Lasarte is not only a cornerstone of international haute cuisine, but also the place where one of the most exclusive dining experiences took shape. This is Il Milione, a project conceived to go even further than what the three-star Barcelona restaurant already represents at the very highest level.
Photo courtesy of Lasarte
The Hotel
Barcelona is one of the liveliest cities on the planet, even from a culinary perspective. The Monument Hotel, located right in the heart of the city on Passeig de Gràcia, is one of the most interesting spots in the Catalan metropolis, because it combines the historical significance of the building that houses it with a culinary experience of the highest caliber.
It is housed in the Casa Enric Batlló, a former elegant private residence built in the late 18th century to a design by Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas, one of the most important architects of the Catalan pre-Modernist period. The building is one of the finest examples of late 19th-century eclectic architecture, with a façade characterized by a rich polychromatic mix of exposed brick, stone, ceramic, and wrought iron. The hotel opened following a major restoration project aimed at preserving as many historical elements as possible, based on a renovation plan developed by Óscar Tusquets and later by architects Carles Basso and Tote Moreno, with interiors designed by Mercè Borrell.
With 84 rooms and suites, a Michelin star, and a beautiful panoramic terrace with a pool where breakfast is served, the hotel offers a variety of dining options, culminating in the three-star Lasarte, led by Martín Berasategui and Paolo Casagrande, including Oria (1 star) and an even more casual dining option.
Lasarte
We asked Paolo Casagrande about his relationship with Martín Berasategui after twenty years together, where his mentor’s influence ends and the Italian chef’s “voice” begins: “In my opinion, there’s no end and no beginning. They are two visions, two ways of being, and two different experiences, but they must coexist and grow together. That’s how I’ve always viewed my relationship with Martín: there are no boundaries or limits. It’s a simultaneous growth—not just for us, but for everyone who works with us, at Lasarte Barcelona, at Lasarte San Sebastián, at Martín’s other restaurants, and even at the other restaurants I manage today.
We have a philosophy and a way of doing things, but every restaurant must have its own soul. We don’t want to create copies. That’s why we place no limits on creativity, imagination, and the desire to do something new every day. The best way to do this is to support the people who work with us. We’re all little diamonds waiting to be polished, and the most effective way to bring out our concepts, our restaurants, and our atmosphere is to bring out the best in every team member. Our cuisine is guided by a very rigorous philosophy—but this rigor lies in the effort we put in every day to give our very best. This doesn’t mean limiting creativity or the desire to grow; on the contrary, we give people freedom, while always maintaining that rigor from the very first minute we step into the kitchen until the moment we leave.»
That’s why today Lasarte, in addition to being a cornerstone of international haute cuisine, is also the place where one of the most exclusive dining experiences has taken shape. It’s called Il Milione, a project conceived to go even further than what this three-star Barcelona restaurant already represents at the very highest level. The natural temptation, in a restaurant that has reached the pinnacle of its balance, is to preserve its core elements. Berasategui and Casagrande, however, have chosen to continue exploring by creating a distinct, independent experience—conceived as a sort of creative laboratory that they themselves have defined as “an exercise in nonconformity,” referencing the Venetian explorer who transcends the literary realm and a journey inspired by the routes that for centuries have connected East and West, bringing cultures, ingredients, and techniques into contact.
Il Milione
Il Milione is located on the intimate mezzanine level of Lasarte: guests can seat anywhere from two to eight, gathered around an iroko wood table in the center of the room, where a large glass wall offers a bird’s-eye view of the kitchen team at work. The space, designed in collaboration with Makeat, makes use of lighting effects, scents, music, and materials, leaving nothing to chance. In fact, every detail contributes to creating a multisensory experience that complements the rich menu. We asked Casagrande where the idea for Il Milione came from: “From a limitation, definitely. Every year we work to grow, do something new, and continue to evolve. At a certain point, we asked ourselves what we could do to push past our limits.
In terms of space, it was very challenging: many restaurants evolve simply by rearranging a dining room, opening a terrace, or updating the furnishings. We wanted to come up with something new specifically in terms of the space itself, but here we have what we have, and it’s limited—partly because we’re in a historic building. The dining room was conceived with the idea of offering a view into the kitchen, of seeing something different, but we also had to figure out how to do it: an experience that would entertain the guest and introduce them to something new. So we started working on it, including the service. We ran trials, comparing lunch in the main dining room with lunch in the upper dining room. For food lovers, it was already wonderful to be able to look down from above, but we were looking for something more: an experience worth sharing—which is also what people are looking for today.”
The service is led by Joan Carles Ibáñez, a leading figure in the Spanish restaurant scene. The glasses are made of hand-blown crystal, the porcelain is crafted by artisans, and the cutlery has been designed to complement the various stages of the tasting: each element contributes to an experience crafted with precision and a level of care that can truly be described as bespoke. But what is the relationship between the Lasarte experience and that of Il Milione? Are they complementary, or do they represent two different ways of interpreting the same cuisine?
