Mirabelle (London restaurant)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Founded | 1936 |
| Defunct | 2008 (closed for renovations) |
| Headquarters | London , United Kingdom |
Key people | Marco Pierre White (owner 1998–2007), Charlie Rushton (head chef), Martin Caws (head chef) |
| Products | French cuisine |
Mirabelle was a dining establishment located in London's Mayfair, founded in 1936. It rose to prominence during the 1950s and 1960s, drawing in famous personalities such as Orson Welles and Winston Churchill. From 1998 until 2007, the restaurant was under the ownership of chef Marco Pierre White; during this period, with Charlie Rushton as head chef, it was awarded a Michelin star in 2000, which it maintained until it closed for renovations in 2008. The building was ultimately demolished between 2016 and 2017.
History
Mirabelle comprised a primary dining area alongside two private rooms—the Pine Room and the Chinese Room—situated in the basement. Following World War II, it emerged as a prominent social venue, frequented by distinguished guests and utilized for official government hospitality, including entertaining international officials like Yugoslavia's Assistant Foreign Secretary in 1962.
In 1957, Mirabelle’s culinary team actively promoted English fare in Paris, temporarily lifting restrictions on English oyster imports to supply Colchester oysters. The menu featured dishes such as devilled kidneys and silverside of beef with dumplings.
The Brent Walker leisure group acquired Mirabelle in 1988 for £3 million with plans to incorporate a casino; however, this initiative failed due to owner George Alfred Walker’s criminal record preventing licensing approval. In 1990, a Japanese billionaire took ownership and revamped the restaurant, reopening with menus combining French and Japanese teppanyaki cuisine alongside an extensive French wine selection curated by Steven Spurrier. Despite engaging leading public relations firms, the venue struggled to regain its former appeal.
The structure housing Mirabelle was demolished during redevelopment efforts in 2016/17.
Marco Pierre White
In 1998, Marco Pierre White acquired Mirabelle and relaunched it. Among his modifications was the addition of a disco ball, which he considered romantic, while the overall interior design was crafted by David Collins. Collins had previously collaborated with White on Harveys and La Tante Claire, incorporating elements such as Venetian glass, leather furnishings, artworks by Pierre Le-Tan, sketches by Eugene Berman, and ceramics by Pablo Picasso. Critics likened the aesthetic to that of a "1920s liner." The refurbishment process was documented on Channel 5’s Waiting for Marco.
When Tim Zagat, founder of the Zagat guide, attempted to dine at Mirabelle, White expelled him due to an unfavorable review Zagat had given another White restaurant, Titanic. White retired from professional cooking in 1999, relinquishing his Michelin stars. Under head chef Charlie Rushton, Mirabelle earned a Michelin star in 2000; Rushton soon departed and was succeeded by Martin Caws, who had been sous chef under White at the Oak Room.
In 2000, during a dinner with Michael Winner, White agreed to wed his girlfriend Matilde Conejero; they later had two children and a daughter named Mirabelle. Following his 40th birthday celebration at the restaurant in April 2002, White resigned as Director amid reports suggesting debts around £10 million. That same year, Sotheby's hosted an auction of vintage wines expected to raise approximately £200,000, although it was not explicitly linked to debt repayment.
The restaurant attracted media attention when a waiter initially declined to replace a £3,500 bottle of Penfolds Grange Hermitage 1964 for actor Russell Crowe, who claimed it was corked; eventually, the bottle was replaced. Other notable patrons during White’s tenure included Johnny Depp, who spent £17,000 including £11,000 on a single bottle of Romanée-Conti burgundy, and Leonardo DiCaprio, who described his meal as "the best I've ever had." In 2002, Kylie Minogue was also photographed outside the venue.
White sold Mirabelle in 2007 along with two other restaurants to Stephen Schaffe and Joseph Ettedgui due to declining profitability. The new proprietors intended to reopen Mirabelle at the same site featuring a 1930s-inspired design after a six-month refurbishment that would result in around fifty job losses. However, reopening was postponed until late 2010.
Menu
During Marco Pierre White's tenure, Mirabelle's offerings centered on French gastronomy, presenting dishes such as tarte tatins, soufflés, and sea bass paired with fennel and mashed potatoes. When White assumed control in 1997, he revamped the menu after observing minimal alterations since the 1950s, a period when staples like the borscht soup "Barszcz a la Cracovienne" had been featured for over two decades. Earlier starters included selections such as Bayonne or York ham, crab with avocado, potted shrimp, escargot, and grapefruit. White compiled his revised menu in The Mirabelle Cookbook (1999), with certain recipes highlighted in national press to boost the restaurant’s prominence.
Legacy
Mirabelle became a nurturing environment for emerging celebrity chefs under White’s leadership, including Australian Curtis Stone, who contributed recipes to The Mirabelle Cookbook. British television chef Richard Phillips also gained experience there. Before White’s era, chefs like Alberto Crisci and Antony Jacobs—who later opened Bastille, an upscale eatery influenced by Mirabelle’s cuisine—were connected to the establishment. The cookbook features exclusive recipes by Robbie Robinson, noted for his dedication to culinary confidentiality.
In 1961, the DeVere group purchased Mirabelle and launched a sister fine dining venue bearing the same name at their Grand Hotel Eastbourne. By 2015, this Eastbourne location functioned independently of the London Mirabelle that operated from 1998 to 2008 but preserved branding details such as its signature blue neon signage.
Reception
In 1998, Caroline Stacey visited Mirabelle following Marco Pierre White’s takeover and described the cuisine as "timeless," with some dishes deemed "unforgettable" and main courses "exceptional." Although she found the dessert selection less remarkable, she still ranked the restaurant among her top picks that year. Deborah Ross, writing for The Spectator in 2000, lauded the food as "brilliant," emphasizing the inventive presentation of items like the salmon terrine and asparagus starter.
Victoria Moore’s 2000 article in The Guardian critiqued Mirabelle’s Yorkshire pudding for being served alongside the main dish rather than beforehand and noted it was richer than traditional versions to cater to an upscale audience.
By 2006, critic Bryan Appleyard remarked that the clientele was predominantly from hedge funds, comparing the atmosphere to a corporate canteen for that sector. He described his service experience as "appalling," mentioning nearby major financial companies such as AIG Financial Products.
Awards and ratings
Mirabelle was awarded London's best new restaurant in 1999. Under White’s management, it achieved its inaugural Michelin star in 2000 with Executive Chef Charlie Rushton and retained this accolade until closing in 2008.
Conversely, in 2007, environmental health inspectors assigned the restaurant a low hygiene score of one star out of five, signaling considerable breaches of food safety standards and a need for significant corrective action.