Alexander's at Limpsfield

Sophia (4 December 2007)

My husband and I went to Alexander’s as we like to try Michelin star restaurants or those aspiring to be so. We were very impressed by the look of the restaurant and the manageress seemed very friendly. We were seated and menus handed out. It was nice that they had taken note that I don't eat meat so gave me both the a la carte and the vegetarian menu.

There was a wonderful selection of meat dishes that the chef has obviously spent a lot of time and effort creating. So my husband was very happy. I, on the other hand, was truly disappointed. There was only one fish dish on the a la carte, the fish of the day and it was clear that little time had been spent on the vegetarian restaurant. My husband chose the seafood ravioli and the pork for main and I chose the mushroom stuffed filo pastry and fish of the day, which was cod.

The meals came out and my husband was exceptionally pleased with both his choices. As we had predicted, the vegetarian starter was uninspiring, nice but not Michelin star and the Fish was done well, but was accompanied by a pile of uncooked vegetables, including red onion, half red pepper, some courgette and a slice of fennel. The waitress asked if there was a problem with my vegetables and I told her they were not even cooked, let alone made into something nice. We had the croissant bread and butter pudding for dessert, which was nice and finished off the meal well.

When the bill arrived we found they had mistakenly added someone else’s wine to our bill. My husband pointed that out. We then had to wait for an age while the waitress and manageress tried to sort that mistake out and both felt the need to come and explain that the mistake had happened because the table next to us had had similar wine. We felt that they could have sorted the mistake out much quicker and without so much fuss. We were then kept waiting for our coats while the staff served other customers.

All in all, the meat dishes were excellent, the vegetarian and fish dishes were disappointing and the service was a bit hit and miss and there was obviously a lot of inexperienced staff. My husband and I frequent Michelin star restaurants so we are comparing against the best of the best. If Alexander’s is truly after a Michelin star, they have a way to go. A Michelin star chef should be able to come up with delicious fish and vegetarian dishes on a par with his meat dishes.

Peter Cleaver (18 April 2007)

Much has been written about this new fine dining restaurant that myself and three guests booked for a Saturday to see whether this place is as good as some think.

We arrived at 8pm and were met by a polite lady who offered us pre-dinner drinks into comfortable brasserie area which has a designated seating area for guests of the dining room. The brasserie was busy and was in lit by candles giving the room a warm feel. We had our drinks and were introduced to the Restaurant Manager who delivered the menus, wine lists and explained the specials available for that evening.

Once seated in the main dining room we were amazed at the transformation of the interior from what had previously been run down and rather dated furniture like an extract from Faulty Towers! Now with a modern warm feel the premises are now inviting and we all sunk into very comfortable leather seats.

A lovely Italian girl dressed our laps with crisp linen and offered water for the table. Quickly and efficiently the water was served and there she was back again offering us 4 types of bread which she explained were baked on the premises. We all tried different types and they were all delicious. Let the meal begin. From hand dived scallops, ravioli of duck and macaroni with roasted langoustine we all found each bite sheer delight. The main courses were equally exiting with the halibut cooked to perfection, the chicken a little unusual but tasty and the Gressingham duck that both of us had were pink and wonderful.

We opted for the lime glace with nutella sorbet and honeycomb along with the hot chocolate fondant and wow how good did they taste. Hot chocolate fondant done to perfection is quite rare and I and my guests found ourselves almost begging for more. Not to be...just coffee and petit fours and home to bed.

We have since discussed our visit between us and none of us can remember having eaten such a truly wonderful meal. The building now that the interior has been updated (even has Moulton Brown in the toilets for the gents) makes the whole experience one that we intend to repeat again very soon. The staff are delightful, helpful but not overbearing and the price for the four of us with pre-dinner drinks and a bottle of house Rioja was £193 equating to under £50 per head for three courses with two extra courses as complimentary. Great value for money with food and service at a very high level.

Anyone living fairly close to this place ought to try it and see for yourself that good food can be found for a reasonable price.