Alkimia

Quirky Catalan gastronomy

Peas with baby octopus

Alkimia by chef Jordi Vilà has been around for a while in Barcelona since 2002. He has relocated the restaurant back in 2016 with a new concept in mind, with an avant-garde approach both in its cooking and decor. The restaurant is split into two spaces, with a small dining room that has only 6 tables facing an open kitchen for fining dining and serves only a tasting menu, which landed itself a Michelin star, and a more casual space at the back that serve sharing dishes in a la carte format. I have booked in for the 12-course tasting menu experience, interested to see what Jordi is capable of as he is a highly regarded chef in Barcelona.

Like a sea urchin and sea cucumber suquet

Extreme mar i muntanya

Baby eel with chicken and chard

A tasting menu usually would result in some excellent dishes, as well as some average ones, and that is the case for me at Alkimia. The pan-seared turbot with romesco was overcooked, the fish was not soft and buttery as it should be, and the artichoke element failed to add anything to the dish besides an extra layer of texture. On the other hand, baby octopus with peas was extremely impressive, the charred taste of the tender octopus accompanied well with the sweet peas, I would be more than happy to have a full bowl of it. Another outstanding dish was the rice with cabbage and truffle, cooked on an open fire, the thin layer of rice had a rich oily and smoky rice which I loved, and the cabbage added a touch of freshness to balance it off.

Rice with cabbage and truffle

Egg, bread, truffle and potato

Montblanc

Alkimia's tasting menu has its up and down, but overall it was very enjoyable and it does deliver great flavours which I consider to be far more important than presentation. I expected Alkimia's offering to be very ambitious and that is true only to a few dishes such as the oyster and lamb brain dish, but there are actually many more traditional-minded dishes by adding good ingredients that you would just know it will be a hit, such as the sea cucumber and sea urchin dish, and the truffle and egg dish. Alkimia is a solid 1 Michelin starred restaurant indeed.

 

Food 4/5


Average cost without drinks and services:
Tasting menu: £140

Ronda de Sant Antoni, 41, 08011 Barcelona, Spain

https://alkimia.cat/en/home-eng/