[Press invite] Mira Mira by Ricardo Costa: A Rising Star in Porto's Culinary Scene
“Mira Mira on the wall… who’s the fairest seasonal Porto restaurant of them all?”
When in Porto… channel your inner Portuguese azulejo tile queen. My outfit for dinner at Mira Mira by Ricardo Costa
Now, if you – like me – are a fan of a) booking somewhat extravagant tasting menu experiences to mark special occasions and b) are game when it comes to choosing your next city break based on a Michelin-starred Chef whose food you would really like to try… then Porto - or more specifically – Mira Mira by Ricardo Costa is the next fine dining restaurant booking for you!
I had the absolute privilege of being granted a press invite to review Chef Ricardo Costa’s Harvest Menu at his newest fine-dining restaurant, Mira Mira - tucked inside of WOW Porto, on a recent trip that I wrote about, courtesy of Jet 2.
So what is it… this Harvest Menu? Think: culinary excellence + seasonal produce set in a fashion design experience, complete with breathtaking city views and you have just stumbled upon one of Porto’s newest jewels in fine dining, Mira Mira by Ricardo Costa.
Languishing stylishly upstairs at the World of Wine Porto, in Vila Nova de Gaia, Chef Ricardo Costa’s second signature restaurant, Mira Mira, offers diners dazzling views across the Douro River (be sure to ask for a table by the window and sit back and watch golden hour turn from dusk to darkness) – whilst savouring course after course of a carefully prepared seasonal menu that will make many a mouth water.
If you know me at all by now, you’ll get that I’m a hopeless romantic — and a real sucker for great mood lighting. Yep - real candles, a cunningly curated playlist that sets your pulse racing and an ambient relaxed atmosphere. Mira Mira’s deliberate design bathes diners in a warm pink glow (think: late September skies) —its simple yet sumptuous tables are luxuriously spaced for privacy and give this restaurant another uniquely decadent tick in the box. I will admit, when the waitress pointed out the small boucle clad stool positioned discretely to the left of my chair - whose sole purpose in this world was to hold my handbag – my heart swooned! Now THIS was a touch of luxury!
As winner of not one but two Michelin stars, Chef Ricardo Costa made a conscious decision to make his Mira Mira restaurant more relaxed than its sibling, The Yeatman, but even so… as dining experiences go… it is still incredibly refined and memorable. Everything from the way we were greeted felt warm, unrushed, and relaxed, yet sophisticated and special.
Iridescent Salvador ‘Dalí’ gin sour cocktail at Mira Mira by Ricardo Costa
For the last few years, since working out that I do not really enjoy celebrating my birthday very much… maybe it is the denial of getting older? Maybe it is the fuss I don’t like? Maybe it is the not liking to be centre of attention? Or is it the fear and social anxiety that no one would show up or enjoy themselves if I threw a big party…? Maybe it is a combination of all of these together that makes me veer more and more towards the treat that is the tasting menu experience. And if any of that resonated with you, then the Michelin Guide’s plethora of restaurants offering tasting menu experiences is DEFINITELY gonna be right up your street.
Ok, so back to Mira Mira…
Fireworks not included. Stunning views out over Porto by night from Mira Mira by Chef Ricardo Costa. Note: the pretty building up on the top of the hill is our hotel Vincci Ponte de Ferro.
My thoughts on the Harvest Menu is a tasting menu experience by Chef Ricardo Costa?
WOW! WOW! WOW! Each course that appeared before us, in the well-choreographed art of service (that only a Michelin-star worthy restaurant can pull off so effortlessly) had us both in awe of the planning, artistry and craftsmanship involved in sculpting each dish.
