The first thing you’re likely to notice about Mirabel is that it’s in a mall. ‘Well of course I’d notice it’s in a mall,’ we hear you say, but the point is worth emphasising because the eatery goes to great lengths to help you forget that. The classy decor, little candles, smartly-dressed waiters and wooden floors throw you into a fine-dining illusion, and if you happen to have your back to the mall itself then the illusion persists throughout your time there.
The illusion is further helped along by the professional waiters. While their training is not exactly of fine-dining calibre, they’re certainly not what you’d find in a typical mall food court either. And neither is the menu, which goes to some lengths to provide a well rounded, classy dining experience, and has the little details you need to know before deciding whether to front those few extra dirhams; so that’s corn-fed baby chicken with a side of artwork, not plain old roast chicken.
We didn’t order the chicken. Instead, we went for a starter of shrimp tempura which was crunchy, hearty and beautifully presented with a side of spicy sauce and finely chopped fruits and veg. It tasted great, but somewhat closer to breaded shrimp than real tempura. We kept our mains simple: the specialty Mirabel burger and a mozzarella and tomato sandwich. The burger was juicy and filling, and came with a side of crunchy chips. The caramelised onions and gooey cheese gave it great flavour, but we think one ought to be a bit more original with ‘signature’ dishes – having said that, we thought the addition of ginger ketchup was fantastic. The sandwich was straightforward, and as good as was expected.
We’ve told tales of Mirabel’s chocolate cake in the past, and we were keen to get our paws on it this time round as well. Sadly – and we’ve always thought Mirabel to be something of a hit-and-miss kinda place – this time round it was a miss; our slice was not fresh, and while the chocolate was as good as we remembered it, the cake was disappointingly dry. Better luck next time.
Mirabel is a cheap fine-diner, or an expensive mall-restaurant – take your pick. We feel that walking out satisfied from any restaurant is worth its weight in dirhams; and in this instance we were not quite there. We’re still very fond of the place however, and hope that it keeps its quality up in the future.
The bill (for two)
Asian shrimp tempura Dhs46
Mirabel burger Dhs64
Mozzarella and tomato panini Dhs56
Total (excluding service) Dhs166
