A recipient of six Michelin stars over his career, the American chef Michael White is a safe pair of hands in the kitchen. This fact, along with a burnished dining room in an olive-grove palette, is what makes MIKA a boon to the tidy white streets of Coral Gables in Miami. The Riviera-inspired restaurant, with its menu of seafood pastas and crudos, is a new hub on Ponce de Leon Boulevard, a historic palm-lined artery through town with Mediterranean flavour.
The elegant dining room was imagined by Bishop Design and MIKA co-owner Alex Pirez in rustic raw woods and wicker, made more sumptuous with the addition of velvet and leather. To combat the South Florida climate, the lighting is subtle, emanating discreetly from niches, sconces and a sweeping marble-topped bar beneath three cascading crystal chandeliers.
The 760-sq-m space is monopolised by the main dining room, texturally wrapped in distressed wood, terracotta tile, raked plaster and custom-created chukum wall paint. Off this is a private dining area, VIP lounge and terrace. In all there are 170 seats, many placed in areas of architectural interest, like cavernous arches formed of plaster and wood. Elements of fine craftsmanship come through in the coffered ceilings and domes.
The designers sourced one-of-a-kind antique mirrors and candleholders to accessorise the space, but the real heroes of the scheme are the olive trees potted throughout in large bespoke planters lit from below.
