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A Day at elBulli
Phaidon Press Inc. Product Details - Ratings and reviews for a day at elbulli. |
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by: Ferran Adria,
Juli Soler,
Albert Adria
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Sales Rank: 790
Phaidon Press Inc.
Released: 2008-10-01 |
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Media: Hardcover (1)
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Amazon.com Review
Book Description
A Day at elBulli: An Insight into the Ideas, Methods and Creativity of Ferran Adria reveals for the first time the creative process, innovative philosophy and extraordinary techniques of the multi-award-winning restaurant, elBulli, and its legendary head chef, Ferran Adria. Situated on a remote beach on the northeast coast of Spain, elBulli is famous for being the ultimate pilgrimage site for foodies, and a reservation that is nearly impossible to obtain. Each year elBulli is open for just six months, and receives more than 2 million requests for only 8,000 seats. Renowned for his spectacular ever-changing 30-course tasting menu, Adria's pioneering culinary techniques have been applauded - and imitated - by top chefs around the globe for the past decade, and he was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people of our time. If you weren't one of the lucky few to get in this year (2008 reservations were booked a year in advance), you can now experience the restaurant like never before. This generously-illustrated 600-page ''day in the life'' features over 800 photographs, menus, recipes and diagrams, and presents a guided tour through a full working day at elBulli. The book documents the activities of each hour of the day, from dawn at 6.15 am to switching off the lights at 2.00 am.
The book highlights 30 dishes which represent a full elBulli menu, and Adria shows you how he creates the restaurant's innovative cuisines. Sample recipes include Samphire Tempura with Saffron and Oyster Cream, Steamed Brioche with Rose-Scented Mozzarella, and Coulant/Souffle of Granadilla with Cardamom Toffee. In April 2008, elBulli won the #1 Best Restaurant in the World, for the third year in a row at the S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards. A Look Inside A Day at elBulli
(Click on Images to Enlarge) 
08:30 elBulli Restaurant Terrace
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14:35 The rest of the kitchen team arrives.
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16:45 Making an olive oil cylinder from a special caramel made with olive oil and Isomalt
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20:00 Chefs make cocktails: a tray of Margarita frappé with a salt air served in a cube of ice
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Cigala con quinoa (Langoustine with quinoa)
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23:15 The pace slows down as act three approaches
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Amazon Exclusive: A Recipe Excerpt from A Day at elBulli 
Marshmallow de piñones (Pine nut marshmallows) |
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A Day at elBulli
- Hardcover: 600 pages
- Publisher: Phaidon Press Inc.; 2008-10-01
- Label: Phaidon Press Inc.
- Studio: Phaidon Press Inc.
- ISBN: 0714848832
- Average Customer Review: based on 9 reviews
- Sales Rank in Books: #790
Avg. Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: A fly on the wall 2008-11-12
Comment: 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
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Like winning the lottery 2008-10-31
Comment: 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!!!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: It's a photo album... 2008-10-28
Comment: 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...
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Food Porn 2008-10-20
Comment: My feeling is that about 1 in a 1,000 people who buy this book will ever either A. eat at elBulli or B. prepare any of the few recipies in the book. But as food porn it's incredible. Glossy picture after picture of food, preparation of food, impossible incredible food and the amazingly complex life of the restaurant and people who prepare the most complex food in the world. This is a book to drool over and I've given it four stars only because of a Puritan ancestry...we shouldn't give ourselves in to so much lust.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but not a cookbook 2008-10-20
Comment: 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.
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A Day at elBulli
