The Alpine

I went here in November 2012 with my son and his friend. We didn’t book a table and went in just to ask if they could accommodate us. The waiter was very helpful and asked us to wait a moment. The next thing I knew the owner, a frumpy looking old man, was ranting in Italian. I was ready to walk out when the waiter apologised on his behalf and found us a table.
We started with antipasti £8.50 which was a good portion, well presented and of good quality. The soup £4.95 and pâté £7.95 were said to be home made although I can’t be sure the pâté was. Both were ok, nothing to rave about. The spaghetti pomodoro £16.95 was very basic. The monkfish £18.95 and Sea bass £17.95 were good, but again, nothing outstanding. We finished with a hot chocolate pudding which was excellent £10.50 and Tiramisu £5.50 also excellent. We didn’t have any wine, beer or any other alcohol, just mineral water and coke. The service charge and cover charge brought the bill up to £114.98, which I felt was too much for what we had.
The restaurant wasn’t even busy when we arrived so I didn’t understand why the owner was so annoyed at us asking if we could have a table. Having said that, the staff were polite and friendly and worked hard. the seating did feel cramped and the tables felt like they had been crammed in to every corner. I can’t say there was any noticeable atmosphere. The other customers all appeared to be retired, well off and rather quiet.
The owner hung around and didn’t seem to do much until it was time to pay. He appeared at the table without a word, took the money then wandered off again without a word.
Would I go back again? No. There was nothing much to draw me back. Over priced mediocre food, cramped tables and an owner with a face like a bag of nails.