the chef is committed to the best, and therefore there may be a temporary shortage of certain products. With Mauro, such a situation is not possible: his menu does not commit to any products. It has “fish,” it has “vegetables,” etc. At first I thought this was some kind of cleverness. No. He cooks with what is available that day, and almost every day the “available” is a surprise, even for him.

For example, this rare and wonderful fish, the centrolf. “When my fisherman catches interesting fish, he announces it. And since the menu doesn’t specify, we are free to give whatever we have. It’s a big fish, and I can serve it for two or three days. It’s quite rare, and it comes to me 2-3 times a year, that’s all.”

Kolagreko receives the fish, creates a dish, different, apparently, from the one he served last time, because it was a different season, with different vegetables and herbs. In short, he creates all the time.

The same goes for vegetables: “I have an organic garden of vegetables, flowers and herbs. This morning we picked green peas. Enough for a few servings that day. When it runs out, we stop. Tomorrow there might be something different. That’s why the menu is simple. The people who come to eat here come for an adventure.”

In a few words, he cleared up the fog of the menu. It was the shortest interview of my gastronomic travels, but we got the gist, and we left with a taste for more. And that's the point.

His kitchen is very personal. The private kitchen of a man full of creativity and passion. I recommend making sure he is in the kitchen on the day you want to come eat at the restaurant. Because Kolagreko, like everyone else, consults abroad. When he travels, does he leave behind the full range of his unique skills for the team?

The meals are cheap, relatively for a 2-star restaurant. Lunch €55, only on weekdays, not in July-August. “First Footsteps” €85. “Journey of the Senses” €140. A la carte is also reasonable: starter-main course-dessert €113. 30, avenue Aristide Briand. 33492418687. reservation@mirazur.fr.

 

Want to buy the book 50 Delights of Provence and get a Francophile discount?

You are welcome to buy the book through This link and receive a 10% discount.