Alex Restaurant

Dublin, Ireland

Dined in December 2013

Sean Overpeck (CFE)

 

Restaurant has been renamed The Coburg Brasserie

I had been feeling sick all day long after walking back to my hotel the night before from a restaurant in the rain. Very stupid mistake, don’t do that. As a result of not feeling well, I had originally planned reservations at another restaurant, but canceled and decided to stay at my hotel The Conrad for dinner, and eat at Alex Restaurant. I was up to touring Kilmainham Gaol jail, since it was the main thing on my list that I hadn’t seen yet, but other than that, it was going to be a rest and recover day for me.

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Review basics:

Star rating by Wine, Dine, & Play:	1 of 5
Quality of food:	6 of 10
Presentation:	5 of 10
Wine selections by region: Scroll below the main review section to see the tasting notes of the wines chosen.	8 of 10 Old world: 1.        France: A). Bordeaux: (Haut Médoc, Pomerol, Sauternes, & St. Julien) B). Bourgogne: (Chablis, Puligny Montrachet, Gevrey-Chambertin, Meursault, Pouilly & Fuissé) Côtes du Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, S. Rhône-Gigondas, Beaujolais, Loire, Champagne, Alsace, & Languedoc-Roussillon 2.        Spain: La Rioja 3.        Italy: Aosta Valley, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Veneto, Tuscano, & Sicily 4.        Bulgaria: Black Sea 5.        Portugal: Douro Valley New World: 1.        Argentina: Mendoza 2.        Chile: Central Valley, & Casablanca Valley 3.        Australia: McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Coonawarra, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Frankland River, & Margaret River 4.        New Zealand: Marlborough, & North Canterbury 5.        California: Napa, Livermore Valley,  & Edna Valley 6.        Oregon: Willamette Valley 7.        South Africa:  Fairtrade & Stellenbosch     “Explore the restaurant wine list”
Customer service:	4 of 10
Ambiance:	7 of 10
Corkage fee’s:	European standard is €30.00 per bottle
Restaurant style:	Casual
Dress code:	Smart casual, Casual, or Conservative attire
Reservations:	Not Required, but Recommended
Walk-ins:	Accepted, but not guaranteed
Child policy:	The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a child’s menu or cater to them; however for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended for children not to be in attendance. Hire a Babysitter. Alinea Baby Gate
Cuisine style:	Contemporary, Bistro, Lounge, Steak, Seafood, Ireland, English, & Vegetarian
Music styles:	Background instrumental,
Experiences:	Lounge, Business parties, Upscale, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood gem.
Gratuities:	Irish standard is 12.5% added
	Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Diner’s,
Parking:	Valet, Hotel lot, or street parking
Transport options:	Bus, taxi, limousine, personal vehicle, and walking
	The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
Noise level:	Medium
Smoking:	Nonsmoking restaurant
Patio:	no

Food price per person (excluding gratuity)

Price chart:

$£€ -                Under 50.00

$£€ x 2 -          Under 75.00

$£€ x 3 -          Over 100.00

$£€ x 4 -          Over 200.00

$£€ x 5 -          Over 400.00

My food bill:	Currency :	Price chart :
€39.95	EUR	€
$54.23	USD	$$
£32.89	GBP	£
$60.58	CAD	$$
$61.71	AUD	$$
¥331.88	CNY	¥¥¥¥
د.199.57	AED	د. د. د.

From restaurants home page:

Alex Restaurant offers contemporary, seasonal menus. The restaurant's gourmet cuisine is served in stylish, modern surroundings and our committed chefs pay particular attention to the quality and origin of ingredients. Wild and organic produce is used wherever possible, to ensure that Alex Restaurant's dishes are delicious, natural and ethically-sourced. The Alex Restaurant is open for breakfast and dinner, and welcomes guests in smart-casual attire.

Main review:

Struggling down from my room after another cold day in Dublin, I was seated in the main section of the dining room.  Luckily they were able to fit me in because the National Concert Hall was across the street, and they had a performance scheduled, which usually packs the restaurant out. They made an exception for me because I was a guest at the hotel.  The dining room was set Bistro style with the tables close together and long booths against the wall, with two and four seated tables connected. As I sat, I decided to order a pint of the only beer you dare drink when your Ireland, so as not to offend the locals.

 

No amuse dish was offered, however I did receive the customary basket of bread to start with. After reviewing the menu I decided on the three course festive dinner menu starting with a beetroot and vodka cured organic salmon with pickled baby vegetables consisting of carrots, corn, capsicum, and zucchini, with a spread of a horseradish and crème fraîche sauce. The curing was perfect, a very good dish.

For my entrée course I had an 8 ounce (226 grams) Angus ribeye steak topped with vine ripe tomatoes and a green peppercorn sauce. The dish was garnished with a chilled carrot and vinegar slaw. Unfortunately the steak was rubbery and hard to cut which meant it was either lesser or cheaper cut, or it was older and had been sitting around in the fridge too long. Either way not my favorite steak in the world.

The entrée dish was also served with a trio of accompaniments consisting of sautéed Brussels sprouts with toasted hazelnuts, apricot glazed root vegetables, and chestnut mashed potatoes. All of which were very good tasting.

For dessert since it is a classic in the Isles was the sticky toffee pudding, with brandy ice cream and toasted pecans, with a chocolate star garnie on the ice cream, very yummy to say the least.

This Restaurant reminds me of:

The service was basic for the entire meal, and though they had planned to be booked out due to a concert across the street, when I arrived the restaurant was still empty minus a few seating’s, yet it was impossible to find my server when I needed him, especially with my steak. I waited over five minutes, to attract anyone to let them know about it. The people next to me arrived after I did, and they also had questions on the menu, but it took forever for them to be served. So between the service and the steak, the ratings for Alex Restaurant are lower than I would normally score a bistro style restaurant such as this. Overall because of these faults I would compare it restaurants such as the Wine Spectator Restaurant, in Napa Valley California, where you are served by students who have no real training in customer or waited service, yet they did a better job than the staff here, or La Petite Maison, in Dubai, which is listed in the top 100 restaurants in the world, with some of the worst table service I ever received. In the end, it’s not just about the food and the atmosphere, but you need to have just as good of a front of house, that you do have in the back of the house to be a continuing success as time goes by.

Cost of wines and other alcoholic beverages:

€10.00

Restaurant address: 

The Conrad hotel

Earlsfort Terrace,

Dublin

Ireland

   

   

Cross streets:

Lower Hatch Street & N11

Contact Information:

Maître d, reservations	353-1-602-8900
Website:	Alex Restaurant
Email and reserve:	Contact Restaurant
	Facebook link                   Twitter @ConradDublin

Hours:

Breakfast:

Daily: 07:00 - 10:00

Lunch:

Sunday: 13:00 - 14:30

Dinner:

Monday	17:30 - 21:30
Tuesday	17:30 - 21:30
Wednesday	17:30 - 21:30
Thursday	17:30 - 21:30
Friday	17:30 - 21:30
Saturday	17:30 - 21:30
Sunday	17:30 - 21:30

  

Ireland Standard Time (GMT 0:00)

 “Explore the menu”  

Ala Carte

pre-theater

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Review by:

Chef Sean Overpeck (CFE) and the gang in Afghanistan 2011

Chef Sean cooks for soldiers in Afghanistan, 2012:

"Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things, but in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well."

TTFN