Imagine: you’re a chef. You know people love a chicken sandwich, and you want to make a course that pays homage to a classic chicken sandwich – one that is the very is the essence of a chicken sandwich, but… is condensed into the prettiest, most flavoursome version that a mere mortal has ever laid their eyes/lips/belly on. And that MAGIC, my friend, that IMAGINATION, is why people like Chef Ricardo Costa and his team win Michelin stars and we will continue to willingly say: “TAKE MY MONEY!” for the sheer awe-inspiring experience of getting to indulge it in, every once in a while. To step out of our mundane, everyday “this is what you THINK is a chicken sandwich but WAIT until you try THIS one” lives – just for one evening.
For the purposes of this review, we were also given the opportunity to try the wine pairing. And to be honest, if you love wine - I would wholeheartedly opt to pay extra for the wine pairing every.single.time – after all, Sommeliers exist for a reason. They painstakingly learn the knowledge and skills required to curate a wine flight that will whisk you and your palate along on a journey, from course to course.
The wine pairing experience at Mira Mira was superb – expertly pulled together by Sommelier, Silvia Alegria Gomes - one of the few female Sommeliers I have ever had the pleasure of being served by. I shared this revelation with Silvia, and was surprised but delighted to learn that the Sommelier who had trained her back in the day, when she started out at Gaucho, was also a woman. BRAVO! More of this, please! Women of Wine where art thou?
With each course Silvia (pictured speaking to the table next to us, below, and her lovely colleague, @xaviffgomes) talked us through her choice of wine and what notes we could expect to taste that would compliment the flavours on our plate. I have captured her commentary as best I could, which I hope will bring the wine pairings to life as you read this.
I’ve got this weird thing, whereby, if the Sommelier behind the wine pairing is able to verbally seduce me enough with their impressive knowledge of wine, sense of humour and lashings of confidence, then I am instantly putty in their hands when they deliver the spiel and rationale behind their choice of wines. Which means that… ultimately, my overall enjoyment of the whole tasting menu experience is multiplied tenfold. I cannot be alone in this? If you were impressed by this wine pairing malarkey at Mira Mira by Chef Ricardo Costa Sommelier, do give our wonderful Sommelier, Silvia Alegria Gomes a follow on instagram @silviaalegria
~ What we ate ~
*Amuse Bouche*
Veal Tonnato ~ Tapioca and veal cracker, Tuna and caper foam, Slice of Toro tuna belly, Ossetra Caviar
Chicken Sandwich ~ BBQ-style chicken, Crispy chicken skin, Sriracha Mayonnaise, Fake chilli pepper
“Bola de Berlim” (‘Doughnut’) & Cheese ~ Bao dough, Serra Cheese, Ilha do Pico Cheese
Sardine & Tomato ~ Tomato sorbet, Smoked tomato foam, Tomato water & basil oil, Sardine cracker with bell pepper gel
Oysters ~ Oyster from Aveiro, Jalapeño foam, Green Granny Smith apple, Green Foie Gras
Wine No. 1: Colinas Brut Nature NV (Bairrada, Chardonnay) (Sparkling wine)
Silvia says: “Not many people are aware that Portugal produces sparkling wine - but the Bairrada region is famous for it.”
Veal Tonnato ~ Tapioca and veal cracker, Tuna and caper foam, Slice of Toro tuna belly, Ossetra Caviar
Chicken Sandwich ~ BBQ-style chicken, Crispy chicken skin, Sriracha Mayonnaise, Fake chilli pepper
“Bola de Berlim” (‘Doughnut’) & Cheese ~ Bao dough, Serra Cheese, Ilha do Pico Cheese
Sardine & Tomato ~ Tomato sorbet, Smoked tomato foam, Tomato water & basil oil, Sardine cracker with bell pepper gel
Oysters ~ Oyster from Aveiro, Jalapeño foam, Green Granny Smith apple, Green Foie Gras
Wine No. 1: Colinas Brut Nature NV (Bairrada, Chardonnay)
Greater Amberjack “Nitro 2024”
Greater Amberjack “Nitro 2024”
Wine No. 2: Longos Vales 2019 (Minho – Vinhos Verdes, Alvarinho)
Silvia says: “Produced by Quinta da Pedra, 100% Alvarinho grape - very typical grape in the region - very fruity wine, aromatic - lots of tropical and citrus notes -benefits from aging in very old oak to give structure nd reduce acidity, and a few years in the bottle to give more complexity and bring out aroma and citrus notes.”
