Alquimia, Putney

Putney isn't exactly known as a foodie hotspot so when I saw a review of Alquimia in Putney from How Not To Do A Food Blog pop up on my Google Reader I was intrigued; especially as Putney's best (possibly only?) tapas restaurant La Mancha is now moving to Chiswick. I went along with Hannah and E on Sunday with no real preconceptions other than that I was hoping for a really lush tortilla. You see, I heart tortilla with all my, well, heart.

My first sense was one of relief as the restaurant wasn't empty. I am actually quite phobic of empty restaurants but as the last of the three of us to arrive I wouldn't have had much of a say in the matter over leaving anyway! There were a couple of tables finishing up as we went in and by the time we left the place had filled up with a mixture of couples and families, standard Putney really. Though, that is pretty much standard the world over, so a pretty unremarkable observation.

BOOM. Olives, bread and olive oil on the table along with automatically brought to the table tap water. Really lush bread actually though unfortunately no idea what it was. I would guess, but my brain has gone totally blank on Spanish breads.. Other than churros. Which are definitely not bread. But also lush. Though totally irrelevant. Sh, Katie.

One friend was on a bit of a budget so Hannah and I decided to order together:

Unsurprisingly, first shout was tortilla (£6.50). This was gorgeous and light and fluffy and potatoey and eggy and all you could want in a tortilla. It came with bravas sauce and ali-oli i.e. win-win. I'll be honest, thought I was going to get a whole one but I am super, super greedy.

Ham, chorizo, salchichón and lomo - though don't think or know whether this is the right order......

This was such a gorgeous spread of cured pork. Special shout out to the rolled ham on the right, Jesus Christ it literally melted in the mouth. This was £12 but a really generous portion and especially so when only two of you are eating it!!!

This was on the menu as a salad of duck and warm beetroot (£8.20) , which also came with orange and possibly grapefruit segments and dressed leaves. I really thought this was lovely, not something I would normally think of as Spanish but hell, if they say it is, who am I to disagree and it was really gorgeous. Duck is definitely my favourite meat, so I'm pretty fussy about it, and this was a beautifully put together plate and I would have happily eaten the whole thing :)

 Now, I don't eat fish (UGH) unless in smoked form or in pate or in fishcakes or fishfingers (do they count?) but I do like the odd bit of seafood. I refused Hannah's initial suggestion of octopus because its rank so we settled on the tapas staple of gambas with garlic oil (£7.80) . I TOTALLY freaked out when I saw they were still in insect form to the point that when I pulled the head off I was terrified by all the blood until it was pointed out to me by Hannah that this was tomato oil so I felt a bit stupid. Though she kept saying Grazia instead of gracias so I feel we are kind of equal. I would have liked more of a garlic hit with these but I'm overwhelmingly partial to garlic so that is probably just me! 

 Think I must have had prawn on my lense.... These were the little goodbyes they left with our meals. Apple chunks with lemon juice and mint and some very powdery chocolate truffles! Really lovely touch.

I ended up paying about £20 for my half of these dishes and a coke including service. Really lovely service by the way, the touches with the olives and bread and these mini desserts and friendly staff made me not even consider to quibble the tip.  It's not somewhere I would go every day because I can't afford £20 lunches  sans alcohol every day but I think it is a fantastic restaurant and is a great addition to the gastronomic wasteland of chain restaurants that is Putney. (Enoteca Turi on the High St is excellent btw but mentally expensive)