Mirabelle

I recently went here for lunch and had a lovely time. I was lucky enough to be able to choose from the a'la carte menu hand can thoroughly reccommend the crab starter.

I only have two quibbles with this place. Firstly , why is so much of the menu in French? Seems like dated snobbery to me. I asked our waiter for some help with a couple of items on the menu and he just said "that's steak and that's stew". Hmm, for their prices I don't think a little bit more explanation would have killed him. Secondly, the toilets needed a tidy and I don't think Boots handwash exactly enhances the magic of the place.
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, December 18, 2007

My wife and I enjoyed our first anniversary at the Mirabelle last night (10 Dec). I have been there once before and consider it to be a truly wonderful gem in London's Mayfair.

We shared the ballotine of salmon with fromage blanc and chives topped with salmon roe (we did not have the langoustines that accompany the dish as per the a la carte). It was scrummy.

My wife had the ribeye steak (medium) and I had the rump of lamb (medium). Both were delightful. The steak had a lovely bit of fat that gave the meat a really great taste and the lamb...well it justed melted in the mouth. The mash (with the steak) was creamy and delicious (so forget the diet for the night).

I boasted to my wife that I had room for more so we went on to have french farmhouse cheeses and creme vanille with stewed strawberries. Both were great but by then the waist line was on the out.

There of course was the excellent wine list and we sampled the champagne cocktails in the charming bar. Yes it is dated. But it was warm, lacked the sterile "charm" of modern eateries, the staff were always attentive, polite and helpful. The disco globe outside the main restaurant in the bar area is great although you feel like John Travolta will appear as Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever just below it.

For a three course meal (including a shared starter) with cocktails, wine, port, more wine, coffee and petit fors (well it was our anniversary) and service our bill came to £130. It was value for money, great food and wine, nice atmosphere and most importantly my wife of one year thoroughly enjoyed the meal.
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Howard Harris
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Went again after a long gap.I used to go frequently when the food was superb but stopped going after my last 2 meals were not as good as before. Was slightly disappointed this time again. NO amuse-bouche and petit fours which is ok, but for the prices charged they should be included. STarter of scallop tartin was lovely though a little overpowered by the orange flavours.

My partner had veal and I had Ribeye with the pomme puree whcih I used to rave about. it was all perfectly nice, but for the price of the meal (about £160 for 2 for half botle of wine, no dessert or coffee and just one starter) I thought it was too steep.

The restaurant itself is lovely, nice atmosphere and the decor though a little dated is still charming. Hoever there are better restaurants in London for better value.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 4
Thursday, November 08, 2007

We went to the Mirabelle for lunch on Sep 6 - my husband had been there for a business lunch and was enthusiastic about it. It completely lived up to expectations and if you go at lunchtime the set menu (£23) is great value. I had parsley soup to start - good but not knock-your-socks-off - while my husband had oxtongue with foie gras, which he said was excellent. My main course was liver which was truly 10/10 - beautifully tasty and perfectly booked, with a spinach and rice accompaniment. My husband had sea bass and ate every morsel of it. The puddings were superb - creme brulee for me and pineapple tarte tatin for him. Coffee came with delicious chocolates. The service was very good, extremely prompt (I felt we were almost served too quickly, but then at lunchtime they might think people are in a hurry) and there is a lovely atmosphere. I suspect you could spend a fortune on the a la carte menu, but the set lunch is really great value.
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Constance Smith
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Saturday, September 08, 2007

First I wanted to say that I was amazed at some of the bad reviews the Mirabelle has had, and hope that anyone having second thoughts about going there will reconsider after reading this..

I dined there on friday night with my son ( a chef ) , daughter in law and youngest daughter and had a fantastic time, It was my fourth visit and each time I have found it to be such a great experience, the staff as always were very welcoming and attentive, the evening just flowed from the moment we were greeted at reception and taken throught to have pre meal drinks.

The food was excellent I had the best omelette Arnold Bennett for starter, we all had dover sole as a fish course with mussels and mashed potatoes to die for, we then each choose a different main course and dessert, which enabled us to try each others dishes, there was nothing anyone could fault.

I'm looking forward to going back on my birthday ! !
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Kym
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, August 26, 2007

Well going here tonight, have booked for 7.30 so lets see if I get seated on time.... am not particularly looking forward to spending an outrageous amount of cash and not having a pleasant evening as some of the reviewers here have... however I will post another review tomorrow post meal!

Here goes...
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J Fisher
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Friday, June 29, 2007

I went here a few years ago and had very fond memories, so I was really looking forward to returning for a weekend lunch. Unfortunately I left fairly disappointed. We ate from the fixed-price menu, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the food might have been better from the a la carte menu - but for me that is incredibly disappointing and says pretty poor things about the restaurant and the chef. But on the other hand, the a la carte food may have been just as ordinary! The food was by no means horrible, but it was simply nothing special, and the same was true for the service. For what they charge, you could do better elsewhere.
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A - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 3
Thursday, June 07, 2007

The food at Mirablle's was excellent. Not overly fussy but very well done. Our only minor complaint was that the tapenade and othe olive accompaniments for the sea bass main weren't mentioned ont he menu and my wife doesn't like olives. The decor of Mirabelle's is slightly odd, not very warm and welcoming but not unpleasant. It is the service that disappointed us most - we felt rushed even though the restaurant wasn't busy. There was no gap between starters and mains, and the petit fours arrived before we even finished eating our desserts and almost exactly as we did finish the coffee joined them. It's a shame, otherwise we really enjoyed the visit.
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PaulF - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Monday, April 16, 2007

I recently visited Mirabelle during my London weekend. I have visited restaurants all over the world, including the restaurant s of Paul Bocuse, Ritz, and Gordon Ramsey. I have to say that my visit to Mirabelle is definitely one of the eating experiences that I will add to this list. Mirabelle, with small delicacies’ from the classical French cuisine, is perfect for a rendezvous for lunch or dinner.

The “quasi” art deco interior is simply enchanting and the seemingly dated furniture is contributing to the unique atmosphere. This is the typical place to spend time with friends or gather for a business dinner. I ate at Mirabelle on a Friday during my last visit to London. When the time came for lunch on Sunday I decided to also lunch at Mirabelle. Lunch at this restaurant is highly recommendable. In fact, if you are in London you should visit this culinary pearl.
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Sophie e. Kilaas
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Friday, March 16, 2007

With quite a few dodgy reviews of Mirabelle on this site, I proceeded with caution to my lunchtime booking there, expecting the worst at every step of the way. However, my fears were thankfully allayed - it's not too bad, really.

The food is not exceptional. My foie gras with pear starter was fine if nothing out of the ordinary, while my eating partner's salmon mousse was, according to him, simply 'okay'. Our mains of salmon gratinee and chicken with wild mushrooms were acceptable, though nothing to blow you away. Puddings - pineapple tart tatin, strawberry parfait - were both very good, however. The wine list offered a good selection, with many at reasonable prices. Sercice was good without being overly fussing. The decor and ambience needed attention, and it wasn't exactly the most happening place to be; it had certainly seen better days and would benefit from a revamp throughout. Mirabelle has the feel of somewhere once fashionable fallen into decline yet still trying to carry on regardless.

Overall, we had a pleasant lunch, without any surprises, yet with few disappointments. I wouldn't rush back to Mirabelle, nor would I advise against a trip there. It's okay, but just that - okay.
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yeschef - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 5
Tuesday, March 13, 2007