EL LAGOAND JÓSE CARLOS GARCÍA
Lakeside Luxury in Marbella Located in a picturesque lakeside setting in Greenlife Estates in the Elviria Hills area of eastern Marbella, El Lago has maintained its one-star Michelin status since first receiving the honour in 2005. Current chef Fernando Villasclaras has continued the restaurant’s tradition of establishing and maintaining close ties with local farmers and producers, and that has led to the creation of a new menu that is 100 per cent vegetar ian. The “Terra” menu includes mini aubergines in sherry escabeche with pine nut baba ganoush; Estepona-sourced radish in “salmorreta” sauce made from capers; and green bean tartar with flaky potato and egg yolk. A second menu created by Villasclaras is the “Sazón” which, apart from veg etables, includes fish and meat dishes such as red mullet from Marbella with hollandaise sauce (made from its livers) and mango; grilled veal heart giz zards in bigarade sauce with green beans and harissa paste; and suckling goat with mustard, capers and grilled endive. The starter for both menus is a sustainably-produced vegetable consommé served with a touch of Palo Cortado, and they conclude with two desserts – sweet potato with sugar molasses and muscatel grape granita, and roasted parsnip with laurel sorbet, pear and pecan nuts. From its cellar, El Lago offers diners 300 wines, most supplied by nearby wine growers and small wineries, but also including a selection of international wines to accommodate popular demand. The restaurant’s front-of-house team is managed by Antonio Jiménez who, like Fernando (Nerja), was born on the Costa del Sol (Frigiliana).
Classically Chic in Málaga José Carlos García grew up in a rich culinary environment. His trained chef father had a cafetería in Rincón de la Victoria that specialised in breakfast churros but also – somewhat bizarrely – offered clients a “fun menu” of such gourmet delicacies as caviar. Later, he opened Café Paris in Málaga capital, which two decades ago obtained a Michelin star. His son’s passion for gastronomy was forged among the Cafe París pots and pans, before he went off to study formally at the La Cónsula academy in Churriana which, over the years, has produced many of the Costa del Sol’s finest and most celebrated chefs. José Carlos then spent four years working in the kitchens of top French and Spanish chefs including Martin Berasategui, before returning to Café Paris. Following his father’s retirement he took over Café Paris – and he still runs it, although it is currently temporarily closed – but he had additional dreams and ambitions. In 2012 he opened his eponymous restaurant in the Muelle Uno port area, a short walk from Café Paris in the neighbouring La Malague ta suburb.
Sustainability has become an increasingly key ingredient on the menus at most Costa del Sol restaurants. In tune with modern society’s sensitivities, the in tentions are usually honourable and sincere, although the reality is that some establishments tend to talk the talk more than actually walk the walk. For two of the Coast’s most celebrated restaurants, however, all the talk is left bubbling on the backburner and the walk is an essential part of their DNA – perme ating every centimetre of their kitchen space and front-of-house dining areas. They have not only mapped the walk’s creative pathways but also rewritten the guidebook – even if both are geographically slightly “off the beaten track” when it comes to the Costa del Sol’s more glamorous gastronomic hotspots. Both José Carlos García Restaurant in Málaga city centre and El Lago in Elviria (Marbella) are fully committed to “kilometre zero” cuisine – that is, focused (where possible) on locally sourced seasonal products that are sustainably produced. Last month Home & Lifestyle Magazine was invited to savour this year’s updated tasting menus at the two restaurants, each honoured with long-standing Michelin star recognition.
STELL AR CUISINE ON THE COSTA DEL SOL
After a brief transitional period, Michelin bestowed its highly-coveted star on the new restaurant in 2013, and it has held it ever since. Extending over 1,000 square metres, the José Carlos García restaurant is lo cated in, arguably, the most attractive area of Muelle Uno, overlooking su peryachts berthed in the port and with unobstructed views of the Málaga skyline and it’s iconic cathedral, Alcazaba fortification and Gibralfaro castle. Inside, the décor is elegantly contemporary, highlighted by a spacious chill out area that can be reconverted for special celebrations and a meticulously maintained vertical garden that runs along an entire wall. The culinary options are essentially focused on two tasting menus, although there is some à la carte flexibility for clients who, for example, have allergies. Both menus can be accompanied by a “maridaje” of paired wines, or specific wines from the bodega. For our luncheon visit we were treated to the “smaller” menu, which still com prises 18 exquisite dishes: eight aperitifs, seven “mains” and three desserts. Many are infused with classic local “malagueño” flavours combined with ingeniously creative modern touches (such as the “mountain-style” gazpa chuelo). José Carlos is acutely aware that elaborate tasting menus are sometimes over the top and leave diners uncomfortably clutching their bulging stom achs as they stagger out the door, so he ensures that both menus are “easy on the digestion” – and he prefers to describe the smaller aperitifs as “bo cattos” (bite-sized portions). Ultimately, therefore, we had plenty of room left to try two of the dishes from the extended menu – beluga caviar and a crêpe of angulas (eels). As to be expected, the service, led by José Carlos’s wife Lourdes Luque, is im peccable and the whole team, including chefs, are encouraged to integrate with diners and explain the intricacies of each delicacy.
Restaurante El Lago Tel. (+34) 952 832 371 restaurante@restauranteellago.com www.restauranteellago.com
Restaurante José Carlos Garcia Tel.(+34) 952 003 588 jcg@restaurantejcg.com www.restaurantejcg.com
Michelin Star Restaurants on the Costa del Sol In addition to José Carlos Garcia and El Lago, other restaurants in Málaga province with one Michelin star are Kaleja (Málaga city), Sol lo (Fuengirola), and Messina and Nintai (Marbella town centre), while Skina (Marbella Old Town) and Bardal (Ronda) have two stars each.
