No Reservations - El Bulli...
...made me smile and even laugh happy in moments.
The love and passion for food in all involved was evident and infectious, and I found myself literally laughing aloud with delight at the amazing concepts and their execution at El Bulli.
Made me sad on one hand that I'll now never have a chance to go, but really, really glad that Ferran Adria chose to walk away while he still seemed to have so much joy and exuberance for what he does (that he will now pass on to students at his culinary school).
One of the best NRs in a long time.
By inaplasticcup
on Aug 1, 2011 11:12 PM
View »
He and Jose Andreas are great together. I loved the opener when they went to TICKETS. A favorite line was when Bourdain tasted that sheep milk torta with morels and said he'd like to "snort it up my (expletive deleted!) nose"! He was clearly humbled by his visit to El Bulli. And the food, *such* food! Adria was the perfect host and all around nice guy, it seems. Great episode, which I'll save to watch again, and probably again. I rarely have any complaints about No Reservations or Bourdain. I guess I'm like an indulgent mother, in that way!
Permalink | Reply
I really liked Jose Andres here because he seemed so natural (he gets a little hammy on his PBS show and it's really exhausting sometimes). It was cute when he shorthanded *MF* like he wanted to speak Bourdain's language but then thought better of it because realized he was in front of a camera.
Then there was Bourdain's comment about the black truffle galette that I really hoped flew over my pre-teens' heads. :P
They were all wonderful together and to see Adria delight in the creations that came from the people in his kitchen - he looked so proud, but without a touch of arrogance.
Permalink | Reply
I thought that Adria gave Andres a bit less than the warm welcome he gave Tony. He seemed to shortchange him in the hug department...
Permalink | Reply
I saw last night's NR too about El Bulli. It struck me how much of a back-slapping genial fellow Ferra is, very touchy-feely. The episode was very enjoyable.
The side-bits and run-ups to the actual El Bulli segment were just as interesting, I thought. That MG-based meal at 'Tickets" in Barcelona was also interesting, including the "food-mall" look of the place; and that soup-on-the-beach with (ahem) REAL ingredients :-) that Andres made with that local fellow (with a little help from AB) looked yummy.
Permalink | Reply
Yeah - that soup on the beach looked amazing. And the raw prawn preparation - I was drooling in my seat...
Permalink | Reply
Classic episode! I can definitely appreciate the magnificence of the meal they had at El Bulli but the pot of seafood soup on the beach is what got me really excited.
Permalink | Reply
It was a pretty cool episode. Did anyone catch what all went into that stew?
Permalink | Reply
All I got was monkfish, prawns, sea water, saffron (I think), and then some side condiment made with the monkfish liver. But whatever else was in there (and I'm sure it was a lot of stuff I didn't list) it looked tasty, tasty, tasty!!
Permalink | Reply
There were potatoes too, I believe.
Permalink | Reply
Forgot to mention that I think it say's a lot about Adria, on many levels, that he considers mis-treating the dishwashers to be the biggest crime one can commit in his kitchen.
Permalink | Reply
I noticed that, too. From the proper staff meal to the insistence that all be treated with the same level of courtesy and respect - must be an amazing learning experience to work for him.
Permalink | Reply
I thought it was wonderful too. El Bulli has always sounded so esoteric to me, but watching this showed me that it was complicated but also accessible and delicious. It was fun watching Tony having such a great time.
I have a question though. Did I understand correctly that a meal there had 50+ courses? I think if I tried that, my taste buds would have a breakdown. I realize that the portions are very small, but still - that many incredible tastes sound exhausting. It's like when I read about people's meals at the French Laundry. Can someone enlighten me on this? Or am I just a food wuss?!
Permalink | Reply
Yes, I'm pretty sure you heard correctly and you're not a wuss! I could probably get through it, but that wouldn't be a meal I'd want to just "get through". I wonder how long the meal lasted?
Permalink | Reply
I was wondering that too. And also how much it cost!
Permalink | Reply
I thought I heard them say it was 5 hours?
Permalink | Reply
Thanks, Coll. I'd need some time to get up and walk around, at the very least. They probably allow for that.
Permalink | Reply
The final meal was 49 courses (each one being not much more than a bite or two). Their meals typically ran around 30 courses for about $300.
Permalink | Reply
Actually for the complexity, creativity, and quality, that seems pretty reasonable!
Permalink | Reply
I've heard they lose money on each meal. They make some of it back with their book sales. And also I've heard the restaurant has some very rich backers who have kept it open.
All just hearsay, of course.
Permalink | Reply
there was on article on the bbc that said that a couple days ago. they have never turned a profit.
Permalink | Reply
There's no business school in the world where you could present a business plan proposing:
a restaurant with a 1:1 ratio of chefs to customers;
painstaking preparations and presentations of 30+ courses a night;
and a price of not much more than $300;
(not to mention the many months of unpaid experimentation before each season begins)
where you wouldn't get laughed out of class.
Permalink | Reply
Tony talked about Ferran still living in the single room he originally rented from the German owners and driving his 30 year old car. Talk about a true labor of love.
Permalink | Reply
I seriously doubt he's suffering financially. His lab in Barcelona is pretty state of the art and he has a lucrative sideline in consulting. He is pretty hands-on so I imagine he's up for a much needed rest period.
Permalink | Reply
No, I don't think he is suffering. But he could very well have franchised or done a Rocco and sold himself and make a hell of a lot more money. The point is he didn't. For as hard as he seems to be working, I think he could be a millionaire many times over, I think the point was that he is doing it in his own way and not just out for the buck.
Permalink | Reply
Which is fairly awesome. :)
Permalink | Reply
Is it $300 or 300 Euros?
Permalink | Reply
Euros.
Permalink | Reply
I have a hard time relating to this kind of food. Adria's enthusiasm is infectious and he seems very genuine, but I had a hard time watching this episode and turned it off asfter the truffle glut. I'm sure I'll catch a rerun and maybe I'll have a different experience.
jb
Permalink | Reply
I enjoyed that Travel put on Tony's Decoding Ferran Adria in the same timeframe so that the two could be compared - his introduction (and conversion) to the world of Adria in 2002, and now, the conclusion (at least, in the form of El Bulli). The same important point is made in both - the root of the food is the delicious local, historical cuisine - without that connection, all the new techniques are for nought. That's a lesson that people like Marcel Vigneron never seem to get - science for the sake of the scientist's entertainment is just playing with yourself.
Tony ought to do more with his friend chefs, Eric, Jose, Mario... these shows inevitably take the edge off his own sometimes pushy, bad-boy approach, and show him as a friendly, knowledgeable guy.
Permalink | Reply
Here's an interview with Tony about the episode:
http://eater.com/archives/2011/08/01/...
Permalink | Reply
http://eater.com/archives/2011/08/02/...
Here are the one-liners.
Permalink | Reply
I agree it was one of my favorite episodes.
I was amazed - pleased - overwhelmed - and touched by how after what I am sure were all the struggles/stress of creating El Bulli that he still seemed surprised and excited by his own restaurant and food. It was infectious.
I'm sad I was never able to make it to the restaurant.
Permalink | Reply