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...
