Mauro Colagreco is a big deal. Our first clue is his website, maurocolagreco.com, which features an interactive timeline of his life, earmarked in frilly italic font with milestones such as “international judge at the Bocuse d’Or awards” and “is appointed Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres” (that’s French for was knighted).
To the right of the page are the logos for the Michelin Guide and World’s 50 Best Restaurants, two rankings systems that Colagreco excels within (his Menton, France restaurant Mirazur has two Michelin stars). In the rankings we personally consider more important, his Bund-side restaurant Unico won Best Latin American in That’s Shanghai’s 2015 Food and Drink Awards.
Colagreco is also a judge on Top Chef Italy.
It was with trepidation, then, that we enter his restaurant in the Shangri-La Beijing. But Azur lives up to the hype. More crucially, it is worth the RMB35 cab fare from Chaoyang. It’s not often we venture out to Haidian – but maybe that’s about to change.
‘The Forest’ is a dish worth the trip to Haidian alone. What appears to be little more than a pile of foraged veggies and fungi on a plate is an explosion of rich textures and freshness in our mouths. As in any respectable hotel fine-dining destination, though, this dish is merely part of a larger experience (RMB988 for the seven-course signature menu – Michelin stars don’t come cheap). Azur is a nice restaurant in the classic sense: white tablecloths, swift service, wine pairings. 
Oyster and pear
At our four-course lunch, we start with a plate of fresh oysters and Champagne, followed by bread and la aforementioned Foret. We then move on to our mains – the tender squid is our favorite – followed by some of the best desserts in Beijing (do not leave Azur without sampling the osmanthus-tinged creme brulee with salted caramel ice cream).
Naranjo en flor
The menu encapsulates the Mediterranean flavors that influence Mirazur, Colagreco’s lauded original. As such, don’t discount a visit to Azur if you’ve already been to Unico, the chef’s outpost in Shanghai, which he recently left – according to That’s Shanghai’s Food and Drink Editor Betty Richardson, Unico was known more for its Latin American fare, as well as “a lot of Argentinian steak.”
Colagreco is a big deal, but don’t expect to see him moseying around the Shangri-La anytime soon. Remember – he’s got two Michelin stars in France to keep an eye on. Of Unico, Richardson says, “He would pop in every once in a while.” But don’t let that get you down. If our visit to Azur proves anything, it’s that the man doesn’t have to be in the room for you to have a star-studded dinner.
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