Alkimia

We had dinner here last year. I know the place is closed now, but honestly I am not surprised. When we went, it was fairly empty.
Joe and I decided to have ourselves a fancy dinner while vacationing in Barcelona. We read some reviews and decided to choose Alkimia. The service was great. They were attentive and didn’t mind that we were dressed like bums — we forgot to bring fancy clothes.
With that being said, it wasn’t worth the money nor did we enjoy our meals. The dinner itself was really one note — sour. From beginning to end everything had a sour note that we couldn’t even differentiate the first course from last course. We were sorely disappointed.

Me encantó una experiencia gourmet inolvidable. Lo minimalista de la decoración complementa muy bien con la fiesta de texturas y sabores con los que te deleitan en los siete pasos. El bombom de chocolate blanco con corazón de fruto de la pasión una delicadesa explosiva. La atención muy buena. Es de esos gustitos que te tenes que dar en la vida sin pensar en el bolsillo. Sublime restaurant!

I was by no means blown away, but I have to admit the € 39 lunch was an amazing deal. Water and a glass of white wine were also included with the following:
1. Macadamia nut cracker: one of the most interesting crackers I’ve had — it was a parmesan cracker with wonderfully nutty chunks and pieces of macadamia nuts
2. Liquid pan con tomate: a shot glass with olive oil on top — I didn’t really want to drink all that olive oil, but the tomato water underneath was good.
3. Sausage: one peppery slice per person
4. Fruit and nut bread: with hazelnuts, apricots, fig; it was almost like a fruit cake
5. Chicken terrine salad: chicken, foie gras and blood sausage. This was quite rich, but one part of it that was like smoked ham was good
6. Codfish brandade: my favorite savory dish of the meal. It’s pureed potatoes with salt cod, very rich, but cut nicely by the pickled cauliflower, 2 types of green beans, and horseradish. The other option was sweetbread
7. Pescado: from Paraguay. It was a generous piece, and it came with nice stewed white peaches. Without the peaches, the fish was a little bland and boring. I ended up crusting it in my leftover macadamia nut cracker, which was a great idea (except I’m sure they would be angry if they saw me.)
8. Dessert: this was awesome. It was an alcoholic pineapple dish that was very refreshing for a warm day. It had pineapple granita, pieces of pineapple, pineapple ice cream, liqueur, and a brownie underneath. I could have done without the cream, and the lime gelee at the bottom was an interesting surprise (like key lime pie flavor).
9. Espresso: strong
10. Yogurt foam and raspberry sherbet: the raspberry sherbet tasted kind of like the ones I had as a kid, and the yogurt foam was interesting (much better than whipped cream!)
11. Peach and vanilla pâté de fruit: I don’t usually eat these, but the vanilla was a nice touch
I appreciated the service and really enjoyed all the extras at lunch, but it’s not really something i would consider to be a standout in Barcelona.

Simply one of the best meals I’ve ever had… ESPECIALLY the liquid tomatoe course… Oh My!

We had the tasting menu for lunch, every single dish was incredible. It’s hard to get a table so please book way in advance!

The best restaurant I’ve ever had in my life! A must dine in place in Barcelona. I choose the lunch tasting menu and each dishes tasted fantastically. I’ll definitely stop by again next time!

4.5 stars. Incredible food, the codfish brandada with green beans and cured pigeon with plums were extraordinary. I’ve never had better pigeon, the texture. The price was reasonable as well for the quality and breadth of the dishes. The décor itself was rather minimalist and the service a touch cold. Nonetheless, definitely worth trying out!

