A Day at elBulli

It's a huge, thick book. Lots of photos and discussions describing the day at El Bulli. Amazing photos, some recipes. All in all a fun book to look at.

The book has close to 600 pages at 30 something $ from a world renowned 3 star chef. I will update this review in over the next few weeks why it all settles in.

It is not really a cookbook. Compared to the Alinea book this feels more like a coffee table book, it does have recipes though and it definitely shows how they do things.

For me at first quick view it seems they tried putting a movie into a book. While I can see that some people are turned off by this, for me it works.

The only complaint I have is, it sems when the book hit interesting spots, they changed the paper to a much thinner/cheaper type. Not sure why.


So that all said, I have already the Alinea book which I like, even though I don't think I ever will coook an entire menu. I also have Heston's Fat Duck book right now in transit from the UK which is 3 or 4 times the price of this one.

So once I get that, I will update here. If you are interested in the El Bulli experience, this is a nice book and a good prep for the trip.. If you are looking to learn from Ferran how too cook, this is not it.
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JK

Amazing insight into the world of Ferran Adria at elBulli. This new book covers a single day in chronological order and spanning 600 pages. Readers should not expect an extensive narrative or cookbook format from this volume; however, for those interested in gleaning a window into an exotic world, this new work is hard to beat, especially at this price. Beautiful photographs fill nearly every page and feature the esoteric (sand on the Spanish sea shore), operational details (menu and plating preparation worksheets), and of course, the amazing food. A Day at elBulli clearly illustrates the genius and passion of Mr. Adria and offers a small glimpse at this world renowned restaurant for those of us not fortunate enough to dine there in person. Simply amazing!

The book is huge and heavy, but they're offering quantity over quality. The photos of the food are good; the other photos (surroundings, preparation, service) are generally mediocre. New and interesting insights into the phenomenon that is El Bulli are few. The book's subject may be El Bulli, but the presentation is pure Buca di Beppo.