Customer Reviews

A Day at El Bulli

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

My Wife and I were Lucky enough to eat at El Bulli in September of 2007. Actually, I was the lucky one and she was gracious enough to let me drag her to the other side of the planet for a very strange, (but spectacular) dinner.

I just found out that this book existed. Firstly, it does not even pretend to be a "cook book". If that's what was expected then one should have bought the actual cook books, (published chronologically), from El Bulli directly. This book is a pictorial love letter. To me, even though I had absolutely nothing to do with the books production, it feels personal.

My own photo album mimics much of what is seen here. It's simply the real deal. A lot is made of Ferran and his restaurant. I understand why but what gets lost in all of the global hype is the simple fact that you are eating dinner at someone's house. It's small. There is no menu. No Pretense, and Ferran is actually there. Also,everybody else is just plain friendly.

It's food, not Worship. Fun...not analysis. Frankly, I've had better food in my life. However, I've never had a "Greater" dining experience. Once I received the reservation, we had to wait a full year. Here it is more than a year after and I still think about the experience all the time. What other Restaurant can give you that?

Ferran could charge 5 times what he does and still be full every night but he doesn't. That says something to me. He is laser focused on his own personal vision and when you go there you are merely a participant along for the ride...and what a crazy ride it is. Anyway, back to the book.

There is no way that this book is relevant to most casual observers. If I hadn't eaten there, i doubt even I would be interested to own it. Like I said, to me, this is one spectacular memory of the night we spent there. The table we sat at is photographed many times over and I have vivid memories of many other photos as well.

To this day, I'm still not sure if what I ate at El Bulli should be considered "dining". I doubt I ever will figure that out with any precision. That's why I loved it. It's the same with this book. You'll page through it and ponder it's ideas for years but you'll probably never arrive at any real resolution. I haven't. What other "cookbook" can do that? Talk about getting your monies worth...

Amazing insight into the world of Ferran Adria at elBulli. This new book covers a single day in chronological order and spanning 600 pages. Readers should not expect an extensive narrative or cookbook format from this volume; however, for those interested in gleaning a window into an exotic world, this new work is hard to beat, especially at this price. Beautiful photographs fill nearly every page and feature the esoteric (sand on the Spanish sea shore), operational details (menu and plating preparation worksheets), and of course, the amazing food. A Day at elBulli clearly illustrates the genius and passion of Mr. Adria and offers a small glimpse at this world renowned restaurant for those of us not fortunate enough to dine there in person. Simply amazing!

Getting a reservation at El Bulli is like winning the lottery. Only 8000 guests are served per year, with over 2 million requests. This book is probably the closest I will get to the restaurant (though I WILL try!)

This is more of a picture book, not a cook book (though there are some recipes in it). The artistry of Ferran Adria is showcased, but more important to me was the organization that goes into the daily routine. I was fascinated by the extensive use of lists, some of which are included in the book.

Molecular gastronomy is not something the home cook will usually be trying (but I'm working on it!). The book inspired me to work in my kitchen, but also gave me some ideas to incorporate into my daily life, organizing my day better. Restauranteurs throughout the world will be reading this, but I would encourage everyone to look at it, and read the text discussing the artistry. Well done, Chef Adria!!!

If you win the reservations lottery for elBulli, you might want to buy this as a souvenir. It is hard for me to imagine why a chef as successful as Senor Adria would need an homage to himself. Most let their offerings speak for themselves. This monstrous pile of paper has few words, but they are all bloated and fatuous. "Adria is the most innovative chef working in the world today." That may be true on any given day out of six months, but I suspect somewhere an un-Adria meal might be choked down without killing the diner with banality. It gets worse quickly: "A good dinner is inseparable from good scenography." Such blather is more than wrong; it is wrong-headed. But absurdity just around the bend. A heading of banal photographs reads "Adria's Secret Laboratory". And how could we do without all those childhood snaps of the young Einstein.

The organization of the book is simple. Each page is time-stamped, 24 hour format to be sure -- none of this a.m., p.m. nonsense. "A 11:00 hours the creative sessions begin! It is not what you look for that matters, it is what you find!" The very scales fall from mine eyes! Kant kneels.

Many of the hundreds of photos of the maestro's puss are close enough to count the pores on his nose and the hairs within.