Hands down, one of the best meals I’ve ever had in my entire life!
Service was impeccable, the restaurant was beautiful, food was delicious.
I ordered the Traditions menu; while it wasn’t intense molecular gastronomy, it certainly wasn’t pintxos like you could get anywhere in Barcelona either. The food was more like the Catalan version of «New American» or nouvelle cuisine — traditional flavors, but clean, fresh, and artfully presented.
For example, the classic «bread with tomato» was served as tomato water and olive oil, with some jamon iberico. Delicious! Other favorites were the cold celery ravioli and king prawn (!!) and the mackerel in a fresh green broth. I think I made orgasm noises when I ate the above dishes and elicited looks from the posh people sitting around me.
I believe my afternoon lunch lasted two hours and by the end of it, I was so absolutely stuffed I had to ask them to stop bringing out the desserts because I was not capable of finishing them.
As others have mentioned, the midday menu looks to be a good deal if you’d like to try the place without breaking the bank. Also, I’d suggest ordering a half bottle of wine at the back of the drink menu if you don’t want to order by the glass and don’t want to commit to one of the more dear bottles in the front of the menu.

Lorsque l’on se trouve à Barcelone pour faire du tourisme, sans aucun doute vous irez visiter les divers bâtiments de Gaudi et tôt ou tard vous vous trouverez à la célèbre «Sagrada Familia «, une extraordinaire cathédrale dessinée par ce génie de l’architecture. Tout prêt de la se trouve un autre génie…certes pas un architecte, quoique sa cuisine elle aussi est architecturée…ou je devrais plutôt écrire le résultat d’une certaine alchimie… la transformation de la réalité banale en une fiction poétique, miraculeuse ! Avec son étoile Michelin, Jordi Vilà est un modèle de modernité et de créativité dans la nouvelle cuisine catalane qui en a inspiré plus d’un. Certes Adria ou Arzak n’y sont pas pour rien mais Vilà n’est surement pas quelqu’un qui s’amuse à plagier, loin de là. Ici on né peut qu’applaudir lorsque l’on comprend combien ce cuisinier est un virtuose. Sa cuisine propose des plats très réfléchis, inspirés des recettes classiques catalanes. Les produits sont évidemment de premier choix, les recettes innovantes mais sans excentricités comme peut-​être un Mugaritz.
Ma première visite en 2012 m’avait tellement séduite que retourner manger ici né pouvait qu’être obligatoire.
Le décor de son restaurant est plutôt très épuré et principalement dans les tons blancs avec des lumières du designer catalan Carpyen, qui rend l’endroit plutôt minimaliste, très dans la tendance actuelle de plusieurs grandes tables espagnoles. Quelques sculptures un peu inspirées de Calder ci et là, dans cette salle en longueur où certaines tables se trouvent comme dans des alcôves. Une ambiance mais pas trop guindée non plus, un service compétent mais évidemment pas au niveau de trois macarons.
Sans hésitation c’est le menu Alkimia qui nous séduit à nouveau qui en tout cas sur le papier promettait d’être sublime. Une fois le vin sélectionné, on nous apporte pour démarrer une délicieuse tuile de fromage sur laquelle se trouve des noix de macadamia écrasées. Le premier amuse-​bouche est un «shot «…Un verre dans lequel se trouve dans le fond une eau de tomate sur laquelle se trouve un filet d’huile d’olive et des brisures de pain. A côté une fine tranche de saucisson que l’on déguste en premier avant d’avaler d’un trait la partie liquide. L’impression est sidérante car l’on a l’impression de déguster une réinterprétation du gaspacho mais approché de manière aérienne. C’est d’ailleurs deux mets que j’avais déjà dégustés précédemment.
Arrive ensuite un extraordinaire panier de pain dans laquelle j’ai sélectionné une tranche au fruit qui s’est avérée être d’une grande finesse avec ses fruits moelleux comme des pruneaux et de l’abricot, ainsi que des noisettes.
Le second amuse-​bouche fut extraordinaire. Une fine tranche de thon qui a été fumée sur laquelle se trouve une gelée subtilement vinaigrée et entourée d’une crème de basilic. Les saveurs explosent en bouche, on en redemanderait…
Le premier plat sera pour moi la découverte de l’année dans la «catégorie foie gras «. Je n’aurais jamais pensé que l’on puisse trouve une alliance de saveurs aussi subtile et audacieuse qu’ici. De fines lamelles de foie de canard marinée rapidement dans un vinaigre et superposées avec une sorte de bricelets également très fin. Le foie gras râpé dessus comme un fromage. Sur le côté ces champignons locaux «rovallons «marinés dans le sel une année… et des morceaux de poires aussi marinés avec une sauce construite à partir de ces mêmes poires et quelques trompettes de la mort. Les associations vinaigrées, sucrées ou plutôt douce et salée se marient à merveille. On joue également avec les textures sur cette assiette. Un plat mémorable et une brillante démonstration que l’on peut toujours créer quelque chose de nouveau avec du foie gras.
Nous continuons avec le tartare de poisson au caviar. Sur une assiette nous trouverons une combinaison de maquereau et de gambas coupés en petits cubes. L’assaisonnement est délicat car ni acide ni trop salé. La serveuse arrive avec un récipient dans lequel une boîte de caviar arrive et dépose une cuiller sur le dessus. Autour une fine trace de sauce à base de yoghourt et de ciboulette. Le mélange de toutes ses saveurs est très fin, c’est une très belle assiette réalisée avec des produits luxueux.
Le plat suivant nous aura un peu moins séduit malgré que le visuel soit plutôt soigné. Une soupe d’oignon aux moules. Ces dernières arrivent décortiquées dans une coupelle de très belle porcelaine turquoise sur quelques oignons émincés et probablement cuits dans un bouillon. On vient y ajouter un bouillon au dernier moment et on s’aperçoit que le tout devient de couleur bleue ! Ce que j’ai compris c’est qu’au départ nous partons avec un PH neutre et que le bouillon est réalisé avec de la carotte pourpre à laquelle on ajoute quelques gouttes de citron qui transforme le tout en bleu. Quelques petites algues sur le dessus pour ajouter un côté marin. Des saveurs plus linéaires avec cette assiette que ce que nous …

