El Bulli
Encyclopedia
elBulli was a Michelin 3-star restaurant
near the town of Roses, Catalonia
, Spain
, run by chef Ferran Adrià
. The small restaurant overlooked Cala Montjoi, a bay on Catalonia's Costa Brava
, and has been described as "the most imaginative generator of haute cuisine
on the planet" and does a great deal of work on molecular gastronomy
. The restaurant is closed as of July 30 2011, to reopen as a creativity center in 2014.
Restaurant Magazine
judged elBulli to be Number One on its Top 50
list of the world's best restaurants for a record five times—in 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, and #2 in 2010.
, and his Czech wife Marketta, who wanted a restaurant for a piece of land he had purchased. The name "elBulli" came from the French bulldog
s the Schillings owned. The first restaurant was opened in 1964. The restaurant won its first Michelin star in 1976 while under French chef Jean-Louis Neichel. Ferran Adrià joined the staff in 1984, and was put in sole charge of the kitchen in 1987. In 1990 the restaurant gained its second Michelin star, and in 1997 its third.
elBulli has published books on its development, menu, and philosophy since 1993, in both large format, some including CD-ROMs, and small format for supermarket sales. Ferran Adrià, Juli Soler, and Albert Adrià published A Day at elBulli in 2008. The book describes 24 hours in the life of elBulli in pictures, commentary and recipes. Among the recipes included in the book are melon with ham
, pine nut marshmallows, steamed brioche
with rose-scented mozzarella, rock mussels with seaweed and fresh herbs, and passion fruit trees. Anthony Bourdain
described Albert Adrià's contributions thus: "His book is a shockingly beautiful catalog of his latest accomplishments here… Pastry chefs everywhere—when they see this—will gape in fear, and awe, and wonder. I feel for them; like Eric Clapton
seeing Jimi Hendrix
for the first time, one imagines they will ask themselves 'What do I do now?'."
Texturas is a range of products by Ferran Adrià and his brother Albert Adrià. The products include the Sferificación, Gelificación, Emulsificación, Espesantes and Surprises lines and are the result of a rigorous process of selection and experimentation. Texturas includes products such as Xanthan and Algin which are packaged and labeled as Xantana Texturas and Algin Texturas respectively. Xanthan gum allows the user to use a very small amount to thicken soups, sauces and creams without changing the flavour. Algin is a key component of the "Spherification
Kit" and is essential for every spherical preparation: caviar, raviolis, balloons, gnocchi, pellets, and mini-spheres.
article, that the restaurant will be closing permanently after July 2011 , although the official elBulli website denies this.
"2010. The future of elBulli is established. Between January and February, Ferran Adrià announces that, once the season 2011 is over, elBulli will close during two years to reopen in 2014 under a totally new format, focused on the limits of creativity from an interdisciplinary view."
As of April 28, 2011 the elBulli website lists that it will close in July of 2011 "On July 30th 2011 elBulli will have completed its journey as a restaurant. We will transform into a creativity center, opening in 2014. Its main objective is to be a think-tank for creative cuisine and gastronomy and will be managed by a private foundation."
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
near the town of Roses, Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, run by chef Ferran Adrià
Ferran Adrià
Ferran Adrià i Acosta is a Catalan chef born on May 14, 1962 in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. He was the head chef of the El Bulli restaurant in Roses on the Costa Brava, and is considered one of the best chefs in the world.-Career:...
. The small restaurant overlooked Cala Montjoi, a bay on Catalonia's Costa Brava
Costa Brava
The Costa Brava is a coastal region of northeastern Catalonia, Spain, in the comarques of Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà and Selva, in the province of Girona. Costa is the Catalan and Spanish word for 'coast', and Brava means 'rugged' or 'wild'...
, and has been described as "the most imaginative generator of haute cuisine
Haute cuisine
Haute cuisine or grande cuisine was characterised by French cuisine in elaborate preparations and presentations served in small and numerous courses that were produced by large and hierarchical staffs at the grand restaurants and hotels of Europe.The 17th century chef and writer La Varenne...
on the planet" and does a great deal of work on molecular gastronomy
Molecular gastronomy
Molecular gastronomy is a subdiscipline of food science that seeks to investigate, explain and make practical use of the physical and chemical transformations of ingredients that occur while cooking, as well as the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in...
