Best known for his three-Michelin-star restaurant, elBulli, near Barcelona – which received an estimated two million reservation requests per season before it closed in 2011 – Catalan chef Ferran Adrià was at the forefront of the groundbreaking molecular gastronomy movement. He has since helped his brother set up a restaurant and written elBulli 2005-2011, a seven-volume encyclopedia featuring more than 750 of his recipes and notes on his cooking techniques and technologies. Ferran – a Platinum Iberia Plus member – tells The Club why he’s inspired by Japan, loves airports and never gets dinner invitations from friends

Interview by Concha Caina

Which country has inspired your cooking the most?
Japan. The culture is completely different. I first travelled there in 2002 and have visited the country many times. I always learn something new there.

Outside of the ‘chef’ world, who of your friends and family is the best cook?
I am always surrounded by my team, or my wife, and outside of that, I only have a couple of friends. Nobody dares to invite me for a meal, and I don’t blame them.

What’s your favourite ingredient?
There are five essential ingredients: flour, sugar, salt, eggs and milk. Without them you cannot make 80 per cent of dishes. Try it!

Are there any ingredients that you don’t use at all?
Red pepper. I just don’t like it.

Where’s your favourite restaurant in your hometown?
Pakta, my brother Albert’s restaurant in Barcelona, where they specialise in Nikkei cuisine (a Peruvian-Japanese fusion). It is only 200 metres from my house, so you can see me there quite a lot.

Which country’s culinary scene excites you the most?
There are some gastronomic cultures that have been hidden over the years and are now coming out in Latin American countries, such as Peru, Colombia and Mexico. The big revolution of our times is the globalisation of the gastronomy. You can visit a Michelin-star restaurant almost everywhere in the world.

Where in the world would you like to go back to and why?
Mauritius. It’s simple, beautiful and so quiet. It also has the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen.

What’s your top travel tip?
My advice is just to enjoy yourself, even in the most adverse situations, and to stop moaning. I love airports. I use my time in them to think about things.

elBulli 2005-2011 is published on 7 April by Phaidon

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This article has been tagged Opinion, Travel Tips