Before it closed more than ten years ago, Spain’s elBulli was consistently voted the best restaurant in the world. It will soon reopen as a museum honoring the culinary revolution it started.
Nestled in an isolated cove on Spain’s northeastern tip, the museum is dubbed “elBulli1846” — a reference to the 1,846 dishes ground-breaking chef Ferran Adria says were developed at the eatery.
“It’s not about coming here to eat, but to understand what happened in elBulli,” the 61-year-old told AFP near the kitchen of the restaurant he ran for over two decades.
Almost 12 years after the last food was served to customers at the restaurant, the museum will open on June 15.
Hundreds of photographs, journals, awards, and models made of plastic or wax that resemble some of the inventive meals that were served at the restaurant will be on display for visitors to see.
The molecular gastronomy movement, which breaks down ingredients and reassembles them in novel ways, was invented by Adria.
Foods with unexpected flavor combinations and textures, such fruit foams, gazpacho popsicles, and caramelized quails, are the result.
ElBulli received the coveted Michelin three-star designation under Adria’s direction and was named the greatest restaurant in the world a record five times by the British publication The Restaurant.
“What we did here was find the limits of what can be done in a gastronomic experience,” Adria said.
“What are the physical, mental and even spiritual limits that humans have. And that search paved paths for others.”
