With its location on a busy spot on Nathan Road just above a DON DON DONKI, TST’s The Mira hotel may not be the first place you think of for a relaxing staycation. But, oh, how wrong you are! From foodie journeys to glamping, a three-day detox and an entire floor full of gaming and entertainment, The Mira offers a wide range of fun staycation packages that will truly make you feel like you’re on holiday.
We visited The Mira not knowing what to expect. However, we learned that acclaimed chef Sheldon Fonseca, whose extensive CV includes the executive chef position at Foodie Forks 2020 Editors’ Choice Best Restaurant LPM Restaurant & Bar, has recently been appointed the culinary director of Miramar Group. This obviously led us to having very high expectations of the hotel’s dining options, especially the beloved in-house restaurants WHISK and Cuisine Cuisine.
WHISK restaurant
As much as we love to eat on a staycay, even us foodies need a break, and we were fortunate enough to get a taste of The Mira’s Entertainment Dream Staycay (from $900/2) as well as their Staycay with Dinner at WHISK (from $1,488/2). Both stays include a City Room.
Staycay with Dinner at WHISK includes:
- A six-course dinner for two at Michelin-recommended WHISK
- Breakfast for two at COCO
Entertainment Dream Staycay includes:
- A film screening with the Immersive Theatre System by Devialet or access to the karaoke room for two hours
- One hour of darts, Nintendo Switch or a VR game with a snack combo box and two cans of soft drinks
- 20% off dining at all hotel restaurants and bars during your stay
- 25% off à-la-carte spa treatments at MiraSpa
- Breakfast for two at COCO
- Complimentary late checkout
The hotel is much larger than it appears, with 400+ rooms and a lift that we found endlessly confusing – at one point leading us straight into the jaws of manic DONKI, which was still packed at 11pm. The Mira is an ISO-certified hotel and strives to be environmentally friendly through energy-saving initiatives, waste management, off-site green projects, newly launched vegan menus and the use of organic produce. They have also upheld strict safety and hygiene protocols during the COVID-19 outbreak with intensive disinfecting and cleaning practices as well as strict adherence to social-distancing regulations. At check-in, you are asked to check your temperature and fill out the necessary health declaration forms.
The room
We stayed in the Mira Suite 70 ($2,688/night with dining package), which is an incredibly spacious room with modern, minimalist decor. While the room is not particularly luxurious, it is very comfortable, slick and stylish. We loved its smart use of space, with zero clutter and clever drawers containing useful amenities throughout the room. The room opens up to reveal a very comfortable and ergonomic writing desk and a large living room with a grey sofa that could easily fit five people, a flat-screen TV and a bright purple swivel chair. Not the only thing that swivels, our favourite element of the room was the swivel TV, allowing us to watch TV in the lounge as well as in the bedroom (or to turn the TV away for a much-needed screen break).
The bedroom came with plenty of closet space, a dressing table and a very comfortable bed dressed with crisp white linen. The open-plan bathroom (which has the option of closing blinds and doors for more privacy) is gorgeous with its granite and white marble fixtures, large shower and bathtub and the fluffiest bathrobes we have ever adorned.
The pool
The indoor pool is pretty in purple and has crystal-blue water, giving us some serious mermaid vibes (they even have a mermaid dance class on offer). The pool is heated, making it the perfect place to relax or get a few laps in at any time of the day or year (keeping government restrictions in mind). There is also a large rejuvenating jacuzzi near the entrance of the pool and plenty of big, comfy chairs to lounge around in.
Dinner at WHISK
Led by Chef Oliver Li, WHISK is a Michelin-recommended restaurant known for fine French-Japanese dining and an extensive wine list. The dining room, like the rest of the hotel, is simple yet classic and sleek. The cutlery and crockery are bold and heavy in monochromatic tones, creating an interesting contrast with many of the colourful dishes.
We were treated to a six-course degustation menu, which comes with a choice of starter, main and dessert per person. We decided to get both options to share.
The amuse-bouche was beautifully presented in three parts: a yuzu scallop in an elegant pink shell that burst with zesty, citrusy flavours, a corn skewer and a decadent duck liver truffle, of which we could have easily eaten a dozen.
The eggplant velouté starter was an earthy blend of cep mushroom and Ibérico de bellota ham. The rich eggplant velouté was thick and comforting, with layers of umami-rich flavour.
The Maine lobster salad (+$100) is a fresh dish that comes with a very generous portion of lobster, sucrine lettuce, tomato and avocado. There was a surprising, slow warmth and spice to the dish, which was cut beautifully with notes of citrus.
