El Bulli

After waiting a year for my El Bulli experience I was finally allowed to enter this most holy of holys (gastronomically speaking). It was a complete and total disaster! The meat was under-cooked for my liking and the prawns in particular tasted pretty bad. I will never visit this establishment again.

I had the good fortune of having a colleague who got reservations last year and together with my girlfriend the three of us went to El Bulli on the 6th of July 2007.
My expectations were very high so I was ready for a disappointment which, however, never materialized.

We arrived at the restaurant shortly before eight and were greeted by Ferran and his team of 40 people in the kitchen, which they showed us. We were then brought through to the last room of the restaurant, where our table was waiting for us. Passing through the restaurant later when it was full really made me appreciate our seating, as there was only one additional table. This meant that we didn't have a lot of staff passing through and the room was therfore quite peaceful.

Then the culinary journey started, with appetizers and wine and looks of amazement and joy on our faces as the variety of tastes exploded in our mouths. It was the equivalent of a musical composition, where every bite, every taste linked to the previous, like notes of a piece of music. It was clear that nothing was a coincidence.

I will not even attempt to describe the menu in detail, because, as with music, it can not be understood by words but must be experienced with your senses. All I can say, that when I tasted the Tangerine Bon Bon, I spontaneously exclaimed: 'It tastes like spring!' Both my dinner companions laughed, but had to agree that it did taste like spring. The servings went on and on, with one surprise after another, and when after more than four hours the evening ended my senses had been bombarded to such an extent that I was exhausted and actually happy it was over.

Regardless of what others may say, to me, what Ferran Adria does IS art, and I wish everybody had the opportunity to experience it.

This restaurant was elected best restaurant in the world by Restaurant Magazine. It's very good but not worth that label.
But there's a hype about it now, so go eat there (though expect a long waiting list). Otherwise you won't have anything to tell at your next business lunch. However if you happen to be in Rosas anyway (which I highly recommend!) than you should try to get in anyway. It worked for me.