30. December 2012: Alchemy Restaurant
The Alchemy Restaurant was ranked up high on TripAdvisor and apparently provided good and fresh food, so I decided to give it a try and take the 15 USD cab ride from downtown San Diego to the restaurant – so much upfront: it was worth it, even if you pay another USD 15 to get back. I started with the signature drink, “The Alchemist’s Mule” (USD 9.00 – Tru Organic Vodka, Grapefruit Lime Cordial, Lime Juice, Anostura Bitters, Ginger Beer) which was quite a good start.
Upon check-in on foursquare.com, I found a recommendation for the “Taro Tacos” (USD 6.00 – crispy taro root shells stufed with braised pork belly, spicy cucumbers, bacon salt, and micro cilantro) and I must say that they were definitely a great recommendation. The pork belly in the taco was absolutely tasty and the spicy red sauce just provided it with the perfect finish!
When I walked in, I saw someone having a whole fish and it looked great – so I decided to go for it, the “Pacific Pompano” (USD 18.00 – whole fried in the style of southern Thailand with ‘nam chim’ – a sauce of Thai chillis, lime, fish sauce and coriander, served with sauteed ong choy and chive blossom). The fish itself did not taste like much meaning it did not have a tast of its own but the stock it was cooked in was absolutely mouth-watering and delicious! And so were the vegetables cooked in it. Unbelievably good!
For desert, I had a selection of two different ice creams (USD 5.00). One was a “Sweet Potato Icecream” which was surprising and good. The “Apple Champagne Sorbet” was refreshing and was tasty but not surprising at all.
The food was definitely of high quality and very well prepared and I must admit it did not have this “oral orgasm surprises” but it was absolutely great. And not only that it was great it was also very reasonable in price (which also applies for the beverages; peppermint tea USD 5.75, a glass of Aruma, 2010, Mendoza, Malbec USD 10.00).
The restaurant is nicely decorated – the interior is modern, the ceiling is full of books, there is some metal tree in the middle of the restaurant and the bar is very hip and nice. The service is good too – the waitress was dedicated and did a good job until the end – only when I asked her to order a cab she failed which was a bit of a disappointment.
If you are in San Diego, like good food, and eventually even care for healthy food, then the Alchemy Restaurant is definitely the right place to go. Although it is not centrally located, it is absolutely worth going and highly recommended to book a table in advance!
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Contact Details:
Alchemy Restaurant
1503 30th Street
92102 San Diego (USA)
Tel.: +1 619 255 06 16
Fax: +1 619 255 31 47
E-Mail: info@alchemysandiego.com
Homepage: http://www.alchemysandiego.com
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