Reserved restaurant tonight for two after reading the introductions on Lonely Planet guidebook. I was barely getting over the shock of the set menu Alkimia Menu’s price (everyone at the table has to order the same set menu). There is a cheaper, more affordable set menu and you could order the dishes separately as well. However, considering that this might very well be the last time I will ever be in Barcelona again, I convinced my wife into ordering the Alkimia Menu together by promising that I’ll save more money from now on (thereby condemning myself to instant ramen meals for next few months I think).
Alkimia menu supposed is about 10 courses with two appetizers several dishes and two desserts. The dishes are all very small portions reminiscent of french quisine style tasting menu. The dishes range from raw fishes, seafood soup, grilled pork cheek, to the famous ibérico pork. The dishes in general are extremely exquisite and delicately plated. We were in awe and enjoyed the look, the smell, and the taste of each dishes. Despite the menu’s description, they gave us no less than fifteen items, including a serving each on the house of a very large and fresh prawn that was literally just carried into the restaurant as we sat down.
Would I do it again? Probably not in the near future. But the memory of one of the most exquisite (and expensive) restaurant will be with me for the rest of my life.
Oh as for service. While some other Unilocalers complained about the service, I didn’t find any fault in it. They are a bit busy at times but always pleasant and responsive. Maybe it helped that we came on a night that isn’t busy and we ordered a menu that naturally takes two and a half hour to finish.
Enjoy the pictures. :)

4.5 Stars
Midday Menu 39,00 € (Monday through Friday, excluding holidays)
Starter
First Course
Second Course
Third Course (choice of fish or meat)
Desserts or Cheese Plate
Glass of wine, water and coffee included
How can I resist as a Lunch Special fanatic? Alkimia, a One Star Michelin restaurant for a full dining experience at a bargain?!
Come here with an Open Mind as it is necessary as the only choice you need to make is Red or White? Fish or Meat? Cheese or Dessert? Allergy or no Allergy? After that you are really at the mercy of the kitchen in a way as there is no menu…
So what did I eat? Every dish was presented to me with an explanation of ingredients. I should had take notes but all I did was busy taking photos and went oh and ah with everything I put in my mouth.
The setting of the restaurant is simple but chic and every seat here is under a spotlight showcasing every dish, make it perfect for photos!
Everything was just so enjoyable from the food, the service and the professionalism of the waitstaff as a whole!
Highly recommended! And just remember to allocate plenty of time (2 hours) to enjoy the whole experience!

