Alkimia – one michelin star. The name of the restaurant comes from the Arabic word “al-kimia” (the art).
We arrived at 8:45pm, 15 minutes after our reservation, having misjudged the distance from Vinçon. Alkimia is located “midtown” in Barcelona.
So we were a bit out of breathe but the serene atmosphere and warm towels helped put us in the mood for a gastronomic experience. The homemade bread sticks came as two long sticks resembling twigs in a vase.
We chose the menu Alkimia – their namesake tasting menu. The lighting in the restaurant was awful for photos. Color balance is a disaster, so please bear with me. Below is a sample of the dishes.
They started with three appetizers – all good but could not remember what they were at the end of the meal.
- Spaghetini with seafood
- Simple … white asparagus
- Pickled oysters with glazed pork cheek, saute spinach
- Cuttle fish with ink sauce and ginger
- Prawn “a la mano” – roasted bayleaf and clove
- Fish of the day with onion and black olive
- Special chickpeas with “a la llauna” codfish
- Morels stuffed with meat ball
- Beef with spring vegetables and mustard seeds
- Cream of carrot with orange
- Baked apple with black chocolate and eucalyptus ice cream
This is not on the menu but every one in the restaurant got a plate.My overall impression, which was reinforced by a visit to another popular restaurant, is that the cuisine in this international city is at currently all about Asian flavors. I enjoyed the taste but to me, it lacked novelty. Nevertheless, Alkimia is definitely worth a visit.