There are few things we love more than warm, fresh bread and butter. The next course of soja bread and French salted butter might just be the best bread and butter we’ve ever had. The bread, which is made with sake, is slightly sweet, dense and crumbly, with an almost cake-like texture, and was perfectly complemented by the savoury, salty butter.
Before our main courses, we tucked into the Suzuki sea bass. While it was a lovely piece of fish, we would have preferred a crispier skin and felt that, although beautifully cooked, it would have been better enhanced with a bit of seasoning. The crab and daikon dumpling offered a unique texture but was rather forgettable. However, we did enjoy the crispy seaweed tempura on top of the sea bass.
Our first main course was the lavender- and honey-roasted duck, which arrived beautifully pink and matched with a dollop of beetroot mousse. Served with a not-very-spicy but very flavourful Sichuan pepper sauce, the duck was cooked to perfection, tender with a pleasant, fatty mouthfeel.
The duck is served with an absolutely gorgeous beetroot salad adorned with microgreens, blackberries and beetroot sorbet. The beetroot sorbet was particularly delicious – refreshing, tart and sweet.
The other main course on offer is the ultra-indulgent Wagyu beef and foie gras (+$120), which delivers a slow-cooked beef cheek with black truffle sauce and truffle shavings. Both the beef and foie gras were incredibly rich and buttery, while the black truffle offered a light, smoky element to the dish.
For dessert, the Mont-Blanc Landscape is exquisitely presented in festive colours, making it an excellent addition to any Christmas table. The sweet, astringent chestnut mousse is paired with subtle, tart and floral rasperry notes, crisp meringue and a lightly alcoholic addition of Baileys ice cream.
A fun take on an after-dinner cheeseboard, the melted Camembert (+$60) is served with truffle ice cream and an entire round of warm, melted Camembert. The combination of the creamy vanilla ice cream with truffle shavings and sharp, salty cheese was certainly strange, but we loved it – so much so that we had no problem finishing off both dishes, rind and all.
This gourmet journey took around three hours in total. While the service was slightly slow, we found the WHISK team to be incredibly attentive. Our glasses were never empty, and Chef Li and his team took the time to explain each dish with precision.
Th entertainment
After a delicious dinner, we headed upstairs to the 17th floor, where all the rooms have been converted into entertainment rooms. There are plenty of fun activities to choose from, for both children and adults. The VR room is the latest addition, offering a hyper-realistic gaming experience. We were asked if we wanted the “cute” game or the “terrible” game. We chose the terrible option, which involved shooting flesh-eating zombies using surprisingly heavy guns. This was a great way to burn calories and get our heart rate up after an indulgent meal.
The spacious and kitschy darts room comes equipped with smart dartboards that count your score for you – no need to waste time doing maths! While our dart skills were a little rusty, we warmed up quickly and had a great time trying to hit that bullseye.
The karaoke room is the best way to bring our your inner superstar and is kitted out with an impressive sound system, comfy sofas and a wide selection of songs from global artists. We could have easily stayed there all night making our way through Taylor Swift’s entire discography.
The private home movie theatre is equipped with wireless Devialet Phantom speakers that provide a cinema-esque sound experience. There are a few films to choose from, including kids’ movies, action blockbusters and a few modern classics. We chose the latest Pixar film, Onward (get your tissues ready for this one), and enjoyed soft drinks and popcorn while we watched.
Each of the entertainment rooms is limited to a maximum of four people (in line with government regulations at the time).
Breakfast at COCO![]()
While the staycation advertises breakfast at the Mira Club Lounge, the lounge was closed, and we were informed upon check-in that breakfast would be at COCO. COCO is a quiet and peaceful spot to spend a morning, and the buffet breakfast offers a solid selection of Western and Asian breakfast eats. So many breakfast buffets serve rubbery eggs that get left out all morning long, but we particularly enjoyed the fact that COCO has a fresh egg station, with chefs whipping up eggs any which way you choose.
Verdict
We had a wonderful time staycationing at The Mira. Our dinner at WHISK was one of the best hotel meals we’ve had, and we truly felt as though we were on holiday, with activities that allowed us to relax while also having plenty of fun. With an abundance of staycation offers available, The Mira really does offer something for everyone. We highly recommend you try out at least one of the hotel’s offers before they end on 3 January 2021.
Mira Place, 118–130 Nathan Road, TST, 2368 1111, book online
This write-up is based on a complimentary media staycation provided in exchange for an honest review and no monetary compensation. The opinions expressed here represent the author’s.
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