The talented monsieur Clair has more than a few delicious tricks up his sleeve and the proof is in his Provençal pudding
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Since it opened last year, Mirèio’s superbly well-curated brasserie-esque menu has galvanised Manila’s cravings for all things deliciously Provençal. Barely has Provence-born Hervé Clair set foot on Philippine soil that the seasoned chef has set about creating marvellous new Provençal-inspired dishes to update the menu of Raffles Makati’s beloved signature restaurant. Fresh in from Vietnam, Clair was previously chef adjoint at the famed La Maisson 1888 in Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, established by no less than the three-Michelin starred legend, chef Pierre Gagnaire, and with whom Clair worked with closely.

Combining his Provence background with a rather impressive Michelin-studded CV (he has also worked at Château de Toulon’s Les Pins Penches; has trained under culinary idol Alain Ducasse at not one—but three—of his renowned dining gems, namely La Bastide de Mouster, Aux Lyonnais, and Le Relais du Parc at the Hotel Marriott Paris; and, certainly worth mentioning is his stint as sous chef at the prestigious Les Fables de la Fontaine), Clair is certainly set to heighten our cravings.

At a recent lunch to present the accomplished Clair, a preview of his inspired classics (and new additions to Mirèio’s bill of fare) was served to a select group of foodies. 

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Above Slow cooked octopus, white bean salad, lemon confit and kalamata olives
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Above Traditional Provençal pesto soup
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Above Crispy braised pork belly, potato, carrot, green pea fricassée

To start, the slow cooked octopus with white bean salad, lemon confit and Kalamata olives was served with a light Côtes de Provence number­—the Château Roubine blanc 2016. The absolutely tender and smoky chargrilled flavour of the tentacle foiled by the zing of the salad was a fantastic palate-awakening introduction to the five-course repast.

Next, an oldie but a goodie, the simple and traditional Provençal pesto soup hit all the right notes. Textured, sour and leaning towards the tart side, the light broth went down all too easy with the Château Roubine rosé 2016 (also from the Côtes de Provence).

A delightful commencement to the mains was the pan seared salmon—capped by its perfectly crisped skin—and served with wilted spinach, tomato confit and drizzled in a wonderfully prepared virgin citrus sauce. This seafood dish found its match in the La Larne D’Or 2015, a lively and aromatic chardonnay from Chablis.

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Above Pan-seared salmon, wilted spinach, tomato confit, virgin citrus sauce
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Above Cream puff, salted caramel ice cream, nougatine

Part juicy succulence; part crisp decadence, perhaps the true testament to Clair’s talents was his crispy braised pork belly—an outstanding dish that requires multiple return trips. His methodology was on point and the pinot noir pairing was a home run: a stunning and rather voluptuous François Labet 2015 hailing from IGP Ile de Beauté. Perfection.

An utter dream was the fluffy-as-a-cloud cream puff oozing with scandalously good salted caramel ice cream and nougatine to round off the indulgent lunch.

The verdict? Satiate those cravings and experience the Clair touch through Mirèio’s new offerings.