TDG: Eight at El Bulli

[Jonathan Day]

I second Steve Klc's query. Most of the reviews I have seen have, at worst, indicated that a few of the dishes (say 3 out of 30) were not delicious.

That was about the ratio in our dinner. And none of the 2 or 3 were actively bad, they just weren't outstanding, lile the other 27.

If you can secure a reservation at El Bulli (no small task) it's unquestionably worth going, especially because the pricing bot for food and wine is very reasonable.

[dallardice]

It certainly wasn't my impression last week that much of the food was going back uneaten. The diners seemed to be having a very positive experience which was not just driven by being in a 'special' restaurant. I was struck by how different the atmosphere was from other very upmarket restaurants I have visited - very much a sense of exploration, of keen interest in the food rather than the more usual, less-focused buzz of being in a hip restaurant.

Was everything tasty? No, not everything, but everything was interesting. I would say there were only two courses I found truly un-tasty: the oysters (which I'm not generally fond of, but was keen to try El Bulli's take on them) and the narcissus (narcissi?) flowers. Neither of them were actively unpleasant but just less successful.

Put it this way - after the hassle of organising a booking, and the associated costs in travelling to Roses jsut for this meal, if the meal had been as unsuccessful as your reports suggest, we wouldn't be planning to go again next year. At the end of the meal we felt full but not over-stuffed, satisfied that we'd had a fascinating and satisfying meal. I wouldn't want to eat that food every night; but once a year doesn't quite seem often enough.

Incidentally, one thing I forgot to add to any of my postings above: I can thoroughly recommend the Hotel Terraza in Roses. The weekend we were going, the Almadraba Park had a 3-night minimum stay, so we took a junior suite (€210) at the Terraza instead, and it was very nice indeed, in a very stripped-down, modern blond wood style. We'll stay there again when we go back to Roses.

[vserna]

I believe a frequent suggestion from the restaurant is that diners drink a Cava all the way through the menu.

That's entirely correct. But to me, it's a classic cop-out. The easy solution.

[Bux]

I'm tempted to suggest cava as well, but Victor makes a good point. It seems inappropriate, after all the work that's gone into the thought and preparation of that meal, to take an easy solution. It just seems so alien to the spirit of dining at El Bulli.

In answer to the IrishCream's post and question, I'm tempted to say that if one has to ask why bother going to El Bulli, one probably shouldn't bother. Then again, I've not read many reports of uneaten food. In my own experiences--two meals, one with a table of four and the other a table of six--nothing but bread, which is replenished, was left on a plate.

All I can say is that we went to El Bulli because of the reviews and articles I had read and that we returned because of the food. That's no guarantee anyone else will enjoy the experience and if you have food gurus whose opinion you already respect, it's reasonable to take their advice out of proportion to all others. I recall one negative report here. Perhaps there were others that made less of an impression on me.

[Lord Michael Lewis]

I'm tempted to suggest cava as well, but Victor makes a good point. It seems inappropriate, after all the work that's gone into the thought and preparation of that meal, to take an easy solution. It just seems so alien to the spirit of dining at El Bulli. 

Ferran Adria believes that champagne/cava is the ideal pairing for one of his meals.

[IrishCream]

The reviews I mentioned are available to anyone with Google. An Example:WIne Country Living. I don't have time right now to search for others.

Just because I ask if the food is delicious, I am subject to not being worthy of eating there? That seems a little harsh. It was a genuine question. And I probably will eat there...the problem for me is convincing my husband who has been googling like mad in an attempt to avoid what he fears will be an unenjoyable meal.

[Steve Klc]

Irishcream--my question to you was genuine as well. I'm somewhat familiar with what's been written about Adria and El Bulli, in fact, since this site began we have quickly become the leading international media source and repository for discussion of Ferran and El Bulli: we've discussed articles, meals, explained techniques, debated the significance and influence of both the chef and the restaurant for years. eGullet has already answered your question over and over and over--all you have to do is search our site. There was someone--from the UK I believe--who found neither the food delicious nor enjoyed his experience at El Bulli. I'm sure his comments are still on the site. Then there are numerous other eGulleteers who have found the food "delicious," as if that is some objective term, and have been able to discuss what Ferran is trying to do with his food. You are left with trying to come to grips with all of these people's palates and their perspectives and knowledge--by reading other posts of theirs--and then you make up your own mind. Everyone brings different perspectives and experiences to the table.