Wine No. 2: Longos Vales 2019 (Minho – Vinhos Verdes, Alvarinho)
Mussels ~ Escabeche, Turmeric, Parsley
Spider Crab ~ Cannelloni, Fermented Cucumber, Crustaceans
Catch of the Day: John Dory ~ Cauliflower, Iberian Pancetta, Chive
Mussels ~ Escabeche, Turmeric, Parsley
Spider Crab ~ Cannelloni, Fermented Cucumber, Crustaceans
Catch of the Day: John Dory ~ Cauliflower, Iberian Pancetta, Chive
Wine No. 3: Ilha do Pico 2022 (Açores, Arinto dos Açores)
Wine No. 3: Ilha do Pico 2022 (Açores, Arinto dos Açores)
Silvia says: “From one of the islands, and is a wine that has been gaining more attention and popularity for its “out of the box” wines since 2004. It is nothing like the other wine we can find here [in Porto]. Very special because it is a wine that comes from a volcanic terroir. Which brings a lot of salinity and minerality to the wine. There is a fruit note, but then you taste it and it smells like the sea! To me, this is THE perfect pairing on the menu. It is that one that I think goes just perfect!”
Wine No. 4: Proibido À Capela 2021 (Porto & Douro, Douro Blend)
Wine No. 4: Márcio Lopes Proibido À Capela 2021 (Porto & Douro, Douro Blend)
Silvia says: “It is made from a typical Douro blend, so typical grapes from the region. This represent Marcio Lopes very well. He likes to produce beautiful “out of the box” wines, but completely different from what you are expecting from the region. Marcio Lopes uses a lot of traditional methods, and he is very proud of that. Most people associate Douro wines with high alcohol, full-bodied reds, but in this case you get the opposite. This is a beautiful light [wine] with very delicate tannins.. So Marcio Lopes also wanted to play around with the name, and like a a capela singer only uses their voice, this wine is produced with no electricty. It is a very small production - only 1,700 bottles - more or less - and is is produced ‘by hand’ and in this case ‘by foot’ because the maceration is typically done by foot in The Douro.”
Homemade Bread ~ Homemade Butter, Taylor's Chef's Edition Olive Oil
Cod ~ Bean Stew, Coastal Prawn, Chorizo Oil
Pork “Alentejo Style” ~ Bivalves, Coriander, Pickled Onion
Wine No.5: Quinta Monte D’Oiro Reserva 2021 (Lisboa, Syrah & Viognier)
Homemade Bread ~ Homemade Butter, Olive Oil
Cod ~ Bean Stew, Coastal Prawn, Chorizo Oil
Pork “Alentejo Style” ~ Bivalves, Coriander, Pickled Onion
Wine No.5: Quinta Monte D’Oiro Reserva 2021 (Lisboa, Syrah & Viognier)
Rhubarb, Strawberry, Basil
Rocha Pear, Vanilla, Dried Fruits served with Fonseca 20 Year Old Tawny (Porto & Douro, Douro Blend)
Rocha Pear, Vanilla, Dried Fruits
~ Dessert ~
Rhubarb, Strawberry, Basil
Rocha Pear, Vanilla, Dried Fruits
“American cookie”, mini taco of coconut cream, passionfruit, caramelised pineapple tartelette
Chef’s Infusion or Coffee
Wine 6: Fonseca 20 Year Old Tawny (Porto & Douro, Douro Blend)
If you enjoyed that and have a tasting menu experience you think we should try - please get in touch! You can email us or reach out on Instagram @LucieLoves
Disclaimer: Gifted / Press invite. Thank to WOW Porto and Chef Ricardo Costa and team at Mira Mira for inviting us to review this tasting menu + wine pairing experience, so that we could share with our Lucie Loves readers.