Il Milione is the new concept of Martin Berasagetui and Paolo Casagrande. The private dining room overlooking the kitchen at Lasarte has been turned into Il Milione. Here they seek to create an even more luxurious and holistic experience based on the book by Marco Polo “The book of Wonders” = Il Milione. A name that and story that comes with great expectations.
They try to set the stage for those expectations early on. As I arrived, a low, ominous score filled the room. The kitchen remained veiled behind frosted glass, only to be revealed at the music’s crescendo — a dramatic unveiling that signaled theatre would be part of the evening and that they would impress and surprise us with much more than just delicious food.
The first snack did just that. 5 snacks which were placed around a cone on their separate insert. Elaborate and beautiful presentations. Among them a Jerusalem artichoke that shattered like glass when biting in to it. A carabinero shrimp bursted in sweet elegance and filled my heart with joy and delight.
While the snacks was a great display of elegance and presentations the next dish was a display of understated luxury. It’s name was silk delight which it really was. It was also the most simple dish of the evening. A croissant was served with butter and a very generous amount of caviar. I loved the contrast between this and the previous dishes where the previous where elaborated and intrinsic presentations but this was incredibly simply but at the same time very luxurious. Especially considering the amount of caviar that was served. An amount so big that I am sure the purpose was to overwhelmed you with luxury and delight which it certainly did.
With the new concept and creativity the next dish was all about remembering their roots. Four gras and smoked eel is a dish that had been on the menu since opening. A dish originally created in Martin Berasateguis restaurant of the same name. Its a classic for a reason and with all of the creativity that has been put into the new experience its good to remember where it all started.
A sweet and soft flavored dish of squid and smoked apricot would get lots of umami from a quail egg yolk. A great combination of both smoke, sweetness and umami in a simple presentation.
My favorite dish of the evening was up and it was both the most simple and elaborated. As a piece of music started playing the tainted glass to the kitchen would be untainted revealing another part of the kitchen where two chefs would turn “a juice” into snow using liquid nitrogen. This would accompany a salad of fresh vegetables and a few raw sweet shrimps that would be finished plating tableside. The very best dishes transports you somewhere else. This one transferred me back to Denmark walking through a beautiful and rich garden picking the very bestand freshest vegetables and eating them 5 minutes later.
The first main would be a perfectly grilled virrey fish where the skin was extremely crispy while the meat juicy and flavorfull. It was served with a bit of truffle while cherry and beetroot provided a nice sweet counter to balance out the dish.
I loved the presentation of the final dish which felt both simple and elaborated. It just goes to show how much you can do with a few elements. What appeared disarmingly simple revealed hidden complexity: venison marinated in koji, a compote of orange lifted with espelette pepper, and the dark elegance of blueberry juice
We would finish with tree rounds of desserts from a rich hoshigaki (dried persimmon) to a refreshing dessert of miso and yuzu to an ode to cocoa. My favorite of the 3 was the elegant flavor of the yuzu matched it equally elegant presentation and hereby brining the meal full circle from the elaborate and delicious snacks that started our meal.
While Lasarte is classic you can see that Paolo brings more creativity to Il Milione and it feels more relaxed and playful. A great example of that is a simple croissant with butter and caviar while most of the other dishes were much more elaborated in its intirety. At Il Milione it also feels like Paolo looks more towards Japan for both ingredients and techniques at Il Milione then he does at Lasarte.
Finally you see a clear inspiration of Alchemist in terms of creating a holistic experience including theatric elements and music to the menu to accompany specific dishes. Naturally not at the same level of integration as the main focus is still the food on the plate.
As Il Milione consists of just one table the service is naturally even more personal and intimate. Nothing could suit the elaborate presentations and use of luxurious products.
Practical information
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Headchef: Paolo Casagrande
Menu: 10 course tasting menu $490
Website: Il Milione at Lasarte | Innovation and Culinary Exploration
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