CATALUNYA - COSTA BRAVA - CALA MONTJOI - elBulli 2009
Three Michelin Stars
elBulli
This is an old one from 2009, but it's good to look back sometimes, especially when the restaurant is no more. This review is from the world-renowned elBulli which closed in 2011 and was run by the famous Catalan chef Ferran Adriá.
Restaurant Magazine judged elBulli to be Number One on its Top 50 list of the world's best restaurants for a record five times—in 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. In 2022, the restaurant was voted number 1 in the best of the best group on www.theworlds50best.com This is a list of all the restaurants that have topped the annual poll of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants over its 18-year history, but are no longer eligible to be voted on new editions of the list.
The restaurant was around 7 km outside the town of Roses on the Costa Brava coast.
You will spend a hair-raising taxi drive along the coastal road before getting to the elBulli. The restaurant sits alone above the small bay of Cala Montjoi in an old Catalan Finca.
Looking across to Cala Montjoi
The real elBulli.............
Chefs at work in the kitchen.
There were 70 staff for 54 customers.
Below are some of the items from the 37-course tasting menu, which everyone in the restaurant is obliged to have.
Cane Mojito-Caipirinha
Spherical Olive
Vanilla Chips
Crunchy Rabbit Ear
Cherry Umeboshi
Black Sesame Sponge Cake with Miso
Balsamic Seed & Basil Infusion
Oyster Leaf with Dew Vinegar
Grilled Strawberries
Soya Milk with Soya
Mimetic Almond
Yolks
Mushroom-CRU with Hazelnut
Pumpkin & Almond Sandwich
Sea Anemone with Te
Razor Clam with Seaweed
Abalone
Cockles & Foie
Parmesan Ravioli
Suckling Pig Tail
Pond
Mango Ravioli
Milk with Gold Leaf
Coco
Morpthings............
The Menu from the day
The food menu of 37 courses
Wine Menu
Looking across to Cala Montjoi
Cala Montjoi looking up at elBulli
The restaurant had a limited season: the 2010 season, for example, ran from June 15 to December 20. Bookings for the next year were taken on a single day after the closing of the current season. It accommodated only 8,000 diners a season but got more than two million requests. The average cost of a meal was €250. The price that evening, with wine, was €375pp.
The restaurant itself operated at a loss since 2000, with operating profit coming from elBulli-related books and lectures by Adrià. As of April 2008, the restaurant employed 42 chefs.
Probably an experience never to be repeated.
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