Binding: Hardcover Dewey Decimal Number: 641 EAN: 9780714848839 ISBN: 0714848832 Label: Phaidon Press Inc. Manufacturer: Phaidon Press Inc. Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 600 Publication Date: October 01, 2008 Publisher: Phaidon Press Inc. Sales Rank: 2376 Studio: Phaidon Press Inc.
Amazon.com ReviewBook 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
14:35 The rest of the kitchen team arrives.
16:45 Making an olive oil cylinder from a special caramel made with olive oil and Isomalt
20:00 Chefs make cocktails: a tray of Margarita frappé with a salt air served in a cube of ice
Cigala con quinoa (Langoustine with quinoa)
23:15 The pace slows down as act three approaches
Amazon Exclusive: A Recipe Excerpt from A Day at elBulli
Marshmallow de piñones (Pine nut marshmallows)
What Others Say
Excellent Foodie Coffee Table Book
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 A Day at elBulli 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.
elBulli: The Chemistry of Turning Food Into Art.
A Day at elBulli caught my eye in my local bookstore last weekend. It is arguably at the top of the heap of a bunch of new fascinating molecular gastronomy "cookbooks" which also includes Heston Blumenthal's The Big Fat Duck Cookbook and Grant Achatz's Alinea. Looking into the pages of these three "cookbooks" is like looking into the future of future of food. I first discovered elBulli on Anthony Bourdain's show, No Reservations, on the Travel Channel. Millions of food enthusiasts can't get a reservation at Ferran Adrià's Spainish reservation every year. elBulli (http://www.elbulli.com) is not only considered to be The Best Restaurant in the World, it is also considered to be The Vatican for foodies seeking something of a religious experience ... Read More
Anyone can be a molecular gastronome!
"A Day At elBulli" is a spectacular book documenting a typical day at Ferran Adria's equally spectacular restaurant. It's sensually beautiful,a coffee table book that manages to blend science with cuisine, with colorful pictures of Adria's spare,Zen-like meals.
Ferran Adria takes food to its basic elements, be it pine nut marshmallows,or "ice cream" made from savory ingredients. Each meal is pared down. But it's certainly not spartan-if you consider the cooking equipment,ingredients,time and preparation. This is NOT a cookbook for anyone on a budget or without the fancy tools. How many people have dry ice on hand for cooking? It is,however,a delight for the eyes and one can learn some food science.
great gift
purchased the book as a gift for my son who is a chef he was very excited when he unwrapped the gift he tells me the book is excellent
Sumptious - Like Being There
This is a must have if you are fan of a chef who many consider to be one of the greatest if not the greatest chef in the world. While it is virtually impossible to get a table at Ferran's restaurant, El Bulli, in Spain, I was fortunate enough through pure luck to score a seat. It exceeded my wildest expectations. But the thing about great food is that it difficult to capture the tastes, flavors and smells so that you can re-live the magic. "A Day at El Bulli" is the closest thing I have found to allowing me to re-live the world class dining experience and the wondrous food that Ferran creates in his laboratory / kitchen. Simply the best and should be top of the reading list for the truly passionate foodie.
