Admiral House, Loch Promenade, Douglas, Isle of Man
Lou Reed, eh? He’s lunched at Alessandro’s, don’cha know! So was I letting myself in for a walk on the wild side or a perfect day for my visit?
Let’s cut to the quick - no waiting for the man - the food, service and the ambience at Alessandro's is very good. They have an extensive menu including lunchtime specials and daily specials (the menus can be viewed on Alessandro’s website), with all the usual pasta and pizza favourites. Our meal for six adults came to around £95: we shared a couple of starters and all had a main course. And the main courses were very satisfying so we had to skip the puddings and finish off with coffees.
It's also a very family-friendly place. Four generations of the Bun clan gathered for lunch at Alessandro’s and it’s the type of place that feels very welcoming for all age groups. We all felt very
comfortable from the outset, including Baby Bun in his high chair, and we noticed during our two-hour stay that this is a surprisingly busy place that attracts all age ranges.
I had funghi crostini (garlic mushrooms on toast) for the starter and for my main course I had salmon fishcakes off the "lunch specials" menu. Both courses were very good but I had one gripe about my main course - it says fishcakes on the menu but I only received one fishcake. However, it was a very big fishcake which came with proper home-made chips and a good selection of vegetables, so no real complaint! The main courses that the others ordered were: ham omelette, tarragon trout, pizza calzone Fantasia, crab lasagne and salmon nizzarda (hot smoked salmon with Nicoise salad). All the main courses got enthusiastic thumbs-ups except for the crab lasagne which was deemed interesting but OK".
A minor down-side to this restaurant is that the loos are on the second floor, and it’s a bit of a hike up there. Still, if you’ve managed to get to the restaurant which is on the first floor anyway, another flight of stairs shouldn’t be too much of problem! But being on the first floor is what gives Alessandro’s its special atmosphere - on a fine day, with the sun streaming through the roof, you could daydream about being on a sunny Mediterranean rooftop terrace…………….oh, la dolce vita.
Lou (I feel that we are now on first-name terms as now we are luncheon buddies, albeit several years apart) got it spot with his quote about Alessandro’s: “beautiful lunch, great service”. Couldn’t agree more. RecoRegular visitors just arriving at the restaurant on the ground floor of the Admiral House Hotel on Loch Promenade in Douglas could be forgiven for not realising that it recently changed hands. The interior décor, furnishings and layout are not noticeably different from before and the menu has a familiar “feel” to it. The wine list, however, might provide an early clue to the alert observer, it is shorter and considerably less expensive, whilst retaining a good range of well-chosen favourites.
Four of us arrived quite early for dinner at 7pm but the restaurant quickly filled up and there was a lively but friendly atmosphere with quiet music playing unobtrusively in the background. Many of the staff have changed and, at the time of our visit, it was perhaps noticeable that one or two of them were fairly new to the job and will benefit from the experience and a little additional training. Crucially, however, Chef Dedman was still there, his influence clearly apparent in the concise but imaginative menu.
After aperitifs in the small bar/lounge area we were shown to our table and presented with an amuse- bouche which probably had to be the low point of the evening, consisting as it did of a marble sized piece of slightly under-ripe melon and a small sliver of fairly ordinary parma ham, served on an ornate teaspoon. We were not particularly amused either by an additional charge of £3 for bread to accompany our meal, which we declined. Relative minor grouses, however, in an otherwise pleasant evening.
Our chosen starters, reasonably priced at around £8/9, were a twice baked goats cheese souffle with beetroot chutney and a carpaccio of beef with rocket salad, parmesan and red onion marmalade. The souffle was excellent, crisp on the outside and beautifully light inside with just enough flavour of goats’ cheese and well complemented by the beetroot chutney. The carpaccio was nicely presented and succulent and well matched with the salad.
From the options of four meat dishes, three fish and one vegetarian, our first choice of main course was pork medallions with a white wine and butter risotto, crispy sage fritter and lemon scented pan juices. The pork was very tender and well-flavoured by the juices and the risotto was light and fluffy. Portion size was just right for a combination which could easily have been over-facing.
The rack of lamb served with roast garlic and tarragon red wine jus was also tender and rich, if perhaps slightly overcooked for the diner’s personal taste, not having been asked for a preference. The side order of chips were good, chunky and probably hand-cut.
The sauteed calves liver with creamy smoked bacon mash, crispy onions and marsala pan jus was very nicely cooked, tender and tasty.
The evening’s special of pan fried halibut in lemon and olive oil was melt-in-the-mouth, cooked to perfection, simple but delicious and the side dish of new potatoes in butter and garlic were a good accompaniment.
From a good selection of sweets came a delicious, warm raspberry and almond tart with raspberry ripple ice cream, and a slightly disappointing warm chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream. The latter could perhaps have done with a darker, sharper chocolate but again, it depends on personal taste. The two of us who could not choose took the easy option of the assiette. Again, this could have been improved by a more imaginative presentation rather than the half-dozen portions randomly “dumped” on a plain white dinner plate, but they were all delicious and a nice, indulgent end to a very good meal.
So, in summary, this is not “Just Another Restaurant” as its name somewhat self-deprecatingly suggests, it is more of a re-birth of an old favourite with a different, perhaps less ostentatious appeal. In its infancy at the time of our visit, there were areas which, if you chose to be picky, could be improved but it’s certainly well worth a visit for a special night out.
Sir Conny - June 2010