In the highly competitive world of fine dining, it is not
good to rest on one’s laurels. The opposition will soon overtake you. The name
of the game now is pro-active innovation.
Alkemy Restaurant, being the relative newcomer in Pattaya,
realizes that to attract the diners away from their ‘usual’ haunts, they
have to be able to produce something different. Turning not base metals into
gold, but food ingredients into gold cuisine, if I can continue with the
alchemist concept.
The
Alkemy venue is very good. Elegant, with the black marble floors contrasting
with the white walls, adorned with classic photographs. The napery is heavy
linen, and the cutlery handcrafted. There is a sit-up bar along one wall, while
the luxurious toilets are in the far corner. There is also a decking terrace
that overlooks the swimming pool.
The coverage of the standard Alkemy menu has been explored by
the Dining Out Team, but this week we were invited to an exclusive preview of
what will be available from now until the 27th (thank you Iain Arthur and
visiting chef Alejandro Arquero). This type of food promotion with visiting
chefs was introduced last year and was a great success, and when chef Alejandro
became available he was immediately spirited away to Pattaya for his limited
season here, to work alongside regular chef Markus.
His
fare is presented in a seven item ‘Gourmet Tasting Menu’ (B. 750 +) that
begins with oyster in kaffir jelly with a Bloody Mary, followed by a tuna
sashimi with yoghurt-wasabi gelee and yakitori reduction. Next is a Mai Thai
risotto with peanut pesto and then a freshwater king prawn with lime hollandaise
and grilled vegetables.
The seafood theme continues with sea bass and mini-scallop
with wakame and mussels basil flavoured foam. The final two items were tournedos
with foie parmentier, crispy roots and sweet rum reduction followed by grilled
fruits with pina colada soup.
I popped the oyster into the Bloody Mary and we were off. A
brilliant start to the evening. The tuna was again superbly flavoured, though
the wasabi very mild combined with the yoghurt (Miss Terry loves wasabi). The
delighted looks continued with the Mai Thai risotto in which you could still
taste the peanut in the pesto.
Space precludes my going on much further, but we were
mightily impressed. My choice for flavour of the evening was the prawn with the
lime hollandaise, and Madame’s was the risotto, but they were all excellent.
This was a sensational evening! The food and presentation was
better than some I have experienced at overseas Chaine des Rotisseurs style
dinners, for example. This was imaginative cuisine prepared by a young magician.
His ability to be able to combine different items and still retain the flavours
of those items, sets him apart. Right from the oyster in kaffir jelly with a
Bloody Mary, through to the grilled fruits with pina colada ‘soup’ there was
no item that we did not enjoy. Small ‘tasting’ courses meant that you were
not so full by half way through that it was a struggle to continue. Rather the
opposite, you began looking forward to the next course with taste buds primed
for what came next.
Your big problem is that this chef is only here till the 27th
and to experience his creations it is imperative that you book (walk-ins can
only have the ‘normal’ menu, which is excellent, but here we are talking
about a gourmet experience). The menu Alejandro will present is the one we
enjoyed. If you are a gourmet, you should not miss this man’s cooking. You
have till the 27th! At only B. 750 + service it is a veritable bargain.
Alkemy, Nova Park serviced apartments, M.9, Soi Sukrudee,
telephone 038 415 308, fax 038 415 309, website www.novaparkpattaya.com
An easy way to find the restaurant is to turn right at the Bangkok Bank from
Pattaya Second Road (after Greg’s Kitchen and well before Alcazar), and keep
following the road around to the right. Nova Park (and Alkemy) is on the left
after the sharp right hand bend and well signed. Secure parking inside the Nova
Park Apartments complex.
