So, we got back to the hotel and thought we just take a nap and then go out for a late dinner, like Spaniards do. We were so tired that it was 11PM when I woke up again. I roused Suanne up. She said she was not going and there is no way she is going to wake up, get dressed and go out again.
She had this pitiful look that I thought I better not subject her to more walking. It had been a long day already. Moreover, we were not hungry at all.
I have to report that we failed in our attempt to eat like a Spaniard. Oh well.
Will we attempt to eat like that again? After all, it was just day #4 out of our 18 days in Spain. The answer is NO!
Anyway, I had made a phone call and sent emails to El Bulli trying to get a table. I know the odds are against me but I thought if I just be presistent enough, they would remember the name “Ben” and maybe … just maybe … they might squeeze in a table for us. I am sure they can do that.
For those of you who had not been following this blog, well, El Bulli is the #1 restaurant in the world. Having a meal at El Bulli will certainly be the mother of meals that Suanne and I would ever had. Really, we don’t care for the cost … we just want to taste Ferran Adria’s creation.
So, after all the cajouling, I got the response from El Bulli. All that effort was not lost!! I got this email response finally from El Bulli …
So what they are saying is that … well, if you are so hard up … and you want to take a chance, do call them at 3PM. We asked for the reservation for July 13th as that is the only day we have left in Barcelona.
The problem is … the big problem is … that El Bulli is located something like 120 km outside of Barcelona in the middle of nowhere. It was not as if we could change our vacation plans to go sightseeing around El Bulli — we can’t. Basically, our choice is to get to the town of Roses; wait till 3PM and call them just for the chance in case there is a last minute cancellation.
I was really wanting to just go do that. LOL!
As usual, Suanne knocked senses into me. So with resignation, I had to accept the fact that we will not eat at El Bulli this time. I think I will attempt again next time. You see, eating in El Bulli is listed in my list of things to do before I die. If I don’t eat at El Bulli, I will not die a happy man.
But … he he he … I got a Plan B. And a Plan C up my sleeve! More about that later.
For now, instead of chowtimes reporting on our meal at El Bulli, I want to share with you a link of a food blogger who managed to get a table at El Bulli. This blog post must have been the mother of all food blog posts. It is by far the best laid out blog post. Check this out:
Dinner at El Bulli: The Greatest Restaurant in the World … by The Amateur Gourmet.
Ben, I dont know if I would enjoy the El Bulli meal. I still prefer the honest to goodness Chinese banquet dinner where u can have pigeons, suckling roast pig, abalone, scallops, lobster, Peking duck and others. Hmmm I’m getting hungry just thinking about it…
LOL! Looks like you are a meatatarian.
Beautiful site!Love the pictures and great information-Thanks,Betty
I highly recommend you check out the Can Paixano or “champaneria” located at Reina Cristina 7. Given your tour through restaurants already, you definitely won’t be disappointed. Cava and sandwiches… can’t go wrong!
You can trust me, too, since I live in Barcelona.
just try aurora in chicago as a substitute. it will be an introduction to molecular gastronomy before you get the premier.
I checked out the Amateur Gourmet. Some of the dishes from El Bulli don’t look very appetizing though. They look like edible art but they seem to be more about being labor intensive not about the most expensive ingredients. Most ingredients are not expensive at all.
It could be that you don’t expect that kind of combination so you just can’t picture how tasty it can be.
Sugar cane and 3 tiny bites of suckling pig? Really? I am Asian. I had lots sugar cane as a kid and we indulge suckling pig not just 3 tiny bites. So, yeah, it does look kind of gimmicky to me.
I think if you are not a wine drinker, it’s kind of pointless to eat those tiny dishes. The only time sampling dishes make sense to me is that you do food and wine pairing and see how wine enhances the flavor and bring it to a different level.