World's Best Restaurant El Bulli to take 2-year rest

Chef Adria -- who has turned foam into a culinary art form -- told food lovers at the Madrid Fusion gastronomic fair on Tuesday that his three-Michelin-starred restaurant&' || 'nbsp; El Bulli, located in&' || 'nbsp;Cala Montjoi, Roses (Catalonia, Spain) will close its doors in 2012 and 2013 and re-open again in 2014.

El Bulli was voted the world''s top restaurant for the fourth year in a row last April in the S. Pellegrino World''s 50 Best Restaurants 2009 compiled by Restaurant Magazine.

Located in the northeastern Catalonian coastal town of Roses, elBulli already closes for half the year so that Adria and his team can work on new creations. It is fully booked for 2010.

Adria''s team has used scientific research to invent new techniques, such as substituting agar-agar jelly for gelatine, because they found it can be used at higher temperatures.

Costing about 230 euros ($324) a person and serving dishes like lamb''s brains with sea urchins and sea-grapes, detractors have branded elBulli as pretentious and elitist. But supporters note that Adria -- who has been lone head chef since 1987 -- has helped popularise appliances so that amateur chefs can imitate his foamy dishes on a budget at home.