Optima Magazine

135 High Road • Bushey Heath • WD23 1JA • 020 8950 2024

Reviewed by Jill Glenn

The elegant exterior of The Alpine Restaurant has long been a landmark on the corner of Bushey High Road and Common Road. Originally a tea room, it has been serving classic Italian food ‘with a modern twist’ at the hands of the Harkin family since 1969 – and in an era when cafés and restaurants open and close faster than you can say “a bottle of house red and a dish of olives, please”, 40 years is an astonishing achievement.

The interior is light, bright and fresh. Very… serene. The food and the atmosphere evidently appeal to a wide-ranging clientele – from chaps in jeans to gents in suit and tie – and the ambience is as light and as bright as the decor.

The menu offers plenty of choice, without being too overwhelming. All the classics are here, of course, but there are less common dishes that pique the interest – and the tastebuds – at once. My guest’s mackerel starter was delicious: a lovely, delicate offering with a fresh, clean taste. My own starter, Formaggio di capra con marmellata di cipolle (aka grilled goat’s cheese millefeuille with onion jam and caramelised pears, hazelnuts & mixed leaves), was a pretty little picture on a plate. The dressing was maybe a touch salty, but it offset the wonderfully rich goats cheese perfectly. The ingredients managed to be distinctive, but to come together into a whole that was way more than the sum of its parts. This is my sort of food.

An interim dish of a single piece of fresh pasta, stuffed with Italian asparagus and served with a creamy asparagus sauce was irresistible. Gorgeous. I’d have liked to lick the plate!

My main course, Fegato di vitello (sautéed calves liver with Pancetta, roast shallots and sherry vinegar gravy) was divine: the liver rich and creamy, the shallots wonderfully sticky and the whole lifted by little bursts of grapey sharpness.

Across the table Petto di pollo con verdure alla griglia e balsamico (breast of chicken with grilled vegetables, mozzarella and zucchini fritti and balsamic gravy) met with much approval. The chicken was well-flavoured, and beautifully moist; the mozzarella filling added a distinctive texture, and the clever combination of roasted peppers and balsamic gravy brought the whole dish to life.

We added spinach and courgette to our order, and enjoyed both: the courgettes, in true Italian fritter-style, were crispy and very moreish; the spinach, dressed with a little butter, tasted as fresh as it’s possible to taste. It’s often in the side dishes that you can uncover lazy buying or lazy cooking. No evidence of either, here.

Generous portions meant that the very thought of dessert – even the Panettone bread and butter pudding, even the Hazelnut parfait, even the Fresh fruit platter with Mint sorbet defeated us. We denied ourselves everything in a favour of a perfectly blended espresso. And then another.

There’s something extremely engaging about the Alpine. It’s not pretentious; it’s not trying to be something it’s not… it’s not even trying very hard – it doesn’t need to. It makes everything seem easy. This is a smart, classic – and classy – establishment: great food, friendly and knowledgeable staff and an air of efficient charm. No wonder they’ve clocked up 40 years…

Starters: £4.75 to £10.25
Main courses: £6.95 to £21.95
Desserts: £4.75 to £7.50
House wine: £16.80