“Lasarte” in Barcelona—awarded three Michelin stars and part of the “Monument Hotel 5* GL”—invites guests on a Marco Polo-inspired journey that goes far beyond a traditional tasting menu and engages all the senses.
It is said that the Venetian Marco Polo recounted his travels to Rustichello of Pisa while they shared a prison cell during the war between Venice and Genoa in 1298. These stories later formed the book Il Milione, also known as The Book of Marvels.
More than 700 years later, those same travels inspire the guests who take a seat in the private dining room at Lasarte in Barcelona—and once again it is a Venetian, Paolo Casagrande, who picks up the thread and interprets it through the craft he masters: cuisine. He is joined on this journey by the “captain”, Martín Berasategui, the chef with the most Michelin stars in Spain—ten in total.
Together, they have created a menu called Il Milione, composed of thirteen exclusive courses presented like entries in a logbook, accompanied by lighting, sounds, and aromas designed to evoke seasons, places, and sensations.
The concept is inspired by pioneering figures like Marco Polo who explored the limits of the known world and dared to look beyond them. The dishes connect destinations such as the Basque Country, the Mediterranean, Asia, Latin America, Barcelona, and Veneto.
For Martín Berasategui, Il Milione is the result of a continuous desire for improvement, grounded in dedication and experience. “The Berasategui family, which makes up the entire team, is always looking for ways to refine everything we do. This experience reflects many years of work.”
This culinary journey begins as all journeys do—with a map. In this case, it's the menu, presented in an original wheel format that lays out the courses. Each dish reflects destinations, techniques, and moments from the chefs’ careers.
The menu sets off with appetizers inspired by the Silk Road, evoking spices, techniques, and preparations from the historic trade route. They are served on small glazed placemats illustrated with watercolors by Daniel Zlota, painted with natural pigments—rice, coffee, spices—and depicting places that hold significance for the chefs, from Donostia to Venice. A prelude to the conceptual, aesthetic, and scenographic ambition of the experience.
The thirteen courses constitute a dialogue between Berasategui’s classic dishes and Casagrande’s latest creations. Among them is one of Martín’s iconic recipes: the foie gras mille-feuille with smoked eel, green apple, and spring onion cream—a dish with more than 30 years of history and now a hallmark of the house.
The sea plays a major role throughout the experience: in the sequence of oyster textures inspired by the pearls cultivated in the coastal waters described by Marco Polo; in Luz de Pesca, a delicate preparation of octopus and squid in homage to Galician net weavers; and in Marea Alta y Profundidad, featuring ingredients that highlight the richness of the ocean pantry.
The land also takes center stage, with dishes such as Seducción, an elegant tribute to game, represented here by venison marinated in koji, served with orange compote with Espelette pepper, and a translucent blueberry jus. Equally notable is a course combining croissant, butter, and caviar—an indulgent bite intended to translate the feel of silk into a culinary experience.
The sweet finale by pastry chef Xavi Donnay reinforces the idea of a sensory journey, marked by technical precision and refined aesthetics.
Throughout the Il Milione menu, the dining room team led by Joan Carles Ibáñez moves with the fluidity of a perfectly orchestrated choreography, guiding guests through the different “stations” of the gastronomic journey.
The private dining room, seating only eight guests, replaces the former Chef’s Table and has been redesigned by the Food-Design-Studio Makeat. The space retains the glass wall overlooking the kitchen four meters below, giving guests the impression of watching the inner workings of a ship on its voyage.
Nothing in the redesign was left to chance: The tableware and cutlery are exclusive, handcrafted pieces, custom-made or selected from limited collections. The hand-blown glasses are so light they are almost imperceptible. The table linen is made of high-quality linen.
The cutlery, crafted with millimetric precision by Guy Degrenne, was designed with ergonomics and weight in mind. The steak knife was made in Switzerland specifically for Lasarte, using methods inspired by traditional Damascus blades. Finally, the music for the experience was composed exclusively for Il Milione.
Price: The current price of the tasting menu is € 490 per person. Wine pairings range from € 340 to € 810 depending on the selection, including local gems, cult wines, and a Krug champagne pairing.
Opening Hours: Il Milione is served from Wednesday to Saturday: at 1 p.m. for lunch and at 8 p.m. for dinner. The experience lasts approximately three and a half hours.
Concept: This proposal is entirely separate from Lasarte’s regular offering, exclusive to the private dining room, and goes beyond a traditional tasting menu. It is a multisensory narrative that turns the diner into the protagonist of a journey between history, culinary memory, and contemporary haute cuisine.
In a city accustomed to outstanding dining, Lasarte manages to stand out with a bold, expressive, and deeply personal menu that captures the essence of Berasategui and Casagrande in a capsule that travels through time and space—where, for a moment, the clock seems to stand still.
