For many of us ‘elBulli: Ferran Adrià and The Art of Food’, a new exhibition opening at the Embankment Galleries of London’s Somerset House on Friday 5th July 2013, will be as close to eating at the famous Spanish restaurant, its 50-course tasting menus, and its distinctive brand of molecular gastronomy as we will get – especially since it closed its doors in 2011.
The retrospective at the Embankment Galleries, Somerset House, gives visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Adrià ‘s unique cuisine. Chefs who worked at the restaurant under Adrià ‘s leadership included Heston Blumenthal whose restaurant at London restaurant, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, at the Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge ranks among the most prestigious London restaurants.
The multimedia exhibition at Somerset House offers an insight into the research behind each dish, revealed through handwritten notes and sketches. Also on display are plasticine models which were made for all the dishes – and the elBulli team invented 1,846 of them – used as a means of quality control for colour, portion size and position on the plate.
The London show is a taster of what is next for elBulli – Adrià intends to reopen in 2015 with a foundation to safeguard the legacy of the restaurant and to create Bullipedia, a central resource documenting culinary history and providing research material for chefs around the world.
In addition to the exhibition, which continues until 29th September 2013, there’s the chance to meet the man himself at ‘An Audience with Ferran Adrià ‘ on the opening night, Friday 5th July 2013, when he will discuss the afterlife of the restaurant, and his ongoing projects. Tickets, at £25, include a complimentary drink, and free entry to the exhibition (which has a standard entry fee of £10) until 9.30pm.
From 10th July onwards visitors can see two Embankment Galleries shows when they book a joint ticket for £12.50 (£10.50 concessions), £6.25 on Mondays (excluding Bank Holidays) which includes entry into ‘elBulli: Ferran Adrià ‘ and ‘The Art of Food and Miles Aldridge: I Only Want You To Love Me’, a major retrospective on the London-born photographer who has works in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria & Albert Museum.
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