Confessions of a glutton dec 4 2013

Confessions of a Glutton

A Sydney girl's food blog about all things delicious

Alpha

December 4, 2013 · by Cath @ Confessions of a Glutton · in Reviews. ·Alpha was the new kid on the block and everyone was talking about it. Being a relative novicewhen it comes to Greek cuisine, I was initially rather reluctant to sample it, right until Iaccidentally walked by it and was immediately intrigued by its gorgeous, modern interior anddesign. I jumped online to scan the menu, and as a catch up with my friend Blondie was due todiscuss her upcoming wedding plans (with me as a bridesmaid!), I suggested we pay the venue avisit.

Alpha | Confessions of a Glutton http://confessionsofaglutton.com/2013/12/04/alpha/

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Bookings are highly recommended as despite the place still being relatively new, the word ofmouth its been receiving has been nothing short of popular, and so Thursday dinnertime was busyand bustling.

We had been reassured over the phone that many of the options on the menu were gluten-free, andour waitress was more than helpful in pointing out which dishes would be safe. The dishes aredesigned for sharing, and so we decided to begin with the Sesame Leaf Dolmades: Almond Rice,Preserved Lemon Avgolemono ($12).


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These little parcels were simply delightful, the sesame leaf splitting easily to reveal its stuffedinsides spilling out with the moreish, nutty rice. The avgolemono sauce that accompanied it wascuriously frothy and very lemony, providing a nice tang and contrast to the dish.

We had these with a meze, the Barrel Aged Fetta Tou Fourno, with Chilli, Roasted Garlic, Oregano ($11).

Words cannot describe this fetta. Don’t even think about the fetta you out of a packet at thesupermarket; compared to this, that wouldn’t even count as fetta. It was quite salty on its own, butcombined with the dolmades, it balanced out nicely.

The Mastic Spiced Quail with Fetta, Watermelon Salad ($26) was a nice, small little dish.


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The quail was irresistibly tender, but it was quite fiddly to eat with knife and fork. We were bothtempted to pick up the quail quarters with our fingers and gnaw at it, but being in civilisedcompany, restrained ourselves. While I’m usually not an big fan of watermelon, I found it quiterefreshing when combined with fetta in a salad.

We were wondering whether we would have the same issue of wanting to use our hands when itcame to the Slow Roasted Lamb Spare Ribs with Thyme, Honey and Ouzo Glaze ($18):

A silly thought, really. As soon as we picked up our knives and pressed them to the rib to slice offthe meat, it all fell off like butter faced with a hot knife.

Look at it. Just look at it.


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Simply beautiful. Full of flavour, honey and thyme, and the carrot puree that accompanied it was alovely addition that significantly lightened the dish.

We were willing to give dessert a try, especially after I had seen the table next to us orderthe Loukoumades: Greek Doughnut Balls, Spiced Honey Syrup, Candied Walnut Ice Cream ($12).

It was like being sent straight to heaven with my first mouthful of doughnut and the candiedwalnut ice cream. Chewy, light as air doughnut balls with just the barest hint of crunch, with just asmall savoury kick to offset the sweetness of the honey syrup and the amazing ice cream. If I couldcome to Alpha just for dessert, I would without a doubt come back for this baby.

There wasn’t much choice in regards to gluten-free desserts, but Blondie selected the Lemon IceCream, Nectarines, Samos Muscat, and Almond Shortbread ($12). She had to have it without theshortbread, but the waitstaff were lovely and asked if she liked pistachios, as they could add somecandied pistachios to the dish instead.


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While it probably doesn’t look like much next to my Loukoumades, the flavours were incredible –the nectarine delectably tender and sweet, and the lemon ice cream similarly amazing.

Service, while attentive during most of the evening, lagged significantly towards the end; I notedthat a group of about 10 businessmen came in at about 8.30 pm and proceeded to order about sixbottles of wine and a number of large roasts from the menu – as a result, they had about threewaitstaff hovering over them and ourselves and a few other tables got a little neglected.

We left the restaurant around 9.00 pm, and the place was still busy; it just shows how important areservation is for Alpha. I highly recommend a visit to this place – while they don’t do what youwould call traditional Greek food, their take on it is nothing short of heavenly. I will definitely bevisiting again, especially for those Greek doughnuts.

Alpha Restaurant238 Castlereagh Street

Sydney NSW 2000(02) 9098 1111

www.alpharestaurant.com.au (http://alpharestaurant.com.au)

Tags: Athenian, Castlereagh Street, CBD, dessert, Greek, Restaurants, reviews

3 responses on “Alpha”

chocolatesuze December 4, 2013 at 10:36 am · · Reply →ive heard such awesome things about alpha that im dying to go even more now after readingthis post!

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fifiona.caroline December 4, 2013 at 11:30 am · · Reply →I have tried to visit this restaurant a few times and each time i go to book they have had aprivate function (twice!) so this review has made me determined to try again…3rd time lucky.Besides when you mention doughnuts and candied walnut ice cream how could i resist!!

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grabyourfork December 4, 2013 at 11:16 pm · · Reply →The loukoumades sound incredible, and haha I have no qualms about using fingers to eat quail.As long as you daintily use two fingers I reckon you’re fine! haha

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Confessions of a glutton dec 4 2013