Raffles’ new restaurant has a French — and literary — connection

MANILA, Philippines - It’s rare to find a Manila restaurant with a concept so completely thought out as Raffles Hotel’s Mireio — everything from the curated local artworks to the carefully constructed menu to the poem by Nobel Prize-winning Provençal poet Frederic Mistral that inspired its creation.

It’s part of the Raffles vision to honor literary artists such as Mistral, to house writers visiting Manila, and make them feel at home in the lobby’s Writers Bar; it’s a tradition that goes back to Raffles Singapore, which counted Hemingway, Joseph Conrad and Somerset Maugham among its guests.

Four years in the making, Mireio at the 9th floor of Raffles opens its doors to the public on Dec. 12. We got a sneak peek of the interiors, artworks and the menu of chef de cuisine Nicolas Cegretin, whose Provençal background promises Manila its first upscale brasserie in years.

Mireio — yes, a young girl whose forbidden romance is the basis of a poem written in the rare Occitan language — is depicted in the main mural by Marcel Antonio, and the restaurant continues this Provençal art theme throughout its lobby, upstairs bar and even its bathrooms.

“Everything is Provence,” notes Raffles marketing and communications manager Monique Toda. “There’s a lot of art inspired by Cubism and French artists.” Raffles art curator Hala Jaber chose all the art for the Raffles Manila hotel — over 1,600 pieces — and handpicked the local pieces for Mireio. Manny Samson & Associates did the interior design for the restaurant.

Along with the commissioned Antonio mural — which illustrates the story of a rich farmer’s daughter who pines for a poor basket weaver’s son, even pleading to the patron saints of Provence that their union will be blessed — there are two Georges Braque-inspired Cubist paintings by Gerry Joquico in the Private Dining Room, as well as special dining plates that replicate the art of Gustave Fayet used for an illustrated book of the 1859 poem (the book itself, written in the Occitan language, can be viewed in the restaurant lobby).

Near the lobby bar is Anthony Palomo’s “La Demoiselle,” a portrait inspired by Tamara de Lempicka, and in the hallway hangs a Formal Cubist woman by Inka Madera.

Upstairs is the Bar and Terrace, and one will find a string art piece (inspired by Picasso’s “Jacqueline with Flowers”) by Cebu artist Jean Marquesto, a Cubist guitar painting by Inka Madera and a pair of Palomo paintings — a harlequin with musicians and a whimsical ode to drinking featuring whiskey flasks bearing cute epigrams.

Even the restrooms at Mireio are lined with art — there are Lempicka women in the ladies’ room stalls and Cubist bowties in the men’s — and Jinggoy Buensuceso will provide two sculptures for the Terrace Bar Deck. (The staircase presently features a Carlo Calma deconstruction of Duchamp’s “Nude Descending a Staircase” but it will be replaced soon.)

Downstairs, the main dining room seats 77 and is divided between a large brasserie space fronted by a show kitchen and a smaller intimate dining area. Ample natural light is provided by spacious picture windows, offering a full Makati view. Notes Mireio restaurant manager Nicolas Bracq: “Provence is one of the best places for artists because of the natural light. Artists like Cezanne, Picasso, Chagall, Matisse lived there, trying to catch the natural light during the days — which we kind of get here because we are well exposed to natural light overlooking Makati.” Catch Mireio during the magic hour before sunset, and you’ll see what he means. 

Everything about Mireio is authentically Provençal, from chef Cegretin, who grew up in the small village of Villeneuve; to Bracq, who hails from the coastal town of Nice; to the menu.

“Provence food is very elegant, simple, doesn’t use too many ingredients, no fancy sauces, but the quality of product is there,” says Bracq, who worked for a year and a half at the Peninsula Manila before transferring to the Peninsula Paris, then coming back here. “Some dishes are really Provençal, like the tomato tart with clams and snails, and some are more classic but Provence-inspired. We don’t want to be seen as pricey, expensive food; we’re a casual, upscale, brasserie-style restaurant.”

To keep the food affordably priced, the chef uses as many local ingredients as possible and imports as little as possible: meat from Australia, sweetbreads for his chicken paté, two kinds of baby vegetables, the cheese and butter. “Everything else is Filipino.”

