Ferran Adrià shoots…and scores
The man who taught Heston everything he knows has once again topped the list of the world’s best restaurants, scoring a gastronomic hat-trick.
Ferran Adrià’s El Bulli, which has won Restaurant magazine’s San Pellegrino World Restaurant Awards four times since they launched in 2002, closely beat his protogé’s The Fat Duck to the top prize.
Heston, who trained with Adrià , need not be too bitter. His restaurant, which won the top spot in 2005, was the only UK eatery to feature in the top ten, and came a respectable second place. The chef’s closest British rival was Gordon Ramsay’s eponymous Chelsea restaurant, which climbed eleven places to number 13.
As any avid restaurant-goer knows, a good meal out demands not just outstanding food, but quality service, well-informed staff and a pleasant setting – and El Bulli has ticked all the boxes since it opened in 1964.
According to the judges, ‘El Bulli has built its reputation on its astonishing inventions, on pioneering techniques that yield results on the table that surprise, provoke, engage your sense of humour and taste divine.’ It’s a cuisine that differs from others, according to Adrià , in that “it demands psychological reflection”. In other words, you don’t come to El Bulli for a feed, you come for an experience.
El Bulli is certainly a destination for those who like to earn their supper. Located in the north of Spain on the Costa Brava coast, El Bulli is 75km from the nearest airport. It only opens from April to October, and is fully booked for 2008. And at £125 a head for the taster menu, it may be just as well – potential visitors will have time to save up for 2009 and salivate with anticipation.
Those lucky and monied enough to experience El Bulli’s fare will sample something extraordinary. Past dishes have included ‘spherical yoghurt knots with ice-plant, capers and black butter’, ‘carrot-lyo foam with hazelnut air-foam and Cordoba spices’, and ‘lamb’s brains with sea urchins and sea grape’. This year, the judges recommend the tomato cookies. Which is too bad for those of us without the coveted reservations.