Breaking news on page 73: "Knowledge is essential for judging the products". My life in a ditch. All my failures illustrated in a hairy wrist.

14:30 hours THE TEAM ARRIVES! Eighteen photos of them sniffing their fingers. 15:10 hours "Ferran does not do mise en place himself (that would be wasting sacred time, like Christ washing feet. I should have named this review 'Christ stopped at elBulli' but I could not bring myself to do that to Primo Levi) but continues creative. That about covers the God of Abraham's shift.

15:40 hours I break into tears at the photos of the wiping of the forks. Two pages of just forks. How beautiful. By page 173 we hit 16:50 hours. A picture of a Micro Plane used to grate hard cheese. I swoon. 18:50 an onion is sliced.

Finally on page 283 we get partial pretend recipes. What good real ones wasted on dirt such as we. But he gives us directions on how to eat "Eat a different cube with every mouthful". And Picasso thought HE was a Spaniard.

Thankfully on page 340 you see tail lights of a redeemed customer leaving paradise.

I would not consider this a cookbook. The bulk of the book consists of pictures and some text. I would say this is an interesting book about creativity. It shows how the creative process works in one world class, very innovative restaurant. This is an interesting read/reflection if you are interested in creativity in general.

You do get a sample of recipes. Given the price of the other El Bulli books, it might not even be a bad deal if you just want some of Adria's recipes. Still the recipes are mainly included to show the outcome of the creative process.

This book does not really cover the different methods/machines used in molecular gastronomy. If you want to understand the methods used, I would recommend starting with Blumenthal's "The big fat duck" and reading a few blogs. Two good things with the Blumenthal book is that it has a section on methods/machines and is available in a low cost paperback. Then you can get Adria's chronological description of his creations over the years, for instance start with 2003-4. I'm sure there will be more practical books geared towards a lay audience in the coming few years. Let's revisit the issue in 2011.

As others have stated, this book is huge. It's about the size of a family bible. As a record of a culinary and restaurant phenomenon, it's interesting. It's an exhaustive album of photos that tries to show what it's like to be, work and eat at the restaurant.

As a cookbook, it is physically too big to be usable if anyone were to attempt these recipes. Since I am not a fan of molecular gastronomy, I have no idea if these recipes are useful and no desire to try them to find out. I can only imagine that for the cook who wants to cook in this way, they are a good feature of the book.

If you are an admirer of Adria or like molecular gastronomy, you would probably enjoy this book. If you are a foodie in general but with no particular liking for this kind of cooking, you might want to add the book to your collection merely as a record a notable chef's contributions to haute cuisine.

I just purchased this book yesterday- thrilled to find a Ferran Adria book under $50 and was up till 2am devouring it- not only does it have quite a few of Ferran's recipe's it also gives one great insight into his psyche and the whole operation at elBulli. The many photo's transport you into the midst of this world famous restaurant witnessing the meticulous preparation of the food and the anticipation and delight of the patrons- it's truly a feast for the eyes and it has made me even more determined to secure a reservation at this temple of gastronomic delights

How would you evaluate the quality of a book which is (supposed to be)tellling you about the best restaurant in the world?

You'd be expecting to see the techniques they are using for cooking,
Maybe some guidence for the chefs about how to acquire that kind of quality,
Some recipes might do as well,
and some photos to make the book more colorful and the concept more vivid.

What I wasn't expecting was a photo album, and very little information about the topics mentioned above.
The physically heavy book is full of pictures, relevant or irrelevant to elBulli.
Very little to read.

Now this book sits comfortably next to my toilet seat under the toilet papers,
where I use it as a last resort when I run out of magazines (or toilet papers)...

Yours respectfully.

In brief - This is a a near perfect coffee table book for foodies. The exhaustive detail of every nook and cranny of the restaurant and how it runs is beautifully presented. If you are really into food, or want to know how a world renowned chef operates his establishment in incredibly visual detail, then this book is a great investment.
I've already given away a copy as a gift, and the cost is not that significant for such a large volume.
Cons - No this is not a really useful cookbook. If that's what you're expecting I would look elsewhere.
The quality of the pages themselves could be better, but I'm figuring this is why they're able to sell it so cheaply considering it's size.

This book is just what I ordered. It was a gift for my son and he loves it. It was everything he thought it would be.