Situated on the rooftop of Lisbon’s El Corte Inglés, El Mar is chef Kiko Martins’ newest venture, a seafood restaurant that draws equally from Portugal and Brazil. It’s a personal project for the chef behind the city’s famous A Cevicheria, and one that connects his roots on both sides of the Atlantic, a dining room where the sea acts as the port to where diners embark on the journey that follows.
The design is playful and literal in its part of the voyage; Alejandro Cateto and his studio Cateto Cateto avoiding clichés in favour of an atmosphere approach. There’s a terrace that basks in the city’s sunshine, while indoors the mood shifts to calm blues, sandy tones, and warm wood. Cushions carry the curves of Rio’s famous beaches, while white-and-blue tiles nod to Portuguese tradition. On the walls, silhouettes of sailors and sails steer the room gently back toward the water.
Lighting plays its part in the scene. Marset’s Dipping Light fixtures dangle like fishing lures, doubling as miniature suns as they reflect across the glass when evening sets in. For Martins, who has built his career on contemporary Portuguese cooking, the kitchen at El Mar focuses on fish and seafood, supported by simple sides and a well-considered drinks list that runs from cocktails and wines to non-alcoholic pours.
Not quite Lisbon, not quite Rio, El Mar feels suspended between the two, bright and airy in the day, moody and reflective by night. It’s a restaurant that sets out its stall from the very beginning, and is joyfully unpretentious as a result.
@elmar.kikomartins
@cateto.cateto
@chefkikomartins
El Mar Lisbon Photography, Ricardo Oliveira Alves.