Despues de 5 años sin entrar en Alkimia hemos vuelto en ocasion del San Valentin. Tenia muy malos recuerdos de este restaurante pero esta vez he cambiado de opinion. La cocina creativa nunca me ha entusiasmado demasiado, lo unico que las fotos salen de p… m… ! Hemos elegido el menú largo con mucho marisco y ha estado todo muy bueno. A destacar … El erizo, la «mariscada», la gamba y ravioli con trufa negra.

Es gibt so viele gute Adressen in Barcelona, warum musste ich bloß hier landen? Einen so miesen Service habe ich selten erlebt, und ob das Essen gut oder schlecht war, konnte ich nachher gar nicht mehr sagen. So sehr haben wir uns über die Behandlung geärgert.

Gotta say, I was expecting a bit more from Alkimia. Walking in, you feel as though you’re entering an art gallery — beautiful, but you’re almost afraid to talk at a normal volume! Maybe it was because we got a bit soaked on our walk over, but I just didn’t get a sense of warmth and friendliness that we experienced almost everywhere else in the city.
Particularly troubling was our actual waiter, who actually got disgruntled at one point when we asked him to walk us through the menu del dia. Unperturbed at the time because we had just landed and were excited to be in Barcelona, now looking back it was really frustrating to get that response from a Michelin-​rated restaurant!
Despite the service setbacks, we had a really great meal. We started off with a pair of amuse-bouche’s, one of which was almost like a basil-​olive oil crostini, except reconstituted into a shot glass! Very tasty.
We also split a «spaghettini» made of zucchini ribbons instead of pasta — I need to get an attachment to my mandolin to make these at home! I must admit my fiancée’s entrée outshone my own selection — the nora rice was so tasty and the langoustines were as good as a Maine lobster. The first of many, many delicious langoustines that we tried in Barcelona. My John Dory fish was quite good, but the filet was quite large and I ended up overeating I think! It also came with an onion purée that was a bit salty for my taste — overall the dish needed some acidity and a slightly smaller portion of fish.
With a bit better service, I think Alkimia would’ve been a truly unforgettable start to our trip to Barcelona. With so many great restaurants in the city, I’d probably not point a friend here right off the bat, but if you end up at Alkimia your tastebuds will thank you!

If you are looking for a true culinary experience. this is it. The presentation and use of regional ingredients was excellent. The combination of ingredients and presentation was visionary and nothing that I have experienced before. We chose the larger fixed price menu because it just seemed to have more fish and exciting items. If you are not hungry than go for the smaller menu (2 to choose from). One of the deserts was a homemade ice cream? goat milk and a cold green tomato broth which looked amazing and tasted great — go figure? I hate mackerel but I ate the mackerel that was somehow prepared getting rid of the strong taste of mackerel making it very mild and not over cooked. All the sauces were mild and complemented the flavors of the main ingredients of the food. If you enjoy a high level culinary experience you will enjoy the restaurant. Make reservations before you go or show up and see if they have room. I do not write a lot of reviews but when I find a true example of quality in a touristy town I am all for supporting it. Enjoy the experience while it lasts. Keep one menu while eating to refer to when you are having your meal. Service was great and the wine list was excellent.

