I must be daydreaming in my Andaluz patio again. It hasn't happened yet, but I can picture it perfectly. We have a table at El Bulli restaurant, Ferran Adrià's legendary three-Michelin-star temple to gastronomy, tucked into Cala Montjoi, a quiet bay on the Costa Brava near the town of Roses. No tourists, no noise — just the sea, the shade of a gazebo, and a table that isn't going anywhere in a hurry.

El Bulli at Cala Montjoi, Costa Brava — the most sought-after table in the world. Image: Wikimedia Commons.

El Bulli Restaurant — The Greatest Table in the World

El Bulli was — and I use the past tense reluctantly — quite simply the greatest restaurant in the world. It held three Michelin stars and was described as the most imaginative generator of haute cuisine on the planet. Under Ferran Adrià, who joined the kitchen in 1984 and took sole charge by 1987, it became something that had never existed before and hasn't really existed since. It accommodated only 8,000 diners a season yet received more than two million booking requests. Getting a table wasn't luck — it was closer to winning the lottery.

In my daydream, we have one.

A Lunch That Never Ends

You choose: full sun on the terrace or shelter from the afternoon heat. Either way, the view over Cala Montjoi is spectacular. The waiter sets down a jug of Sangria de Cava, and we leave the rest entirely to the kitchen. There's no menu to agonise over — dishes arrive as they choose them. Asparagus with Orange and Lemon Sauce, Canapés of Quesuco Cheese with Caramelised Onion, Lamb and Potato Confit, Roasted Vegetable Towers with Manchego Crostini and Sherry Vinaigrette. We talk, laugh, make plans, and kiss the afternoon away. The wine is like nectar. Time does what it never does in real life — it slows right down.

I lean across the table and whisper, 'Take a deep breath; take in all that you could want.'

An original El Bulli menu — a relic from the greatest restaurant in the world

El Bulli Restaurant Today

I have medals for daydreaming, but I also have a vivid imagination – and in it, this lunch lasts forever. Alas, El Bulli restaurant closed on 30 July 2011. Ferran Adrià said he left at the peak because he could see he could no longer maintain the same creative level and knew he had to change. The food world went into a state of shock. The site is now El Bulli 1846 — a museum dedicated to the culinary revolution the restaurant sparked, named after the 1,846 dishes developed there. Worth a pilgrimage if you're ever on the Costa Brava.

Me? I'll keep daydreaming from my Andaluz patio.

Find more recipes and food adventures here.

Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — El Bulli 1846