Alchemy Restaurant and Bar

Posted by: dasil | 22 September 2010, 8.41pm

Great atmosphere, superb service, delicious food and fantastic by the glass wine list. I had the beef cheeks - yum and the liquid nitrogen frozen dessert was an exciting experience!

Great for intimate dinners as the tables are generously spaced. It is by no means cheap but certainly worth every cent. The meals focus on quality not quantity so you should prepare to have a 3 course dinner to satisfy a hearty hunger.

Food:			Visit: Wed 22 September 2010 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: MPG | 11 May 2010, 5.51pm

My partner and I went to Alchemy for my birthday, both of our meals were around $40, small portions. I had the duck and found that it was too salty and chewy, my partner got the Lamb and it was very bland the salad didn't have much flavour either. We did get the Liquid Nitrogen Nibbles which were very nice and made it a little bit exciting. But the main meal really was a let down.

Food:			Visit: Tue 11 May 2010
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: obi obi | 22 October 2009, 4.46pm

On our arrival there was a group of very loud - and we thought drunk - people in the bar. Turned out they were staff waiting for the restaurant to open! Not a good start.
It says on their menu that Alchemy cater for all diets. I am vegetarian and was given a plate of stir fried vegetables for my main course. No obvious sauce or flavourings just stir fried vegetables! The waiter appeared embarassed and deducted the meal from the bill but it's not quite the point is it.
Our party were all left feeling rather hungry when we left (especially me!) even although we had 3 courses - the sizes are tiny.
The waiter assigned to our table was good however the other two waitresses kept advising everyone it was their first night when they were asked anything about the menu. Just not a good or professional experience and I will certainly not eat there again.

Food:			Visit: Thu 22 October 2009 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: sylvia* | 11 May 2009, 10.31am

I found this restaurant to be one of the best dining experiences in Brisbane.
Views are amazing - seated at the front, with uninterrupted views of the river and bridge.
Food fantastic - cooked to perfection, risotto and oysters for entree' and beef cheeks for the main (partner went for the duck) we were equally impressed with both, but the beef cheeks were divine! dessert souffle' and the bombs!
Wine list extensive and appreciated
Service was fantastic
Over all rating, will I go there again? most def.!

Food:			Visit: Thu 7 May 2009 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: Foodie101 | 15 October 2008, 12.56pm

I really enjoyed our night at Alchemy. Start with a cocktail at the bar, and then in the restaurant I can highly recommend their signature Beef Cheeks, as well as their blue cheese pasta - to die for! The service was really friendly, and we were super impressed when one of the barman we'd been chatting to earlier, returned to our table with his own version of a cocktail we'd been describing to him - on the house! It's not a budget conscious restaurant for sure, but if you're looking for something you wouldn't (or couldn't) cook yourself, then this is a really good choice for a special occasion. I'll go back.

Food:			Visit: Sat 13 September 2008 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: Cloverleaf | 13 October 2008, 2.02pm

We had been keen to try Alchemy for sometime, and were glad to finally have the opportunity.

We were greeted enthusiastically on arrival and seated very promptly and our waiter. We did unfortunately score a table away from the view looking into the kitchen. It did take away a bit of the atmosphere. However, on a service front, the waiter certainly knew his menu and was happy and chatty which we liked. Another waiter then took on our table and recited the specials perfectly, although she did not tell us the price. We were left wondering if it was an oversight or part of the way they work.

We ordered drinks, were served with some lovely bread and then received our main meals fairly promptly. We decided to skip entree, but that did not stop our bill from being pricer than we expected.

My husband enjoyed the Beef Cheeks, that was a special. It was like a rich decadent casserole and the meat just flaked beautifully. I had the tea smoked salmon, which was extremely tasty, although a little dry and the portion was rather small for the $38 price tag. Not that I was expecting a huge meal or anything, but I was left still quite hungry. It just wet my appetite. Just as well we ordered the side salad, although that made little difference to my hunger. We ordered the two cheapest mains on the menu. The average main cost about $45.

Alchemy was generally pretty good, but I think that it is really a place where you need to have a splurge and will need two to three courses for it to be worth your while. It is also better if you book in enough advance and specify a table with a view.

Food:			Visit: Sat 11 October 2008 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: Kylie_Marie | 18 August 2008, 8.43am

I went on the recommendation of several people to Alchemy for dinner on Friday night. Instead of beautiful river views, we were seated beside the kitchen with a view of chefs preparing meals. I understand it's important to try and pack in as many people to your restaurant as possible, but when you're charging like a wounded bull, surely you'd make sure everyone got a decent seat.

The restaurant was dated, awful decor (red plastic chandeliers) and terrible toilets, and it was too loud to hold a conversation.

The meals were miniscule and overpriced and the service was nothing more than average. To me, this is a restaurant stuck in the 90s.

All of this, and we were charged almost $500 for two couples.

The only positive thing was the wine which was a lovely Merlot - Fonty's Pool.

Food:			Visit: Fri 15 August 2008 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: Fine_Diner_08 | 8 July 2008, 10.46am

Went to Alchemy for a intimate mid week dinner with my wife. We were met and seated quickly and given wine list etc. I love the location however find the interior a little bit tacky (red translucent chandeliers?)

Our wine was good, Cold Stream Hills Chardonnay (Yarra) although the waitress did down-sell us from something a little more expensive which was fine with me!

The food was average overall, I have a foie gras terrine which which was pretty solid although it did taste like it had a fair amount of duck liver parfait in it. For mains I had saddle of rabbit which had citrus and seafood flavours through it (it was stuffed with mixed seafood I think).

Overall the service was good without being great, the food was what let it down for me, and being scoffed at the front counter for using an EFTPOS card to pay the bill, not a good way to see your customers off.

Food:			Visit: Wed 12 March 2008 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: robi1 | 16 June 2008, 3.57pm

A colleague took me for lunch here and introduced me to the beef cheeks which are the specialty and WOW!!! They were sublime! Served on a velvety pool of mash, these beef cheeks, that I'm told are cooked for 24 hours, were so tender they basically disintegrated once I put my fork into them. The service is above par and the view of the river and story bridge makes for a special lunch. I'll be back!! (If I can afford it...)

Food:			Visit: Mon 16 June 2008 Mealtime: lunch
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: regular diner | 1 May 2007, 1.57pm

Went with a group of girlfriends to celebrate a birthday and I felt like something light so ordered the grilled John Dory ($38). Well, every bite I took was overpowered with the taste of salt and I'm an avid salt lover, but this was just too much. A couple of the other girls mentioned their meal was too salty also but their delicious signature steaks compensated for that. I also had the Affogato for dessert ($15) which was the same cost as all the other desserts. The Affogato was just the norm, you know black coffee, 2 scoops of ice-cream and 1 nip of liqueur but how can you justify charging the same amount as a handmade souffle dessert or hot chocolate marbre? On the upside, the waitress was just so professional and lovely, really lovely. Next time (and I'll give it another try), I'll opt for 2 entrees as they look and sound delicious and much more exciting than the mains.

Food:			Visit: Tue 1 May 2007
Service:
Atmosphere: