Mirabelle, Alfred Street, Circular Quay

Mirabelle, Alfred Street, Circular Quay
Monday 10 April, 2006

I've walked past this cafe/ restaurant several times and even worked in the AMP Building but never made it inside Mirabelle. Looking for a lunch destination at the Quay, Mirabelle sprang to mind.

Mirabelle is an elegant looking space - the restaurant sits within the foyer of the AMP Building and has fabulous lighting and plush seating. It shares it's name with one of London's most exclusive restaurants however this is not intentional and there is no tie between the two. The symbols on the windows and the text used for the name are gorgeous.

I arrived at Mirabelle just before my lunch buddy. It was probably 50% full and it was almost impossible to secure the attention of a staff member to obtain a menu...and, believe me, I tried.

The menu is largely pasta based - with entree and main serves of each dish available. You are served complimentary large crunchy bread rolls up front so we decided to order an entree size meal and share a salad.

I selected the mushroom risotto with peas and parmesan - it was absolutely delicious - the mushrooms were varied - portabello, shitake and button and I'm glad I selected the entree size. My lunch buddy chose the cannelloni in a creamy sauce and was really pleased with her selection. We shared a rocket, pear and parmesan salad - it was good but a little light on the pear and parmesan.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy the food as much as I did. The service, however, is slow. Once we ordered it seemed to take forever for meals to arrive and the restaurant was still not full. For a city lunch spot this is not good enough, unless you have time for a long lunch. The bill came to $25 per person.

At present Mirabelle is only open for breakfast and lunch - I wish they would open for dinner.

Mirabelle - Shop 1, 33 Alfred Street, Circular Quay - (02) 9252 3553

http://www.mirabelle.com.au/