. The restaurant is closed as of July 30 2011, to reopen as a creativity center in 2014.
Restaurant
The restaurant had a limited season: the 2010 season, for example, ran from June 15 to December 20. Bookings for the next year were taken on a single day after the closing of the current season. It accommodated only 8,000 diners a season, but got more than two million requests. The average cost of a meal was €250. The restaurant itself operated at a loss since 2000, with operating profit coming from elBulli-related books and lectures by Adrià. As of April 2008, the restaurant employed 42 chefs.Restaurant Magazine
Restaurant (magazine)
Restaurant is a British magazine aimed at chefs, restaurant proprietors and other catering professionals that concentrates on the fine dining end of the industry. It produces an annual list of what it considers to be the best 50 restaurants, based on the votes of 600 "chefs, restaurateurs, critics...
judged elBulli to be Number One on its Top 50
Restaurant (magazine) Top 50
The S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants is produced by British magazine Restaurant based on a poll of international chefs, restaurateurs, gourmands and restaurant critics. In addition to the main ranking, the Chef's Choice list is based on votes from the fifty head chefs from the restaurants...
list of the world's best restaurants for a record five times—in 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, and #2 in 2010.
History
The elBulli location was selected in 1961 by Dr Hans Schilling, a GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and his Czech wife Marketta, who wanted a restaurant for a piece of land he had purchased. The name "elBulli" came from the French bulldog
Bulldog
Bulldog is the name for a breed of dog commonly referred to as the English Bulldog. Other Bulldog breeds include the American Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge and the French Bulldog. The Bulldog is a muscular heavy dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose...
s the Schillings owned. The first restaurant was opened in 1964. The restaurant won its first Michelin star in 1976 while under French chef Jean-Louis Neichel. Ferran Adrià joined the staff in 1984, and was put in sole charge of the kitchen in 1987. In 1990 the restaurant gained its second Michelin star, and in 1997 its third.
elBulli has published books on its development, menu, and philosophy since 1993, in both large format, some including CD-ROMs, and small format for supermarket sales. Ferran Adrià, Juli Soler, and Albert Adrià published A Day at elBulli in 2008. The book describes 24 hours in the life of elBulli in pictures, commentary and recipes. Among the recipes included in the book are melon with ham
Ham
Ham is a cut of meat from the thigh of the hind leg of certain animals, especiallypigs. Nearly all hams sold today are fully cooked or cured.-Etymology:...
, pine nut marshmallows, steamed brioche
Brioche
Brioche is a highly enriched French pastry, whose high egg and butter content give it a rich and tender crumb. It is "light and slightly puffy, more or less fine, according to the proportion of butter and eggs" It has a dark, golden, and flaky crust, frequently accentuated by an egg wash applied...
with rose-scented mozzarella, rock mussels with seaweed and fresh herbs, and passion fruit trees. Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Michael "Tony" Bourdain is an American chef, author and television personality. He is well known for his 2000 book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, and is the host of Travel Channel's culinary and cultural adventure program Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.A...
described Albert Adrià's contributions thus: "His book is a shockingly beautiful catalog of his latest accomplishments here… Pastry chefs everywhere—when they see this—will gape in fear, and awe, and wonder. I feel for them; like Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
seeing Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
for the first time, one imagines they will ask themselves 'What do I do now?'."
Commercial products
Spherification
Spherification is the culinary process of shaping a liquid into spheres which visually and texturally resemble caviar. The technique was originally discovered by Unilever in the 1950s Spherification is the culinary process of shaping a liquid into spheres which visually and texturally resemble...
Kit" and is essential for every spherical preparation: caviar, raviolis, balloons, gnocchi, pellets, and mini-spheres.
Closure
Ferran Adrià has announced he will be closing elBulli in 2012, due to the massive monetary loss it was incurring. He was quoted by The New York Times as planning to replace it with a culinary academy. He later denied the announcement, saying that The New York Times had misquoted him, and stated that elBulli would reopen in 2014 after a two-year hiatus, as "initially planned," and will still serve food. Adrià later confirmed, in an October 2010 Vanity FairVanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
article, that the restaurant will be closing permanently after July 2011 , although the official elBulli website denies this.
"2010. The future of elBulli is established. Between January and February, Ferran Adrià announces that, once the season 2011 is over, elBulli will close during two years to reopen in 2014 under a totally new format, focused on the limits of creativity from an interdisciplinary view."
