A Day at elBulli - An insight into the ideas, methods and creativity of Ferran Adria
Ferran Adria - Juli Soler - Albert Adria. A Printer's icon. (The printer "Phaidon").
300 x 220mm x 60mm thick. Large heavy 4to. Bright yellow paste-down and fep. Adria's signature and dedication: "22.11.11 Pour le table de chefs et Bobby Hendry - Ferran Adria". 1 fep. Title page. 4-528. Bright yellow on fep and on paste-down. Same bright yellow covers and spine with white dw. As new and very collectable especially with signed inscription.
- Ferran Adria, whom many of the top European chefs have agreed at various times, is the best chef in the world. His book is a sumptuous production with numerous photographs detailing every aspect of planning, production and service at 'elBulli', his famous restaurant, now closed, situated about one hour by car north of Barcelona. The book also provides many in-depth glimpses of Aria's philosophy, with the inside cover declaring there had been 2,000,000 booking requests annually, with only 8,000 places available. (this is hard to reconcile; if it takes one minute to process each booking request, this would take 33,333 hours. If we assume each employee at elBulli is working a ten hour day, then that alone takes 3,333.3 days. If we assume that the requests are being dealt with 365 days a year that would need 9-10 people constantly processing the requests all those hours and days). One smells grand hyperbole! Boldly proclaiming itself to be the best restaurant in the world, a trawl thro' the internet to read some of the critics opinions shows that not all agree. It is a very heavy book. Not to be taken for holiday reading, as the cost of the excess baggage alone, would require a bank loan. When all is said, it is still an absorbing read and eye opener, and gives a large glimpse of the creative spirit of a master Chef.
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Modern category
ref number:
11054