El Lago Restaurant Marbella Is Committed To More Sustainable Gastronomy

El Lago restaurant is located at Greenlife Golf, in the heart of Elviria Hills, Marbella. The restaurant has held a Michelin Star since 2005. Chef Fernando Villasclaras has created a gastronomic approach based upon seasonal and zero-kilometre produce. The restaurant has close links with local farmers and producers and is also committed to creating a 100% vegetarian menu.

Malaga-born Chef Fernando Villasclaras trained at the Escuela de Hostelería de Benahavís, is passionate about this philosophy having created two extraordinary menus, Terra and Sazón – and The Luxury Editor was there to test drive the dishes.

Earth menu

The new vegetarian menu, Terra is a celebration of the marvellous local produce. It begins with delicate morsels such as the mini aubergine pickled in sherry with pine nut baba ghanoush, radishes from Estepona in caper salmorreta and the green bean tartar, with flaky potato.

Sazón Menu

In addition to the vegetarian proposal of El Lago, Villasclaras has created the Sazón menu, which also includes fish and meat dishes with textures and flavours defined by the local area, with dishes such as the red mullet from Marbella with Malaga grown mango; grilled veal sweetbreads, green beans and harissa; and the suckling goat with mustard, capers and grilled endive.

Wines and sweet things

Both tasting menus start with the sustainable vegetable consommé, a dish made from the restaurant’s own vegetables and served with a touch of Palo Cortado; and they also share puddings, including La Axarquía: sweet potatoes with sugar cane honey and muscatel grape granita and roasted parsnip with laurel sorbet, pear and pecan nuts – exquisite.

As for the wine cellar, El Lago has some 300 references and remains faithful to the philosophy of kilometre zero, as it offers a great collection of Andalusian wines, thanks to the winegrowers and small wineries nearby, as well as some of the finest Spanish wines and some international vintages. I really enjoyed the creative selection by sommelier Jose Antonio Gomez.

In the menu we find three pairing options, one local, with wines from our surroundings (within a 150 km area); another national, which includes unusual wines from different geographical areas, and a third, international, with a selection of world famous producers.