I really wanted check out a restaurant in Spain that has a Michelin star so I look at all of the restaurant in Barcelona and decided on this one because they has a great lunch special for $ 38 euro for 5 courses. The place was very stylish and sleek and the waiter actually speak some English so that was a plus for me. We sat down and order the 2 pre-​fix courses and decided to choose different dishes so we can try more. At first they brought it out a grizzini bread which was nice. Next they asked us if we wanted any bread. I didn’t eat any but my gf took one. The amuse was tomato water w/​olive oil and something crunchy which was really refreshing. Next came out another appetizer of salted cod and roasted pepper which was a little salted for me and I love salt. Next came out one of our main courses. I got the octopus and artichoke which was good but they grill it alittle too much because certain part taste burnt but over all it was a decent dish. My gf has the anchovies and it came w. bread, basil and that was a decent dish too. Next came out our main courses of Meat burrito and a frizee salad for me and my gf has the John Dory which came out almost perfect cook because it was still wiggling when we move the dish. The kitchen sent us out another course because they know that I work in the kitchen. The dish was shrimp with cannelini bean and celegy. First they brought us the soup w/​out the broth in it and pour it table side and half way thru your soup, they come with homemade cream w/​greens in it and it totally change the taste of the soup. That was truly a GREAT IDEA! I totally forgot about another course that we had, it was beef for me which was cook rare which i love and it came w/​carrot and carrot purée and pickle carrot. At this stage I was stuff already but it is so rude for me not to finish it but i couldn’t. So we asked to take home the beef. Another dish we has was shrimp, baby wild asparagus and brown butter and some type of purée which was very good. They also sent us out 2 amuse dessert before we actually got our dessert. I couldn’t even finish it and when the dessert came out. It was ice cream and chocolate w/​kumqurt. This whole time we finsih 1 ½ bottle of cave and I had another 2 reserve beer that they had and it was the best beer i had in Spain. After we were done, they took us in back of the kitchen to meet the sous chef and the kitchen crew. They were nice enought for me to take a picture w/​the sous chef. Overall i had a good time eating here and finally get to try my 1^st Michelin Star in Spain,

This place was a wonderful experience in Barcelona. My favorite parts were service, Alkimia’s house wine and bread. The food was okay. I really wish it would have been better, but the wine made up for it.

4.5 stars
Super excited about my first OVERSEAS review. Would love to make Unilocal abroad a resource, allows for travelers even more options to really look for the great places to eat.
Went here ⁹⁄₂₀₁₁ for a trip of the northern part of Spain. Alkimia has been well talked about amongst the chowhound community and we’re so glad we made it here.
Atmosphere: 1-​michelin star, fine dining. Modern and mostly subdued. Go for the pre-​fixe dinner, well worth the price.
Service: this is where they lost 0.5 stars. the service was hurried. the staff didn’t spend too much time on explaining the food perhaps due to a language barrier. so at first glance you would assume the food is just not as good due to its lackluster service, but WRONG. the food was just the opposite.
Food: Very modern, flavors all spot on. We ate at many fine dining establishments on this trip and I felt this place was one of the few that didn’t have a few dishes that were overally salted. All the classic catalan ingredients (all very fine) and done in a modern, clean way.
Favorites: Squid in it’s own ink/​ginger — very rich but oh so wonderful. Oyster/​beef cheek — similar texture but obviously different tasting profiles. Tomatoes/​sea beans/​fish — quite acidic, but all went well perfectly together.
Overall, very different than the cuisine we would encounter in the states. Spanish fine dining concentrates so much on the freshness of the ingredient and are experts at preparing seafood. Can’t say enough how lovely this dining experience was for us (minus so-​so service).
In the Cinc Sentis vs Alkimia debate — they are both sublety different so I would say must try both, but if I only had room for one, I would pick Alkimia.

This was our first Michelin starred meal in Barcelona and what a great start!
Service, food, and ambiance were all spot on. The «Traditional» five course menu was more appealing to our taste buds than the «Alkimia» 10 course so we went with that. It was more than enough food as we left stuffed to the brim!
Amuse bouches were tomato gazpacho with salami, baby squid.
Entrees: fig and sardines with lemon sorbet; chicken cannelloni in a bechamel sauce; saffron risotto with langoustine; sea bass with greens; lamb with mushrooms and pumpkin
Desserts: nougat with raspberries and kumquats (too tart for my tastes); and chocolate cake with roasted apples, eucalyptus ice cream.
Petit fours: Yogurt with fruit compote, chocolate truffles, passion fruit and white chocolate truffle, raspberry filled donut holes with ginger glaze.
Delicioso.