As of April 28, 2011 the elBulli website lists that it will close in July of 2011 "On July 30th 2011 elBulli will have completed its journey as a restaurant. We will transform into a creativity center, opening in 2014. Its main objective is to be a think-tank for creative cuisine and gastronomy and will be managed by a private foundation."
Publications
- El Bulli 1983-1993 (with Juli Soler and Albert Adrià), 2004. w/CD-ROM.
- El Bulli: el sabor del Mediterráneo (with Juli Soler), 1993. ISBN 84-7596-415-X
- Los secretos de El Bulli 1997. Altaya. ISBN 84-487-1000-2
- El Bulli 1994-1997 (with Juli Soler and Albert Adrià), 2003. w/CD-ROM. Rba Libros, 2005. ISBN 978-8478710782
- Cocinar en 10 minutos con Ferran Adrià (with Josep M. Pinto), 1998. ISBN 84-605-7628-0
- Celebrar el milenio con Arzak y Adrià (with Juan Mari ArzakJuan Mari ArzakJuan Mari Arzak is the owner and chef for Arzak restaurant. He is considered to be one of the great masters of New Basque cuisine...
), 1999. ISBN 84-8307-246-7 - El Bulli 1998-2002 (with Juli Soler and Albert Adrià), Conran Octopus, 2003. w/CD-ROM. ISBN 1-84091-346-0; Ecco, 2005. ISBN 0-06-081757-7
- El Bulli 2003-2004 (with Juli Soler and Albert Adrià), Ecco, 2006. ISBN 0-06-114668-4
- El Bulli 2005 (with Juli Soler and Albert Adrià), 2006. w/CD-ROM. Rba Libros. ISBN 978-8478716074
- A Day At El Bulli 2007 (with Juli Soler and Albert Adrià), 2008. ISBN 978-84-7901-741-5
- FOOD for thought THOUGHT for food (El Bulli y Ferran Adrià), 2009 ActarACTARACTAR is part of ActarBirkhäuser is a publisher of books on architecture, graphic design, and contemporary art. It was founded in 1994 and is based in Barcelona....
Editorial. ISBN 978-84-96954-68-7 - Modern Gastronomy A to Z: A Scientific and Gastronomic Lexicon (Alicia Foundation, elBullitaller), 2010. CRC PressCRC PressThe CRC Press, LLC is a publishing group which specializes in producing technical books. While many of their books relate to engineering, science and mathematics, their scope also includes books on business, forensics and information technology...
. ISBN 978-1439812457
External links
- El Bulli Official website.
- History of El Bulli 1961-2006 (PDF). ElBulli.com, 2007.
- Spanish eatery tops table again. CNN. April 24, 2007.
See also
- AkelareAkelareAkelaŕe is a Basque restaurant opened in 1974 in San Sebastián, Spain, that has achieved three Michelin stars. The restaurant is known for its local seafood....
- ArzakArzakArzak is a restaurant in San Sebastián, Spain. It features New Basque Cuisine. In 2008, Arzak's owner and chef, Juan Mari Arzak, was awarded the Universal Basque award for "adapting gastronomy, one of the most important traditions of the Basque Country, to the new times and making of it one of...
- Can FabesCan FabesCan Fabes is a restaurant in Sant Celoni, Catalonia, Spain. The chef was Santi Santamaria, who was the first Catalan cook ever to get 3 Michelin stars. Santamaria has been the president of Relais Gourmands and Vicepresident of Relais & Chateaux . Can Fabes has been a member of Relais & Châteaux...
- Sant Pau (restaurant)Sant Pau (restaurant)Sant Pau is a Spanish restaurant in Sant Pol de Mar , a town between Barcelona and Girona. In 2009 it was awarded three Michelin stars and three Campsa-Repsol suns. Its chef is Carme Ruscalleda, and the dining room is directed by Toni Balam...
- El Celler de Can RocaEl Celler de Can RocaEl Celler de Can Roca is a restaurant in Girona, Catalonia, Spain.Founded in 1986 by the three Roca brothers next to the family restaurant that makes traditional meals. The oldest brother, Joan Roca is the head chef; Josep Roca, the middle brother, is the sommelier, and the youngest brother, Jordi...