Sorcerer's Apprentices: A Season At ElBulli (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
A brilliant description of an unusual restaurant. It sometimes feels slightly disjointed as the author bounces back and forth between individual stories and kitchen tales, but it's still an engrossing account of avant-garde cuisine. I highlighted several of the dish ideas and plan to play with some of the same flavor combinations. Definitely worth a read to learn about how a pretty unique restaurant kitchen works. I loved this book! I find cooking memoirs/narrative nonfiction intriguing, probably because I can't cook. But not only does Lisa Abend describe a year in the life of El Bulli in loving, painstaking detail, but she skillfully handles the substantial cast of characters she's introduced. I devoured this book over a single weekend (let's hear it for long car trips!) and was sad to see it end. The descriptions of Ferran Adria's process of invention, as well as the training of his students, was perfectly vivid, even if I've never seen the kind of molecular gastronomy that he made famous. Beyond being a rich record of the final year of this famous restaurant, it's just a great read.
What do You think about Sorcerer's Apprentices: A Season At ElBulli (2011)?
Interesting look at a very different kitchen from others I've read about!
—Emibaby998
The writing is unremarkable, boring and repetitive.
—Triksani