Los lectores de la Guía Michelin, tienen cita obligada aquí, en el feudo de Jordi Villa, prestigioso chef que maneja los fogones de este restaurante.
El arte, se paga y aunque no es mi estilo, probé por mí mismo alguno de los platos que sirven en este lugar, que podríamos definir como vanguardista.
Debo confesar que entré un poco acobardado, tras leer una y otra vez la carta que tienen en la puerta, intentando esquivar la columna de la derecha… los euros, pero mi mujer y yo nos miramos, pronunciamos la consigna «un día, es un día» y con valor renovado, atravesamos el umbral…
Elegimos el menú degustación, para abarcar más muestras de productos.
Salí más pobre económicamente, pero con más puntos en mi cutre currículum como gourmet y nada decepcionado: todo lo contrario…
Me parece mágico lo que, sólo unos pocos elegidos, pueden llegar a crear en el modesto ámbito de una cocina.

What a pleasant experience in Barcelona!

The first night in Barcelona we tried to get into Alkimia with no success. One of the few fine dining places open on Mon night it was packed. Not to be defeated we came back the next day for lunch to find the whole place to ourselves. The place has the stark white interior of an ultra modern design, a contrast to the industrial looking neighborhood it’s in. We were seated at a table of our choice by Pedro the head waiter. Shortly after a guy showed up who found did the same thing. So we invited to sit with us. Turns out he was from Sweden and visiting friends in Barcelona. We got to talking about food and from the places I’d mentioned and what he knew, it was clear he was as serious about the food as we were. Alkimia has three menus. A modern current tasting, the Jordi Villa «classics» and an a la carte to choose from. We decided on the current, bolstered by one fish from the «classics» as follows:
menu Alkimia
–Appetizers
–Spaghetini with seafood
–Simple, white asparagus
–Pickled oysters with glazed pork cheek and spinach sauté
–Peas with ink sauce and ginger
–Prawn «a la mano»
F-​ish of the day with onion and black olive
–From the «classic menu»
Rice with nyoras, saffron and fresh langoustine
–Special chickpeas with «a la llauna «codfish
–Mourels stuffed with meat ball
–Beef with springtime vegetables and mustard seeds
–Cream of pumpkin with orange
–Baked apple with black chocolate and eucalyptus ice cream
What an amazing meal. Chef Villa is definitely pushing the boundaries of modern Catalan cooking. After we finished up the French sommelier gave us a tour of the kitchen. After we got back our Swedish friend found out he didn’t have his wallet. We weren’t sure if this was honestly true or whether this was a trick but deep down I wanted to believe the former. However we were in a hurry, settled our portion and had to make our way to the airport en route to Athens. He seemed to know his food but you never know if you’re getting scammed so we reserved from paying for him and went about our way. To this day I wonder what happened there. Anyways, the service from Pedro is awesome as was the sommelier who I wish I had remembered her name. Turns out Jordi Villa loves Italian food also, and runs a pizza joint and an invite only underground Italian dinner by appointment. So if you love his food, definitely inquire about it. Excellent experience on all fronts.

Ein Alchimist ist sprichwörtlich jemand der aus Blei Gold machen kann. Das alkimia bzw dessen Chefkoch Jordi Vila hat sich dieser Zauberei verschrieben, er bereitet aus exzellenten Zutaten dem Zauber des Goldes ähnelnde Gerichte. Jeder Gang wurde von biss zu biss von Löffel zu Löffel mehr zur kulinarischen Offenbarung. Die Auswahl der einzelnen degustationsgerichte war harmonisch und fügten sich bis zum Schluss in eine Sinfonie der Genüsse ein. Krönender Abschluss war ein Gin tonic der warum auch immer der beste war den ich je habe trinken dürfen. Der Service ist bestimmt noch zu verbessern etwas hektisch und zum Teil auch fahrig aber das kriegen die noch hin. Aber was auf den Tisch kommt das ist wichtig und davon kann ich nur träumen bis zum nächsten Barca Trip. Hasta pronto in der Zauber Küche.

60 – 80 euros por persona.
Uno de los mejores restaurantes de Barcelona.
Pequeño, estéticamente impecable, servicio dinámico y atento, carta de vinos amplia y con cierto nivel, y comida exquisita y fina.
Un must.