According to Casagrande: “They’re quite different. Even though there are many similarities, of course—since the philosophy is the same—there are a great many differences in terms of presentation, materials, sophistication, and service. We worked on this transformation for over a year and a half because we didn’t want to fall into the trap of banality; we didn’t want to simply make a minor upgrade but to create something truly different. That’s why I speak of a ‘butler service,’ of materials that we couldn’t use in a dining room seating forty guests, whereas with a maximum of eight guests, everything changes. The same applies to the dishes, the technical execution, and the presentations.”
The tasting menu, priced at 490 euros per person (with variations depending on the booking option, which can be viewed on the online menu), includes thirteen original courses; each dish is inspired by ingredients, encounters, or techniques discovered over the years by Berasategui and Casagrande, who explains: “The experience is designed to draw parallels with travel, with Marco Polo’s book, and with his story. Some dishes are born from a specific ingredient: for example, Marco Polo was the first to bring oysters to Europe, and that’s the inspiration behind the oyster trilogy we’re serving.
Then there’s the parallel between Martín’s and my own travels, the experiences we’ve had abroad, and the ingredients we’ve discovered. Some dishes start with an ingredient, others with a story, and still others with a journey. For me, this is the best part. After that came the search for balance in every dish and the desire to create a coherent message throughout the entire experience. That’s precisely the beauty of travel: Marco Polo did so much for exploration, for travel, and for the cities that came after him. We try to explore the limits—those of beauty in the dishes, of the ingredients, of balance, and of the materials—seeking to create a well-rounded experience in all its facets.”
The Dishes
In fact, the oyster selection—the first course Casagrande would serve Marco Polo if he were to visit the restaurant—is exquisite. Then there’s the “breakfast,” featuring a perfect croissant made using French techniques, served with caviar and a dish made with celery and coffee. Then comes a wonderfully fragrant dish meant to evoke a rainy night on the coast, when the bounty of the sea meets that of the land on the beach:watercress, various types of seaweed, sea anemones, and freshly caught fish; this is complemented by a sauce made with smoked eel.
The journey to northern Spain, to Galicia, was remarkable, featuring an interpretation of “Galician-style octopus”: squid tartare, octopus carpaccio, and a very creamy “fake” egg yolk made using various potato preparations; finally, a very flavorful broth made with octopus and a pimentón de la Vera sauce. The scallop salad was exceptionally fresh, featuring scallops, marinated asparagus, bergamot, and macadamia nuts. An onion crumble was added to the center, and the dish was finished with a sage-infused oil.
The dish is served with a green tomato and asparagus gazpacho and dressed with extra virgin olive oil made from nine different cultivars. The meal continues with an “Asian-inspired” dish featuringa “wild” risotto containing cabbage in various textures, along with a raspberry and apple gelée. The rice is enhanced with piparra, a chili pepper typical of northern Spain, which adds tangy and slightly spicy notes.
The grilled amberjack, with its succulent flesh, is served with its reduced sauce, a garnish of beets with pepper gel, red radicchio, and black cherries, which adds a pleasant sweet note. The dish is accompanied by a bacon brioche. The marinated roe deer, sourced from northern Catalonia, is exceptionally delicious, served with a plum sauce made from its own stock, marinated plums, aromatic herbs, cranberries, and traditional Catalan bread with butter.
Before dessert, we’re served an interesting take on hoshigaki, the ancient Japanese technique of sun-drying persimmons. This version echoes that shape but uses a semi-aged cheese. The dish is rounded out with dates, crispy walnut bread, and a Kalamata olive jam. The meal concludes on an exquisitely sweet note with pear, almond, miso, and yuzu and, finally, with “Ode to Cocoa”, a creation by the talented pastry chef Xavi Donnay.
The final thought that emerged from our conversation with Paolo Casagrande reveals his calm and enthusiastic nature: “I’m a humble and down-to-earth person. I love what I do, and, as Martín and I say, we’re conveyors of happiness. Not just happiness, but also a healthy and cohesive environment—which is what I like to instill in the team and the people around me: customers, suppliers, and colleagues. For me, that’s the most important thing.”
The best thing is being able to make people feel good, doing wonderful things that help you grow and do good. I come from a very humble family, and I have a sister who works for a peace organization. I told her that, in our own small way, we, too, do good, because we make people happy. We always try to work in a very consistent environment and to give substance to our work. For the young people growing up with us, we try to give them something more than just learning how to cook. If you leave a strong impression of yourself as a person and as a worker, through personal growth, and you’re generous with others, it always pays off.” That’s exactly right.
Contact
Lasarte
Carrer de Mallorca, 259, L’Eixample, 08008 Barcelona, Spain
Phone: +34 934 45 32 42
