There is no shortage of novelties at the three-Michelin-starred Lasarte in Barcelona, where Martin Berasategui and Paolo Casagrande have set up "Il Milione," an exclusive 8-cover table in a private room, where guests can enjoy a special menu inspired by the stories of Marco Polo.
The news
Lasarte, home of Martin Berasategui and Paolo Casagrande at the Monument Hotel in Barcelona, has come of age, and is celebrating the event with a flurry of new features without abdicating its style. "We like to follow some trends, but without stopping being ourselves or giving up our philosophy, our cuisine and our style," the Italian chef points out to La Vanguardia.
It is basically a new menu, which can be enjoyed exclusively seated at the privé table "Il Milione," which accommodates a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 8 guests. The focus is already on the mise-en-place, distinct from that of the other tables, creating a restaurant within the restaurant, and bringing new stimulation both in the brigade and among past guests visiting. The space, created in the last renovation and hitherto used for disparate needs, has thus found its ultimate vocation: it offers a valuable view of the kitchen to lucky guests, ready to set sail on an authentic gastronomic journey.
The price is that of great deals: 480 euros for the tasting menu, plus any pairing, which can cost 340 or 810 euros, in case one chooses the route dedicated to Krug Champagne, of which the house is an ambassador. The concept is inspired by The Million, an account of Marco Polo's journey to China, referred to in Spanish as El Libro de las Maravillas. Because Casagrande grew up in the Veneto region, he enjoys sequencing landscapes of his heart and highly evocative moments. They are called "Gioie del mare" (oysters with ajoblanco and sesame three-step), "Meraviglie" (cold sauce of white asparagus, strawberry and shrimp), "Profundità" (barbecued red berries), "Seta al palato" (croissant with butter and caviar), and "Oshigaki" (a dried faux persimmon of Gorgonzola, olives and dates, served as pre-dessert).
But the experience is multi-sensory: lights and temperatures are played with, nor is there any lack of musical accompaniment, transporting guests from sylvan atmospheres to the Galicia of fishermen and seafood gatherers, with wines chosen to emphasize each stage of the experience. And it is interesting that the concept came almost simultaneously to the formidable Italo-Spanish duo and to one of our star performers, Moreno Cedroni, who interpreted it in his own very personal way.
