alchemy bar & lounge

was a part of the invite to try out the drinks and food at the newly renovated alchemy bar & lounge in raj park inn in alwarpet. iam a responsible citizen and today the designated driver was my wife who is a teetotaler anyway.

you literally have to go down to get high (pun intended) as you have to go a floor down from the lobby to get to the alchemy. the place is done up with mirrors and woodwork with plush seating which makes one comfortable for long sessions without your backside getting sore. strategically placed tv sets make sure that you don't lose track of the world cup football. the place has partitioned booths where the women who are finicky about their privacy may also feel comfortable to let their hair down.

coming to the drinks, i went with the waiter's recommendation-balance which was a combo of vodka,white rum,triple sec,grenadine and cherry puree which frankly seems to be a lot but the balance was perfect(now you get the name!).my wife went with a mocktail called golden foam which is a eclectic mix of carrot,pineapple and banana juice which she enjoyed a lot.

to savour the drink you need to pair it with food. the finger food we ordered to munch along with the drinks were bbq rosemary lamb balls, lemongrass bbqued fish and bacon wrapped prawns. i was initially skeptical about ordering the lamb balls but when they arrived artistically plated, bite sized juicy balls with just a little drop of bbq sauce with a sliver of tomato and cilantro i just couldn't resist and it finished in next to no time. the saltiness of the bacon blended perfectly with the prawn skewered on a stick. the fish was quite soft and juicy and perfectly spiced with strategically drizzled tamarind sauce that blended with the lemon grass enhancing the flavour quite nicely.

next ordered a pina colada which went down my throat quite smoothly. chef vasu recommended the tandoori chilly chicken which is their signature dish. this was boneless chicken marinated in a chilly chicken marinade and grilled which surprisingly was quite soft though a bit spicy. it may pair well with the liquor though. next was the tempura squid which was deep fried squid and topped with finely chopped ginger, garlic and onion with pepper.

i have to commend chef vasu for his inspiring use of garnishes which not only enhanced the appearance of each dish but also enhanced the taste. i would recommend that even if not a drinker one could just visit alchemy for their food alone.

alchemy is the power to create things in a way which seems magical and the presence of a pub/lounge with the same name had me intrigued.
visited alchemy last night along with my husband .
the place is situated in the basement of raj park inn and is a large ,sprawling space which is done up with mirrors and trellised woodwork which offers areas with booth like arrangement .
we asked the waiter to suggest a vodka based cocktail and he recommended balance which was a mix of vodka white rum,triple sec,grenadine,cherry puree which was served attractively in a highball glass with a sugared rim.
i went with the golden foam which was a mocktail with carrot,banana and pineapple juice.
it was healthy, refreshing and paired well with the food which followed.

we ordered some starters -bbq rosemary lamb balls  which were juicy meatballs which were topped with a small dollop of barbeque sauce which served as a seat for a sliver of tomato which was not present merely as a decoration but when eaten together (the meat balls were a one biter)added so much to the flavour profile of the dish-absolutely mouthwatering dish which we finished off in no time.
next came the bacon wrapped prawn skewers which came with an accompanying chili mayo dip.
the saltiness of the bacon contrasted wel with the sweet flavour of the prawns and the dip added a hit of chilly to it.
went for the lemongrass barbequed fish next,this was fillets of fish griddle cooked with subrle thai spices,we got hints of lemongrass and galangal and it was attractively garnished with  spring onions which added crunch and had a smidgen of tamarind sauce smeared on the fish.
i was so pleased that the chef had included the all important tamarind sauce which adds the sour noted to thai dishes ,they also served some peanut sauce on the side but honestly the dish did not need that,it was moist and perfectly cooked,yum,yum!
chef vasu came over to personally inquire about the starters served and he recommended that we try their signature starter which was the tandoori chilly chicken,so how could we refuse.
that turned out to be boneless chunks of chicken marinated in a chilly chicken (like a south indian version)marinade but finished off in a tandoor.
it was moist and absolutely melt in the mouth but was a tad too spicy for my palate still good dish,we finally put an end to the starter convoy with the black pepper tempura squid which was just as the name suggested ,deep fried squid rings in tempura batter.
we were too stuffed to do full justice to this dish still that was good too.
everything we tasted was good and the service was excellent .
i understand that they renovated this pub and has been open for a month,i hope that they keep up with the high standards they have set up for themselves in terns of service and quality off food and drinks served!

