On the outskirts of Vienna, quite a distance from the city center, lies ‘La Cantina della Cucina Alchimia’. The restaurant calls itself a lab and a playground, so an open mind is required when you go. On a recent Saturday evening I joined a couple of friends for dinner to see what it was all about.
terrace @Cucina Alchimia
The space is small but has a strikingly high ceiling and an open kitchen. By the time we arrived at seven o’clock the place was already buzzing and almost every table was taken.
dining area @Cucina Alchimia
We began with bread and butter, which came together with pickled vegetables, whipped miso butter (why is that still a thing??), and Croatian pršut. The bread was excellent and promised good things to come. The miso butter had unfortunately lost all butter flavor due to overwhipping, something I still fail to understand how this can be done in 2025. The house-pickled vegetables were a mixed bag. I did not care much for the chard but I enjoyed the radish and the beets. Since one of us was vegetarian the ham was replaced with Alpine cheese, which turned out to be full of flavor. A strong introduction overall.
bread, butter, pickled vegetables, ham, and cheese @Cucina Alchimia
The restaurant offered three starters and I was able to try all of them, although I skipped ordering one myself to save room for dessert. The first was Lángos with wild garlic capers, preserved Amalfi lemon, and sour cream. The dough was warm, fluffy, and crisp, the toppings delicious. It reminded me of afternoons at the Prater, only in a more refined form.
Lángos with preserved Amalfi lemon and wild garlic capers @Cucina Alchimia
The second was melon carpaccio with ricotta, lavender, and puffed buckwheat. Thin slices of sugar melon formed the base with three not so neat quenelles of ricotta on top. Lavender flowers and buckwheat added texture. For me this dish was unremarkable. Perhaps my dislike of lavender was to blame, though at least the flavor was not overpowering.
melon carpaccio with ricotta and lavender @Cucina Alchimia
The last starter was Pimientos de Padrón with tomato salsa, horseradish, and basil. The salsa was bright and fresh. The horseradish felt unusual with the peppers but it worked reasonably well, even though I prefer the peppers on their own.
Pimientos de Padron with tomato salsa and horseradish @Cucina Alchimia
Four mains were available and I chose the pulled lamb shoulder on sourdough focaccia with fig, parsley, dill, and mint yogurt. What arrived was essentially a sandwich. It was tasty enough but I expected more from a restaurant with such an ambitious concept. The mint yogurt was weak and lacked freshness while the herbs inside the sandwich were on the loose. Still, for its price it was a bit of a joke.
pulled lamb shoulder in focaccia sandwich @Cucina Alchimia
The saffron arancini with kimchi, jalapeño mayonnaise, and carrot greens fared much better. Crisp and golden outside, creamy risotto inside, this was one of the evening’s highlights.
saffron arancini @Cucuina Alchimia
The fish option was a sea bass ceviche with smoky paprika, coriander, and mini cucumbers. It was fine but unfortunately not memorable. I really enjoy it when the ceviche swims in a lake of leche de tigre, but that’s just my personal preference.
ceviche @Cucina Alchimia
Finally the time came for dessert and I ordered the pavlova, which was deconstructed with soft meringue, whipped cream, and berries, accompanied by kombucha apricot ice cream. It looked generous compared to my rather modest main dish. The ice cream was good, although the kombucha flavor was not noticeable. Different kinds of berries provided some color as well as acidity. The pavlova itself was excellent. Meringue and cream rarely fail to please.
pavlova with Kombucha apricot ice cream @Cucina Alchimia
The kefir panna cotta with quinoa and vanilla ice cream was less successful. Its pale appearance reminded me of a glazed doughnut. Unfortunately the panna cotta was too firm from excess gelatin and the ice cream was too soft. Taste wise it was absolutely bland like its color.
Kefir panna cotta @Cucina Alchimia
Better received was the cheese plate with three varieties of cheese and more of the delicious bread we had enjoyed at the beginning.
cheese course @Cucina Alchimia
Cucina Alchimia is not your everyday restaurant but rather a playground for culinary experiments. As much as I wanted to like it, there were too many elements that did not convince me. The pricing is high considering the modest portions and the uneven quality. It might be exactly the kind of dining adventure someone else is looking for, but I will not make the journey out there again. Yours, Pollybert
Cucina Alchimia
1130 Wien, Firmiangasse 2
Tel: +43 681 20553190
Email: cantina@cucina-alchimia.org
Wed-Fri: 17:00-23:00, Sat: 11:30-23:00
https://www.cucina-alchimia.org/