Cegretin, who’s worked at two-Michelin-star Paris restaurants Lasserre and Apicius, and most recently at Marrakech’s iconic Hotel La Mamounia, is proudest of his tartares, and would like them to be known as Mireio’s signature dishes. Most classic is the beef tartare with goat cheese and basil; there’s also a fresh and smoked salmon tartare that ladies usually gravitate to, and for dinner, a “surf-and-turf” veal and king prawn tartar with crispy rice.

“People here are afraid of eating raw food, but the chef cuts the best-quality meat and the best part of the meat — the tenderloin — à la minute, not using any processed meat,” Bracq reassures us.

Do as the french do

Dinner that night started with cocktails at Mireio’s rooftop bar. Open from 5 p.m. to midnight, the bar boasts a spectacular panoramic view of downtown Makati and comfortable sofas to lounge on with mixologist-created cocktails, or do as the French do and crack open a bottle of rosé that’s been chilling in an ice bucket — so crisp, refreshing and perfect with canapés like Mireio’s pissaladiere — onion compote, black olives and black anchovies on flatbread that is like Provence’s version of pizza.

Bracq also had us chase the green fairy by bringing up an urn of absinthe, turning on a spigot, and having the spirit flow over a sugar cube on a teaspoon and into a glass. Want to feel like Hemingway in’20s Paris, when absinthe was banned for fueling so many bohemians? This intense, licorice-flavored spirit is the surefire doorway into that.

After cocktail hour we proceeded down to the main restaurant, which is divided into two areas: one for more intimate dining, and a more brasserie-style space with a show kitchen.

“We wanted the restaurant to be alive and animated,” Bracq says. “It’s à la mode and trendy to have a show kitchen. Our type of service is not to stay in a corner; we want people to go around, engage, discuss, because at end of the day we want people to remember the experience, to link the food to Provence and our signature cocktail to the Mireio story.”

After enjoying the chef’s black olive butter on fresh baguettes, we sampled the salmon tartare as an amuse bouche and, though undoubtedly fresh, we wanted to try the beef tartare, which early tasters are raving about (note to self: must come back).

The starter of roasted duck foie gras blew us away, perfectly exemplifying chef Cegretin’s philosophy of few ingredients prepared simply but showcased in their best form, and amplifying their true flavors. He just seasoned the duck liver with spices and rolled it in cling wrap to form its shape. “It’s very fatty so I put a Japanese ginger chutney because the ginger is fresh.” It also has bite. 

Another highlight was the fish course, grilled skipjack tuna with carrot mousseline, espuma and caramel. “It’s a very sustainable fish from the Philippines and I make very simply,” the chef says. “I serve it with one element: carrots done five ways.”

The meat main of slow-cooked oxtail Parmentier with black truffle jus and mesclun is the ultimate comfort food, topped as it is with a potato puree and Japanese breadcrumbs. Braised for four hours, it’s normally served for two, with a side salad providing the necessary hits of acid.

Mireio prides itself on offering Provençal wines as well (often overlooked amid the ever-present Burgundies and Beaujolaises), and we opened with a crisp Chateau Roubine Cru Classé white, followed by a red Chateau de Roquefort Guele de Loup with a long finish.

Mireio is open for breakfast as well, offering a continental buffet setup as well as an a la carte section with eggs done a number of ways: scrambled with black truffle, as a classic Parisian omelet or eggs benedict. Breakfast favorites such as French toast, pancakes, and crepes will also be served.

Special requests can be accommodated in a private dining room that seats 10, as long as you order in advance and give the chef time to prepare.

“I can even serve sinigang,” Cegretin jokes. Sinigang with beef happens to be his favorite Filipino food, along with adobo and sisig.

“My everyday favorite is the balut,” claims Bracq.

From his laughter and the twinkle in his eye we know he’s kidding, of course.

* * *

Mireio, located on the ninth floor of the Raffles Makati Hotel, will open on Dec. 12 serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. For reservations, call 795-0707 or email mireio.makati@raffles.com.