Mauro Colagreco at Raffles London is one of a chain of Michelin-starred fine-dining restaurants started by Chef Mauro Colagreco. This one is located within the luxurious Raffles London hotel inside the historic Old War Office building in Whitehall.
The executive chef and visionary behind the restaurant is Mauro Colagreco, an Argentine-born culinary icon renowned for his nature-inspired, sustainable approach to gastronomy. While Colagreco oversees the creative direction, the day-to-day operations and service are led by head chef Leonel Aguirre, a longtime collaborator who previously worked at Colagreco’s flagship Mirazur in France and has experience in Michelin-starred kitchens across Argentina, France, Singapore, Chile, and Dubai.
Colagreco’s background is deeply rooted in his multicultural heritage and a passion for biodiversity. Born in Argentina to Italian and Spanish parents, he grew up in a family that emphasized fresh, abundant produce from his grandparents’ gardens, instilling early values of sustainability and respect for nature. After studying hotel management and economics in Buenos Aires, he moved to France in 2001 to train under legendary chefs like Bernard Loiseau, Alain Passard at L’Arpège, and Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athénée. In 2006, he opened Mirazur in Menton on the French Riviera, which rapidly ascended to global acclaim: it earned three Michelin stars in 2019 and was named the World’s Best Restaurant by The World’s 50 Best that same year. Colagreco’s philosophy draws from biodynamic principles, including cooking in harmony with the lunar calendar, and he serves as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity, advocating for ethical sourcing and environmental preservation. He has expanded his empire with outposts like Ceto on the Côte d’Azur and Florie’s in Palm Beach, all emphasizing local, seasonal ingredients.
Several aspects make the restaurant particularly interesting. It embodies Colagreco’s “circular cooking” ethos, focusing on hyper-seasonal, vegetable-forward menus that celebrate British terroir with over 70 varieties of locally sourced fruits and vegetables from small farmers and independent suppliers who prioritize soil health and biodiversity. Dishes are built around produce first, with proteins in supporting roles—examples include Jerusalem artichoke with Cornish mackerel or glazed wild mushrooms with hazelnuts—delivered through technically elaborate, intriguing flavor combinations in an elegant, discreet dining room. Sustainability is woven in deeply: the team uses biodegradable packaging, donates to initiatives like Kew Royal Botanic Gardens via limited-edition menus (such as the autumnal “forest MENU” featuring mushrooms and roots), and emphasizes lesser-known British ingredients to promote diversity.
Getting seated at my table, they introduced me to a set of amuse bouche.
Starting with a buckwheat tart with an apple puree and topped with Jerusalem artichoke, sage leaves. The sweetness of the apple contrasting with the earthiness and nuttiness of the artichoke and herbal from the sage.
Next, a lobster salad taco, with the taco shell made with lovage, and topped with parsley microgreens.
Served within a bouquet of pine pine needles, and diced carrot and trout roe tart - brininess from the trout roe, mixed with a delicate sweetness from the carrot.
Finally, a deep-fried potato terrine, topped with slices truffle. Reminds me a lot of on of my favourite dishes from Hide - the thousand layer ultra-crispy potato cake.
After the amuse bouche, they brought out the menu for me to peruse. Originally, I had intended on trying the seasonal “forest” menu, but as it turns out, I showed up the week before they started serving it. Instead, I went with the shorter five course menu, missing out on the lobster and kombucha dishes.
Interestingly, each course came with a card, explaining the signature fruit or vegetable. The first dish was a cold seafood ceviche soup with mussels, cockles, scooped out Kohlrabi balls in a concentrated briny and acidic poaching liquid. All of this served within a scooped out Kohlrabi. First time I’ve ever had this vegetable - a root vegetable halfway between a turnip and a cabbage. Fresh, vegetal and herbal, really near presentation and an interesting start to the meal.
Next came the bread course, highlighting Chef Colagreco’s heritage. A Pan de Partage, or “sharing bread”. The recipes is said to have come from his grandmother’s collection. Served alongside the bread was a poem by Pablo Neruda written on translucent rice paper.
Second was a signature lettuce dish, featuring locally-grown red oak lettuce, served with sesame crisps in a thick cockle and vermouth sauce that stuck to each lettuce leaf. Hidden underneath the lettuce were flakes of smoked haddock. At first glance, I didn’t really understand why this was a signature, but I was quite surprised when I tried it. Warm sauce softening and wilting the lettuce, contrasted by the crisp sesame crisp with smoked haddock. A really big hit and one of my favourite dishes of the meal!
Next came the Meadowsweet and monkfish, a new addition to the menu that was so new, the cards hadn’t been prepared yet. A long-stemmed flowering plant that grows alongside canals and meadows, it was used to flavour the underlying porridge. On top of the porridge sat a mushroom ragu, with slices of monkfish and sweetbread. A bit over seasoned with a massive blast of salt.
Getting to the main, pickled green figs and duck. Bit of an odd one. Normally, when I think of figs, I think of sweet, soft dark skinned figs. I think these were picked much earlier in the growing cycle and prepared a bit like olives. Bitter, tart and not the most pleasant. Served with a perfectly prepared slice of duck breast, but unfortunately again extremely over seasoned.
Dessert was a chocolate Cremieux - a chocolate flavoured creme anglaise draped with a thin layer of chocolate jelly dusted with rosemary powder and hiding a rosemary flavoured ice cream. The addition of cocoa nibs added for some additional crunch and texture.
Finally, some petit four
a bergamot earl grey jelly
a pear sphere in a Chantilly cinnamon cream tart
a ginger ice cream sandwich, my personal favourite
a chocolate choux
Overall, I visited Mauro Colagreco mainly because I was told great things by the hotel staff, and had tried his other more casual restaurant in the OWO and another one of his restaurants in Bangkok. Maybe it was because I tried a seasonal menu at Saison, and missed it at Mauro Colagreco, but frankly, I thought Saison was better. This one is probably a skip.
Total damage: 145 GBP/1 person