THE Alpine is a landmark restaurant, literally. Standing on the corner of High Street and Common Road, where Stanmore meets Bushey Heath and Middlesex meets Hertfordshire, it has given its name to the crossroads that drivers are told to watch for when given directions.

But, while it is fitting that such a fine restaurant has become a local landmark, it would be well worth seeking it out even if it were a long way down the most obscure byway.

Its many fans would certainly do whatever it took to get there. The Alpine has long been one of my favourite places for dining out locally, be it for family celebrations (we took our parents there for their ruby wedding anniversary), working lunches, or romantic trysts.

Being at a busy crossroads could be a mixed blessing for a restaurant: it affords plenty of passing trade, but it could be a bit of a blow to the atmosphere. But the Alpine creates its own atmosphere, which owes nothing to the outside world. It is not small, but the layout on the ground floor (there is a 50-seater function room upstairs) creates intimate areas which suggest somewhere smaller.

The atmosphere is a product of more than the design. The welcome and service are always genuinely warm and friendly, without being overbearing. But you really go to the Alpine for the food, which is never short of excellent.

I remember a time when it paid to book your table earlier than you otherwise wanted because it took quite a while to work your way through the restaurant's extensive menu, unless you were familiar with what it had to offer.

Wisely, options have been whittled down, but there is still a wide choice, which repays frequent visits. There is a superb value fixed-price menu, including some of the dishes from the even more mouthwatering a la carte selection, which invites diners to request variations on what is offered.

A nice touch I have not seen elsewhere is a list of "cheeses of the week", with an esoteric selection supplied by a specialist in Highbury. The week I was there this included Verulamium from St Albans.

The Alpine is essentially an Italian restaurant, but not in the manner of a themed-chain. The influences are far more subtle, both in the decor and the cuisine. Pasta is not compulsory and not once on my latest visit did anyone try to smother my food in parmesan cheese (one of my pet hates).

My dining companion and I took different routes through the menu. I chose simpler dishes, beginning with a favourite stand-by Parma ham and melon (to which slices of mango added a novel and delightful tang) and moving on to veal escalope Milanese (a succulent slice of one of my favourite meats in breadcrumbs with a selection of perfectly cooked vegetables), before finishing with a decadent creme brulee which I could have had with fruit.

To my left appeared a succession of dishes, each of which my companion declared to be more brilliant than the previous. She started with grilled spiced tiger prawns on a grilled flat mushroom and accompanied with a spring onion, plum tomato and basil salsa; went on to a roast chicken breast stuffed with brie, wrapped in Parma ham and served with a sun-dried tomato risotto and pesto, and finished with an individual tirimasu with Baileys and coffee ice.

She said it was one of the best meals she'd ever eaten. Coming from someone with a professional background in food, that is praise indeed. - CH

The Alpine, 135 High Road, Bushey Heath

Telephone: 020 8950 2024

Reproduced from Limited Edition magazine, exclusive guides to living in Hertfordshire, Middlesex and the London Borough of Barnet (01923 216295)

December 19, 2001 13:30