We spent several weeks in Monte-Carlo last summer, close enough to Menton that a visit to Mauro Colagreco’s iconic Mirazur was within reach. Due to various scheduling constraints, it didn’t happen. Fast forward a few months—we had relocated to London, and while looking at houses and settling in, we finally booked in for dinner at his new Mauro Colagreco restaurant inside Raffles at The OWO. It opened in late 2023 and has already earned its first Michelin star.
We’d been to his winter pop-up at the Kulm in St. Moritz several years ago, for Christmas. That meal stayed with us. So we knew we were in for something special.
The dining room is refined and serene. Characterized by pale woods, sumptuous sofas, and quiet lighting, it’s luxurious without being over the top.
We chose the Land & Sea tasting menu, a full expression of the kitchen’s prowess. It started with a sequence of amuse-bouches—small yet complex. The radicchio was a standout to us. The kohlrabi came later, and it was stunning.
Served whole, hollowed out, and topped with its own little lid, it opened to reveal prawns, cockles, razor clams, and a shellfish ceviche. Bright, fresh, cold, and highlighting the tension between earth and sea. It’s a humble vegetable — usually overlooked — but here it was the star of the show.
Other dishes that followed in perfect cadence included: a whole head of red oak lettuce layered with smoked fish and vermouth sauce; Cornish turbot dressed with wild garlic and a soft green curry; beef from a dairy cow, deeply flavorful and tender. This last one felt especially aligned with Colagreco’s ethos—sustainability without compromise. We’d never seen dairy cow on a tasting menu. Now we’re wondering why not.
A magnificent cheese cart rolled in—impossible to choose just one or two, so we didn’t. Then dessert: a smoked chocolate plate that walked the line between savory and sweet.
We added the Exploration wine pairing, which pushed the experience in an unexpected direction: bottles from Japan, Hungary, Austria. Clever choices that leaned into minerality, umami, and restrained fruit. They played well with the food—never competing, always complementing.
For a special occasion, there’s also a private room off the main space, set around a round table with a kitchen view—perfect for a small celebration or something that deserves more than the usual night out.
In the end, we didn’t make it to Mirazur, but this was something else entirely. You can see Colagreco’s signature—his focus on nature and seasonality—but this doesn’t feel like an offshoot of the Menton flagship. It stands on its own. A deeply satisfying, carefully composed experience and one of our favorites in London. We’ll be back.
Note: Mauro Colagreco provided support for the reporting of this story.