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Restaurant Review - El Bulli
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| Food Type |
Spanish |
| Food rating |
5/10 (More information) |
| Address |
Apartado 30
Roses
Spain
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| Phone Number |
+34 (972) 15 04 57 |
| Website |
Website |
| Last Visited |
July 1999 |
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| My Review |
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Famous for its remote location a 40 minute drive up a winding cliff road, as well as for its very inventive cooking.This is not a place you will have trouble forming a strong opinion of.You get various menu options, most involving many small dishes, almost in the style of tapas.The taste and flavour combinations are extremely unusual and challenging e.g. potato with coffee gelee, or a sort of pea soup served in a wine glass, hot at one end, cold at the other, to be downed in one gulp.There are virtually no conventional dishes here.Service is precious, to put it mildly.I don’t mind experimentation if it works, as done by Mark Veyrat at Auberge de l’Eridan (see my French food notes on this web site) or l’Arnsbourg in Alsace. Weird combinations can be stimulating and, if not reliably good, at least interesting. My problem with El Bulli is not with the experimentation but the way that, for me at least, almost none of the experiments actually work.When semi-conventional dishes appear their execution is good, but not top notch. For me this is an Emperor’s new clothes situation, with critics blindly agreeing that the chef is a genius, many of whom who have never made it up here at all. Perhaps I am just missing the point, but I did not enjoy this experience one bit. Clearly, lots of influential experts including Michelin (3 stars) disagree, but be warned. If you just find this pretentious cooking with indifferent execution, you heard it here first. The cooking here was neatly summed up in Anthony Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential” – “El Bulli….shock effect food”. |
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18/06/2008 - Simon (UK)
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| I feel that your review's of these modern restaurants are slightly biased in favour of old school/clasical french cuisine. My opinion of these restaurants are that if a panel of 200 peers can vote them the 'Best restaurant in the world' then so be it. You have accurately reviewed(in my opinion) many restaurants, but i do feel that you sway towards more classical cooking. |
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25/01/2008 - ()
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| I don't have a review of your El Bulli piece, just a quick comment. I think it is unfair of you to quote Anthony Bourdain in your summing up sentence. The quote you have used has since been taken back by Anthony himself, he has apologised for making that remark (even if it was in his best selling book). |
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12/09/2007 - ergagit (us)
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| The most honest reviews on the internet. El Bulli is the most overated restaurant in the world, this entitles them to its ranking of number 1 |
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26/07/2007 - Darwin (USA)
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| I just returned from a fantastic dinner at el Bulli last Monday (July 16th), so I guess from the comments and the review, I would be at a minority. I thought each and every one of the 30 courses served us worked...and at every level. They were flavorful, intriguing, and included a wow factor to them. All the techniques associated with molecular gastronomy were there: lyopholized food, airs, gels, and foams. This is not the first time I have ever tried this kind of cooking nor have I tried all sorts of this kind of cooking, so it is not like I am jaded or coming into this as a wide-eyed optimist. From the parmesan air which you sprinkle with dried fruit to the razorneck clams served with seabeans to the sea cucumber stuffed with calyx caviar, I thought every dish worked. By the time dinner finished at 1am, I was definitely in awe.
My group then went back to Barcelona and had dinner at Comerc 24 the following day and were quickly disappointed by the restaurant.
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15/07/2007 - Alex Chambers (England)
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| I think the last comment could be seen as a little harsh - given that the restaurant has 3 stars and promotes the fact, surely it should expect to be judged by the same standards? I have no issue whatsoever with creative cooking but to assume that anyone who doesn't enjoy it is simply a "star collector" is a touch naive. I was hugely impressed by much at El Bulli but I still feel it is more of a sideshow than the real deal. Several ingredients I adore were presented in a manner that totally baffled me- why turn something into a foam, sludge or jelly unless it improve matters? Not to suggest I'm an oracle on how dishes should be prepared, but surely if you "challenge" someone it should be with good cause, as is the case with his brain florets or parmesan ravioli- not his tomato gelatine soup. Don't get me wrong, when Adria hits the high notes he scores with aplomb, but this is the only 3* that has made me and other (certainly non-foodie) guests gag. The team at Noma, whose chef is Adria's protege, summed it up best when we visited their restaurant- "the tools and the processes are invaluable to moving cooking on, but at times we need to take a step back and look at whether we are actually improving the ingredients". This isn't always the case at El Bulli. Very clever, less often enjoyable. That said, perhaps I'm biased as I hated the terrifying trip round the headland and don't fancy doing it again any time soon. Good to have a debate though! |
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12/07/2007 - Mark Reynier (UK)
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| It was never going to be everyone's cup of tea.
Though not entirely surprised by them, I disagree with these comments. The place certainly polarises opinion.
For me El Bulli is a very special place: it is not a meal - more an experience - and certainly not for everyone; you either get it or you don't there are no half measures.
The biggest decision is deciding who to take with you - the right companion is essential: 3 star stamp-collectors, in-and-out diners, celebrators, me-toos, French traditionalists - forget it.
I have been going since 1999 and find it it be the most enthralling, all encompassing experience. With each visit the pleasure incredibly seems ratcheted up another notch.
I love it precisely because it directly challenges all the usual pompous foodie preconceptions:
Laid back, auberge-like atmosphere; casual dress; 25 mini-course set menu; Stimulating, progressive, provocative and yes playful cuisine.
Here it's your brain more than simply your palate that is nourished by El Bulli.
How long can they keep this up I don't know.
If you are ever invited to go to El Bulli, the chances are that your host will have already been. He will have chosen you because he knows you will appreciate the enigma that is El Bulli.
Go - and prepare to be ambushed. Dining will never be the same again.
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28/05/2007 - barbara (usa)
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| the best thing about El Bulli is the fact that the food is not wine friendly so it keeps the price down.... It was a case of the Emperor's new clothes
A chemisty experiment is the good way to describe the meal |
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17/03/2007 - Alex Chambers (England)
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| Very much a mixed bag. On a visit in the Summer of 2006 I had two or three dishes which were heading towards the sublime; most notably a raspberry puree encased in frozen white chocolate which exploded upon contact with the tongue and a simply magnificent ravioli of Parmesan served in an intense veal broth, which are both easily 9 or 10 out of 10 mouthfuls. The problem I had was that these were exceptions, with the wackier creations often leaving me bemused (tomato soup that was actually slabs of tomato flavoured gelatine?!), and on one occasion, literally gagging (if offered mussels here be extremely wary - they may well encase them in agar and sea water. A mouthful of unexpected salt water with jelly lumps doesn't really float my boat).
The one point I would strongly disagree on is the service. We were treated remarkably well by both the young sommelier and our main waiter; both were faultless. Having also encountered ex-El Bulli staff at Anthony's in Leeds, I'm rather surprised to hear of bad experiences as they were marvellous too. Perhaps I had a lucky day...
Too much hype is the problem here, but then, I feel the same way about The Fat Duck. Just because something has been reconstituted, frozen in nitrogen and presented with a chintzy name, it doesn't mean it is any better than the straight forward ingredients. Good wine list though. |
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12/02/2007 - Pierre (Switzerland)
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| Been there a year ago.
Maybe I was expecting too much, but everything was a disaster.
Waiters with attitude, never the same one, food unimaginative at best.
He should probably take a break. Oh and did I forgot to mention that it attracts quite a popular crowd?
Basically, it's cheap, in all meanings. |
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