Your response to me--which came across as basically go Google yourself I don't have the time--doesn't seem to encourage the kind of discussion, the kind of interaction, I think most members want to have here. I apologize if I've misinterpreted your reply. You had no problem asking others to spend time addressing something you wanted to know--and you've replied to say your question was genuine. I don't doubt you. In return, I'd sincerely like to know who and what you read--just some of the--"many"-- sources you've found outside of eGullet which may be giving you this impression. We've linked to and discussed a wealth of articles and reviews of Adria and El Bulli here--and even linked to the El Bulli media website which has reproduced just about every article ever written in every language on them. That's quite a resource for you and your husband to peruse as well.

I also want to thank you for that link--I was aware of that piece and thought at the time here's a really talented writer who brought an agenda to the table, someone whose experience and bias rendered him unprepared to appreciate a meal on the chef's terms. He brought his terms with him. The first time I read it I didn't catch the fact that the author was involved with those cheesy Iron Chef USA debacles. That show made Rocco and The Restaurant seem like, well, Masterpiece Theater.

[Bux]

Sometimes the only thing one can expect of posting here is to be misunderstood. I was the only one to suggest you "probably shouldn't bother." That's a far cry from anyone saying you might not be worthy.

On the other hand, you said "I have encountered many reviews which say that most of the food goes uneatan...it is sent back to the kitchen because...it just isn't very tasty." In response others asked for links to those "many" reviews. I appreciate seeing Anthony Dias Blue's 2001 review, but I also notice that he made no reference of food going back to the kitchen uneaten. True, he said he never heard anyone say "delicious." On the other hand, I don't recall being able to hear much, if any, of the conversation at neighboring tables, let alone report on what was being said all over the restaurant.

It's an interesting review and, for me, a surprise coming from a culinary professional.

Because this overintellectualized, showoff food is so demanding of constant attention, there is no room for normal discourse. I happen to believe that conversation and social interaction are an important part of a good meal. At my El Bulli dinner I was never able to carry on a conversation with my companions, unless it had to do with the food we were eating.

He actually finds it disappointing that the food occupied his full interest at dinner. Unless he's a member here, it's probably pointless for me to say much more except that yes, El Bulli is not going to be enjoyed by someone who is not interesting in food that is riveting. I know people who don't like movies that people want to talk about after seeing them. A meal at El Bulli is demanding the way great art is demanding of the viewer.

Thanks for the review. I was glad to have the chance to see it. It tells me a lot about Anthony Dias Blue and confirms my view that Adria's food is not for everyone.

[Jonathan Day]

IrishCream, thanks for the pointer to the Anthony Dias Blue review.

My experience was different: the eight of us had a very lively conversation. It is true that the pace of our meal was slow -- something like 4.5 hours rather than three -- but we never found the waitstaff intrusive or the service "staccato". There was a lot of conversation about food, not about the food we were being served, but about food in general: but also about music, and architecture, and travel. Nor was the food in any way over the top.

Blue says that "my mother always told me that the essence of beauty was simplicity. We were discussing paintings, but this homily applies just as effectively to food." Well, I agree with that. But I would add a remark from Oliver Wendell Holmes: "I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity."

That second simplicity is the one that, I think, Ferran Adria is trying to find -- and sometimes succeeds.

I do agree with Blue that there are imitators of Ferran who get lost in the thickets of "overwrought, overhandled, over-the-top food featuring bizarre combinations and arcane ingredients", or who focus inappropriately on a single technique, e.g. foams.

[IrishCream]

Steve, I didn't mean be rude. I was being rushed out of the house. I sincerely apolgize to anyone whom I may have offended. And I'll start looking for the other reviews now and post back when I find them. And you are correct, I first read about El Bulli right here on eG.