When visiting a restaurant, most people are not particularly bothered by anything more than the quality of the food and, these days, the “aesthetic” of the space.
But as a writer afforded the privilege of reviewing these establishments, I want to know the origin story. Who are the owners? How did they get here? What was the journey behind creating this sanctuary of foodie bliss and connection?
For Mira, the newest restaurant occupying the iconic space within the Sandton Sun Hotel, the origin story is a long one. And the owners? Well, their accomplishments would make anyone feel appropriately pressed to spend less time online and more time making moves.
“For years, Ben and I would walk past and we would come and sit in here and we would say, Oh one day we’re going to get this space,” Luke Dakers said.
They eventually did. But securing Mira took three years of portfolio-building, negotiations and patience. As two entrepreneurs still in their twenties, Luke Dakers and Ben Stanger found themselves competing not only with more established hospitality groups but also with the occasional dismissal that comes with youth.
“We needed a track record,” Stanger explains. “[So], throughout the negotiations, we were getting our accolades. We became partners at Greenhouse, we bought The Shortmarket Club and opened Ocaso, so that gave them more confidence.”
The pair then decided to bring in a seasoned restaurant operator to strengthen their case. As it turned out, George Sinovich (of The Codfather fame) was already a mutual acquaintance, through Stanger’s mother.
“It’s an interesting one because the age gap is quite big,” Stanger admits, but the partnership ultimately created a compelling balance between Sinovich’s more traditional approach and the younger duo’s contemporary, experience-driven sensibility.
The vision for Mira was to move into something slightly more elevated than their previous ventures, stepping away from high-energy, nightlife-adjacent dining into a space that felt refined without losing its sense of ease. Walking into Mira, however, “casual” is not quite the word that comes to mind.
Guests can enter via the Sandton Sun or descend from the escalators of Sandton City’s Diamond Walk, and both approaches feel equally dramatic. Lined with plush black velvet and mirrors, the corridor opens into a foyer where warm, low lighting and accents of marble, brass and timber create an atmosphere that feels almost transportive.
Editorial touches, a 1912 Blüthner piano and bronze sculptures by Marco Olivier, set the tone. It feels a little like slipping into a well-kept secret of a speakeasy, martini in hand, ready for an evening of jazz and good conversation.
For Dakers and Stanger, collaboration sits at the heart of their work. The pair partnered with interior designer Wesley Bremers of Soda Customs, preserving key elements from the original design by Bremers’ half-brother, Tristan Du Plessis, while leaning further into the idea of experiential dining.
When my partner and I arrive, we’re escorted through the low-ceilinged cocktail lounge into the main dining room, taking our seats near the blackened steel-and-glass partition that encloses the floor-to-ceiling wine cellar. Gleaming bottles of Moët & Chandon, Glenfiddich and Laurent-Perrier catch the light, hinting at Mira’s extensive list of local and international wines.
We settle on a bottle of Lavo Chenin Blanc. Crisp, fruity and an easy companion for the evening.
As a Mozambican-Portuguese restaurant, Mira specialises in flavourful, comforting dishes that blend European techniques with ingredients synonymous with the region: cashew nuts, piri-piri chilli and plenty of fresh seafood. Signature offerings range from grilled calamari and seafood platters to Portuguese classics such as Bife à Portuguesa and saucy prego rolls.
For petiscos (starters), we order the Lulas à Bulhão Pato, grilled calamari with MiraMade sauce, and Lulas Fritas, deep-fried squid heads served with MiraMade tartare. The squid heads proved slightly dry and the tartare a touch gritty for my liking, but the tender, zesty grilled calamari quickly soothed the disappointment.
For mains, we opted for Mira’s signature Xai Xai chicken and a satisfyingly creamy prawn and cashew nut curry served with rice.
Now, it’s easy for a restaurant to declare something its signature dish and continue producing something fairly ordinary. Mira’s Xai Xai chicken, however, might just rank among the juiciest and most flavourful meals I’ve had the pleasure of eating. Named after a coastal city in Mozambique, the chicken is coated in a creamy piri-piri sauce and flame-grilled, delivering tender meat with a punchy kick of chilli.
I may love Nando’s but they have nothing on this dish. My pleading eyes eventually had my partner reluctantly feeding me bites across the table as dinner progressed.
Before dessert, I decided to explore their experimental offering of signature cocktails. “Inner Spring” arrives with a flourish, the gin and sparkling Pet Nat served separately, meant to be poured over the delicious sorbet. It’s bright and zesty, with notes of chamomile and litchi and I have to convince myself to drink it slowly.
Dessert leans firmly into nostalgia. Cheesecake, sago pudding and MiraMade ice creams and sorbets round out the menu. When our warm, sticky malva pudding arrives, my partner digs in enthusiastically, though not without a hint of scepticism.
“The only malva pudding better than this,” he says, raising an eyebrow, “is mom’s.” It’s high praise considering his mother’s reputation in the kitchen and exactly the kind of comforting, home-style cooking the founders hoped to evoke.
In many ways, Mira itself is the result of a long game of patience, instinct and a little bit of stubborn belief. The project required significant financial risk and no small amount of faith as the space had sat dormant for years and the previous operators had struggled to make it work. But for Stanger and Dakers, hesitation was never really an option.
“We’re both very much the type to just go at something,” Stanger says. “Rather take action than spend time thinking and dwelling. We always said to each other, what’s the worst that could happen?”
They went all in, and judging by that Xai Xai chicken, I’d say the gamble was deliciously worth it.
Mira Restaurant operates daily from 12pm to 1am with the kitchen closing at 11.30.
