La Cantina della Cucina Alchimia

Review

The manifesto

Food and art is one of those things. Sure, there is the unique Daniel Spoerri with his Eat Art, which essentially consists of preserved tables after a feast. And okay, the exceptional Spanish chef Ferran Adrià was invited to the Documenta. In 2007, his menus consisted mainly of smoke, "spheres", blobs and jellies, which was real abstraction, undoubtedly more art than food. But not everyone who tampers with previously edible ingredients with tweezers, Bunsen burners, liquid nitrogen and a lot of fuss is a Ferran Adrià. Fortunately, the artistic approach of Cucina Alchimia, an association of the design, culinary and artist collective breaded Escaloppe, the vulgo and collective for experimental design, takes a completely different approach. They are interested in researching aspects of sustainability and the original - and sometimes tasty - use of food waste. For example, they turn chicken carcasses from the gourmet restaurant Mraz & Sohn into ancient Roman chicken garum, fish sauces are fermented for Mochi and Richard Rauch, miso is made from leftovers from local rice cultivation and cardboard is made from asparagus peelings. Even if the manifesto of Cucina Alchimia, which can be read on their website, may sound a little serious and theoretical, the three main protagonists Jakob Bretterbauer, Sendi Gbinia and Michael Moser thought it was time to open a real restaurant. And in a garden shed in Ober St. Veit, the most conservative corner of this town, of all places. Exposed roof beams, an open kitchen, a large communal table in the garden - and a menu that is not so "alchemical" anyway, but uses home-fermented or recycled ingredients throughout. For example, leek simmered in a broth made from homemade prosciutto, with egg pickled in homemade soy sauce and popcorn made from pork rind - very intense, very interesting (€13).
The crispy fried blunt with potato straw and apple horseradish espuma was less experimental, but very good (€ 14), while the radicchio risotto with walnut and gorgonzola was a little bland (€ 13). And the steamed pork belly with shio-koji cabbage, caraway foam and chive bread is proof that you can easily tweak iconic classics a little (€ 16). Casual little restaurant. Let's see how Ober St. Veit copes with this contrast: fermentation, recycling, a little experimental, and all in the villa district.

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