El Bulli 1998-2002
Before starting this review, I would like to thank my two Spanish waiters, who are fed up with my constant questioning and calls for assistance as I read my latest book acquisition, El Bulli 1998-2002. Why? Because it's out only in Spanish at the moment.
The poor dictionary's looking ragged too, but it was all worthwhile so that I could understand the last four years' work of brothers Ferran and Albert Adrià, the restaurant's renowned chefs.
For a start, there cannot be many authors or publishers brave enough to print a book sleeve with only chalk marks on a black cover! Having this much confidence in a book's facade has to be admired.
Inside the book, as you'd expect, things are far from simplistic. And to pigeonhole this as another cookery book is to greatly undervalue what is captured on its pages. It's a record of the genius leading the evolution of modern cuisine in kitchens throughout Catalan and, indeed, Spain.
This is a book to take inspiration from rather than to use only as a tool from which to recreate recipes. Food doesn't come more specialised than this, and that's why I love it. It's unashamedly hard-core, which perhaps narrows its audience to those who appreciate the Adriàs' hallmark scientific and technical culinary ingenuity. The layout is superb, the depth is spellbinding, and the brothers' knowledge and perfectionism jumps out of the pages.
El Bulli's achievement - and continuing goal - has been to filter the Adriàs' style down through kitchens around the world, encouraging chefs into really thinking about food rather than allowing themselves to be restricted by preconceived and taught ideas of what is right. The book conveys Ferran and Albert's uncompromising drive to capture the natural intensity of produce flavours, while simultaneously breaking classical theories.
Take, for example, paella; all the traditional ingredients are present in Ferran's recipe, but he rebuilds the dish in a different formation, giving each element a stronger identity. This process enables his food to be light and explosive on the tongue.
Incidentally, a compact disc of the recipes comes with the book - a brilliant idea, as it means you don't have to carry the tome around in the kitchen and can print a recipe and method with a picture of the dish presentation without marking your prized book, and it stops the pages featuring your favourite dishes becoming dog-eared!
In conclusion, I'd say this is quite simply one of best cookery books I have ever read - even if it took a lot of effort for me to translate. An English version is apparently being published in the autumn, so if you have more patience than me, wait until then - it'll mean that any Spaniards working for you can be left in peace!
Marc Wilkinson, chef/manager, Latymer restaurant, Bagshot, Surrey
El Bulli 1998-2002
Ferran Adrià, Albert Adrià, Juli Soler
elBullibooks
£100 (this may vary according to which bookshop you buy from)
ISBN 84-7901 682-5
