Alexanders at Limpsfield

We had Sunday lunch here and certainly enjoyed the setting and the decor. However the quality of the food was disappointing - portions were large but presentation could have been much better and the meat (beef) was tough. Whilst this would be quite acceptable for a pub lunch, it unfortunately made pricing (£35 per head) very expensive for the offer, particularly when drinks were added to the bill.

Service was friendly but slow between courses which it need not have been as there were few tables occupied. It could also have been slicker and more polished to justify the price; there are only a certain number of times "No problem" can be said before it starts to grate.

There is certainly a mismatch between price and quality - For a lunch tab approaching £45 per head including drinks, it should really be better.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 6
Thursday, May 08, 2008

Having been fully booked for Saturday night I went at lunchtime for a birthday treat. We were given a free glass of champagne for our booking disappointment. It was a very quiet Bank Holiday Saturday and we were offered a choice of sitting in the brasserie or the restaurant. We opted for the less formal brasserie as it was lunch time. the restaurant looked charming though.

Sadly the sea bream was not available on the lunch menu and no alternative was offered leaving no choice but chicken. We were offered the brasserie menu but in the end went for the restaurant full menu at £40 for 3 courses. It was gorgeous, best food I have had in a long while, nearly as good as Chez Bruce but perhaps some dishes were over complicated. I really enjoyed myself and we were looked after really well by all the friendly staff who were attentive but not over the top. Good choice of wines too. To walk off the wine we were able to go for a lovely walk around the very picturesque area. Well worth a trip and it was a doddle to get to from London
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 6
Sunday, May 27, 2007

I too have dined at Alexanders several times since it opened it's doors and being Oxted born and bred have found nothing in this area that justifies a revisit, however Alexanders is the exception. Each time we have dined with friends or just the two of us we have found all of the staff both charming and efficient with the food surpassing all of our expectations.

The brasserie lends itself to casual and comfortable dining and the refurbished main dining room is airy, modern yet classy with it. The toilets are indeed of a much higher quality than most London Eating Establishments that have Michelin Star's already to their credit and the extra touches in the bathrooms made us feel pampered and welcomed. Perhaps the diner which critised these washrooms can accept that it is all a matter of taste to please the majority not the minority. At the end of the day this restaurant is well received and welcomed by all that live around the area and returns The Old Lodge to it's former glory days of some 20 years ago. I take my hat off to those involved and wish them every success.......as the majority of diners who have visited here do.
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Dave
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Thursday, May 17, 2007

We went to Alexanders this afternoon to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary. My husband works in nearby Oxted so we know the area well and after reading reviews on this website we had high expectations.

The setting is beautiful and the place itself is a lovely old building wth lots of character. Having been shown our seats though, I coould'nt help but notice shabby cheap laminate flooring which looked really out of place against the lovely dark wood panelling and beautiful fireplace.

The menu was small but that is too be expected of a Sunday lunch menu - we were told that there was no more Beef leaving a choice of Chicken, Pork or Hallibut for the main course.

I choose a starter of pan fried Sea Bass, bream and scallop - which was beautiful - perfectly cooked and light as a feather. For main I had the Corn fed chicken breast - which was disappointing dry overcooked at the edges. My husband had the Lincolnshire Pork which was very tasty. Both meals were served with vegetables and roast potatoes which sadly were neither crunchy on the outside nor fluffy in the middle.

For dessert my husband had the Strawberry Muille-Fuille served with white chocolate ice-cream and I had the cheese board - both were delicious and beautifully presented.

I have often heard it said that you can tell a lot about a restaurant by the state of the toilets - well in this case i hope that saying is unrue. The ladies toilets are horrible - seriously in need of refurbishment.

I really dont mind paying high prices for exceptional food - especially on uch a special occasion but sadly this did not meet my expectations. It was nice - but for £80 for 2 (including 3 glasses of wine) I would have expected the main course to be a bit better. It was nice but not exceptional.
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Alex
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Sunday, May 06, 2007

I have dined at the restaurant three times in the last two months. The food and service is excellent and competes easily with the top London restaurants. They have set their standards extreemly high and have certainly attained them on my visits. It is refreshing to have such an exquisite restaurant outside of London.
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Monday, March 19, 2007

Wow, wow and wow again. If you are looking for something special or just love fantastic food you are in for a treat at Alexander's. Over the last couple of weeks I had been hearing good reports on this place so decided the short journey from Reigate could be worth the taxi fare.

It is a lovely old building with plenty of character and inside it is divided into a casual brasserie and more refined dining restaurant. I had booked a table in the restaurant where we were seated next to a magnificent dark wooden fireplace. For a place of this calibre there is plenty of choice on the menu with something for everone. An amuse bouche of white bean soup was a velvety wonder with depth of flavour coming from smoked ham undertones. I started with the scallops that arrived perfectly cooked alongside deliciously poached spiced pears and strips of celery. It was a dish that would not be out of place in the world's best dining rooms. By now I was reprimanding myself for not having been here sooner.

This was compounded by my main course by my main course of veal with spinach and ceps. Veal can be a tasteless meat but here it was full of flavour and fabulous juices. The accompanying ceps provided strong flavours to lift the meat another level and, together with pommes anna, it was another mighty success.

We were served a pre dessert of rhubarb and ginger that was topped with what I remember as 'space dust'! Interestingly, it was served in a small jar and was a lovely seasonal preparation from the chef.

After seeing nutella sorbet on the dessert menu my choice was a foregone conclusion. It came with a white chocolate and mango parfait but the sorbet was the star. Why is this not in the shops?!

Service throughout the evening was excellent and subtle and the maitre d' recommended a delicious chablis that didn't break the bank.

We paid £135 for 2 people so not cheap, but I have paid a lot more for far inferior meals in London. I will definitely be returning and next time I will give the brasserie a go.
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Gerry
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, February 28, 2007