FACT Review: Beach Bar & Grill by Mauro Colagreco

Beach Bar & Grill by Mauro Colagreco at One&Only Royal mirage delivers a sophisticated retreat with beach and sea views.

Upfront, I should disclose that so few things cause my eyes to swivel quite like another braying announcement of yet one more famous chef alighting in Dubai. An overenthusiastic, hyperbole-studded press release forthing about just how marvellous everything will be. Will the heavyweight chef really be in residence? Will said golden goose only head south to Dubai for the launch and our spectacular winter months? Indulge in a few selfies while serving a plate or two before retreating to the flagship restaurant, whose success is what actually propagates these boondoggles.

Still, hope springs eternal as Mauro Colagreco is a seriously accomplished chef. Mauro leads Mirazur, ranked #1 on 2019’s World’s 50 Best Restaurant list. Mirazur boasts three Michelin stars plus a Michelin green star for sustainable practices making Argentine Mauro France the first foreign chef to be awarded three Michelin stars. Chapeau Mauro!

So off I toddle to the One&Only Royal Mirage’s Beach Bar & Grill in the hope of something sumptuous. A grill house on the beach curated by an award-winning Argentine chef. The menu speaks to me like a love language: 120-day aged, 300g Argentine rib-eye steak (AED 265), the 300-day aged Australian Wagyu 300g striploin (AED 260) and the wild giant prawns chargrilled with lemon-scented mayonnaise (AED 285).

A jocund afternoon lunch settled into a corner table overlooking the Arabian Sea and the One&Only Royal Mirage’s private beach. So naturally, you want the terrace during these mercifully-cooler Dubai winter months.

Beach Bar and Grill is smart and executes elegantly without alienating. Yet, let’s be clear: you should not expect three Michelin star-level, World’s 50 Best backflips. Instead, Beach Bar and Grill keeps things relatively simple and sophisticated, without being stuffy. It is dapper enough for business lunches, impressing your mother in law or dinner with someone you care about. I even returned a second time before punching out this review.

Clink glasses (it’s licensed) and discuss which ceviche to order: sea bream slices rise like islands in a pool of leche de tigre and coconut milk or the mahi-mahi ceviche steeped in a fresh mango lime sauce jewelled with pomegranates, coriander and mint (both AED 90).

At last, this brings us to the food. The menu offers well-executed casual dining assembling the greatest hits of Dubai’s favourite Latin American dishes.

Our guacamole appears like a spring garden: a pool of verdant chive oil is enveloped by petals of sweet white onion and the shattering crunch of crisp cancha kernels and fried pita.

A bluefin tuna crudo with ponzu dressing, daikon and bottarga layers thicker slabs of bluefin tuna (AED 115). The truffle parmesan empanada satisfies in only the way comfort food can (AED 95). Blistered, golden pastry and couturier-level crimping cossets oozing provolone cheese that whispers of subdued truffle earthiness. Crimson, roasted pimentos dressed in rocket leaves, red onion and black olive bathes in olive oil, highlighting the joy of simple roasted peppers (AED 50). A tender grilled octopus starter appears with an aioli. A sprightly chimichurri would make more sense (AED 110) to couple with a cooling watermelon and avocado salad scattered with pistachios, green apple and feta (AED 80).

We finish with sugar-crusted, gooey churros with pots of vanilla-scented whipped cream, dulce de leche and dark chocolate; an indulgent Maison Duplanteur 72% Peruvian chocolate tart portioned for people who like to have a good time (but not too much of it) and, lastly my favourite, a deconstructed Malbec poached pear of confit pear, almond crumble and a feather-light mulled wine espuma winking at me as a sign of the Mirazur old country (all AED 55).

Who Should Come to Beach Bar and Grill? Alfresco dining lovers, steak seekers, healthy food fans and empanada enthusiasts. Come for early dinner, sunset dining or lunches with views.