my favourite here is my usual whiskey and their services. since today is friday waiting to present myself. good food added with amazing ambience and greatly motivated staff. would love to see if they add a few more dishes in their menu to the liking of this hemisphere, southern that is

the ambience of alchemy is the their biggest selling point. apart from that, the food and drinks are pretty much whatever we get at any other pub in the city. when i went there, the crowd seemed to be predominantly older men(not that there’s anything wrong with that). the music is great and the service is decent. a so so visit overall.

here! bar team were really cool., one of the best place to hangout in chennai with friends.
thumps up

accidentally we entered here,.... service above my expectation,... awesome cocktails,.... friendly service,..... keep move on.

alchemy has become 2nd home for our gang. one of the finest and most affordable bars in chennai. posh ambience makes u forget that you’re in a bar, good variety of cocktails , and hell yeah they have tower beer ❤️ kudos to alchemy for tower beer concept . mac & cheese , bacon dessert are my personal favourites. the staffs r polite and friendly. with the most happening dj in town , alchemy should be your perfect place for the weekends. guess what when u come as a group , they have separate seatings where u get to have private tv to watch your favt sports. 5/5 is my rating for alchemy.

my nth visit here. there will be n more visits. awesome atmosphere. if one wants to soak in the joy of a saturday night, he/she should be at alchemy bar n lounge. courteous staff, .good food,great music, free shooters, awesome crowd.i love every moment i am at alchemy on saturday nights.

nice bar in the basement. i really like the ambience after the rennovation. drinks are nice wnd reasonably priced. too many starter options and lived the service.

price not very high and ideal to catch a pregame with friends.

an awesome place to hangout with friends! this place have a very good ambiance and a great collection of alcohol,mocktail,cocktail,beer.they also have a very good combo offer during lunch time . must give it a try!

ambiance: 5
taste:4.5
service:5
alcohol:5

located at hotel raj park, alchemy is one of the new entries in chennai's bar scene. the ambiance was striking with the cozy lounges and the music was on point. the staff were welcoming and made sure we felt comfortable.
they have a wide variety of cocktails to choose from and we chose one whisky based cocktail and s vodka based cocktail. they tasted amazing with a perfect blend of liquor and fruitty flavours.
the bar menu includes some interesting finger food to go with your drinks. the menu has veg, sea food, chicken and mutton starters. we ordered chilli chicken tandoori, bacon wrapped prawn, cheese sticks and parsley fish fingers. chilli tandoori chicken stood out for its unique flavour. this fusion recipe brings together indian bistro favourite chicken tandoori and chinese chilli chicken. soft juicy chicken is marinated with chilly sauce and cooked in a tandoori - tasted amazing.
bacon wrapped prawn - delicious prawn wrapped in perfectly skewered bacon - the best!
parsley fish fingers - made with basa fish and fresh parsley this went well with lip smacking tartar sauce
cheese sticks - crispy crust and cheesy core - yummy 🤤
for mains we ordered chicken fried rice and chicken manchurian semi gravy - gave a great ending for my friday dinner 🤩

cool and excellent alchemy lounge 🙂cool place to visit friends nice environment with nest service and cool service worth of 5 stars on the best service

your service is very nice i like it your bar is very nice mr. arun nice person service is very good we like to your bar , all food very good

very nice.... service next time i come with friends and enjoy with alchemy bar. nice person mr. arun kumar he doing well and neat. and nice atmosphere in your bar....

just wow .... food tastes aww... they have variety of cocktails must try place ... will visit again ... ambience nd service is good. one good resto lounge..

alchemy has super classy interiors and is perfect for a relaxed evening to wind down a long day.

i really liked the private corners designed for groups.. it does well at giving you privacy, but, not at the cost of feeling isolated. the staff were also very much around all the time to take orders, we didn't have the need to hunt for them. i think that's a big plus, especially when hosting guests.

the food was great and so were the drinks.. they have a long selection of cocktails prepared to great taste.

you're going to love this place!