Top Restaurant Review - El Bulli, Spain

04 April 2009

For a good restaurant, winning an honor such as the “World's Best” is a title that comes around once in a lifetime. Spain's famous restaurant, El Bulli, has received that honor multiple times, however, making it one of the few restaurants on the planet to make excellence a standard and not simply an occasional accoutrement.

The record-setting four-time title was given in 2002, 06, 07 and 08 by “Restaurant,” Britain's top magazine for chefs. This three Michelin starred restaurant is also one of the hardest to get into. If you're looking to enjoy the fine cuisine here, you better be prepared to wait.

Dr. Hans Schilling, a German with a flare for fine food, found and purchased the El Bulli site in 1961. The actual name, “El Bulli,” came from the French bulldogs owned by the Schilling's. After three years of construction and fine tuning, the restaurant was first opened in 1964. From the very first dish served by Chef Jean-Louis Neichel, it was clear that El Bulli was a fine-dining establishment.

It was award its first Michelin star in 1976. Ferran Adria, the head chef of the restaurant today, joined the staff back in 1984. He was quickly put in sole charge of the entire kitchen three years later. El Bulli picked up its second and third Michelin stars in 1990 and 1997.

The site of the restaurant is like a meal for the eyes. Before you even walk in, you notice the beautiful stone gateway of El Bulli. You walk down steps and through a gate into an old world Spanish-feeling setting. The restaurant is relatively small by today's standards (such as Bitalli's or Flay's, for example). It overlooks the Cala Monjoi bay in Roses on the Costa Brava in Catalonia, Spain. If the overall décor of the establishment isn't enough to draw your attention, the cuisine will quickly turn you into a fan.

El Bulli is one of the finest restaurants dealing in “haute cuisine” in the world. Haute cuisine refers to grand and elaborate dishes served in restaurants of the Western world. The preparations and presentations are breathtaking, and the meals are rather large, but served in small course sizes, showcasing rich and unique delicacies. Today's haute cuisine isn't characterized by any particular size, but more so a fusion of regional and seasonal ingredients, careful and thoughtful preparation, and elaborate service. It's definitely an upscale dining experience.

Like a lot of the more famous restaurants scattered throughout the world, El Bulli's prominence is due in part to its exclusivity. It's only open as a “seasonal” restaurant, from April to September, and all bookings are taken on a single day in October. El Bulli only serves a maximum of 8,000 diners per season, but since winning the consecutive awards, it receives more than 2-million annual requests. The average meal price in the restaurant is around $500 USD.

Tags: el bulli, ferran adria, jean-louis neichel, dr. hans schilling, costa brava, cala monjoi,
Posted In: Fine Dining,

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