First impressions are important and people do make decisions (rightly or not) based on them. My first impression of Alfie's by KEE was that it was smaller than expected and certainly smaller than the photos I had seen portray. My second impression was, it was too noisy for a restaurant, having to shout at my dining companion for the first 1.5 hours not conducive to a relaxed meal.

My third, which was more expectation than impression, concerned the food. I had eaten at the Kee Club's restaurant in Hong Kong, and found the food to be inspired and exceptional, and when I think Alfred Dunhill, I think of a brand that exudes sophistication and classic elegance. Surely, a restaurant that combined these two forces, and that described itself as a, "restaurant, lounge and bar for the modern British Cool", would produce something outstanding?

Execution Lets Down Produce

The menu is small, only seven appetisers and seven mains, all classic British dishes. A small menu can often be a good thing because it means that every dish should be a winner.

As hungry food reviewers we ordered three appetisers: Devon Pork Sausage Roll; Ticklemore Goat's Cheese, Sage, and Caramelised Onion Tart; and that classic retro dish, Prawn Cocktail.

Of the three the sausage roll was our favourite, with its flaky pastry and delicious pork interior served with a tasty cherry tomato relish that cut through the richness of the meat. The mixed leaves it was served with letting down the dish as they were overdressed. Although I did enjoy it I found it an odd choice for a restaurant with such a small menu. As an Australian I think of a sausage roll as a snack that you buy from a humble and inexpensive bakery shop. 

The goat's cheese itself was sensational, but this is not due to the chef, other than crediting him with good taste, that compliment belongs to the cheese-maker. It gave the "tart" a wonderful flavour and mouth feel. Beyond that I found it disappointing, and for the environment almost insulting. It was not the individual tart that I had expected from a classy restaurant, but a slice from a large tart, more quiche than tart. Even I managed to make individual a la minute goat's cheese tarts at a lunch I hosted in March, and I don't bake! Given its soggy base I also wondered if it had been made that day. To make matters worse it was served with a limp salad (radish, green beans, cucumber and caraway). Touches of cheese in the salad saved the dish.

I love prawn cocktail, a dish that has never gone out of style with me and am glad to see it having its day in the sun. I liked the interpretation. A bowl of prawns drizzled sparingly with sauce, with a centre of rounds of zigzag edged iceberg lettuce, and hints of apple giving a touch of sweetness and crunch, plus chives and mini Hovis toasts. Sadly, the majority of the prawns were overcooked, those that weren't had an excellent flavour.

Not So Simple

Fish and Chips, and Char-Grilled Prime Angus Rib-Eye Steak were our choices for main. Simple dishes that should be easy to execute perfectly in capable hands. 

"Possibly the best fish and chips I have ever had," said my dining companion. He added, more for the fat chips that were excellent, big on potato flavour, cooked perfectly and nicely seasoned. For him what made the dish standout was the unexpected wine match suggested by the staff, a glass of Firestick, Shiraz (Aust). A pairing that he described as truly alchemic, it brought out the flavours in the cod that didn't seem to be there and vice versa. He was right. 

My steak was served with arugula, fat chips and a malt vinegar Béarnaise sauce. I knew as soon as I looked at the plate that the steak was not cooked medium as requested, turning out to be closer to well-done. I sent it back and requested another steak, thought it was better for them to try again than for me to write about my tough, greyish steak. The first steak had been seasoned with a deft hand, the second steak was perfectly cooked yet had not been seasoned at all. When I asked for some salt I was given a grinder that produced salt so fine it resembled and tasted like table salt. I then asked for some sea salt and was given what I guess was Maldon, and excellent English salt. Although it took some effort for the elements of the dish to finally come together, when it did it was a superb steak.

The Béarnaise sauce is worth a special mention...I can still taste it. In addition to a perfect amount of tarragon it had been made using a Japanese vinegar in addition to malt vinegar, which gave it a hint of sweetness on the lips and made the sauce more complex. 

Pub Grub

Eton Mess, a classic English dessert usually consisting of meringue, strawberries and cream, was more mess than Eton. This version, served with strawberry sorbet had only two small meringues and strawberry cream that had the taste of being made from the strawberries not good enough to be served fresh - the fresh ones were fab btw.

On hearing our disappointment with the dessert we were offered Banoffee Pie, a banana, cream, condensed milk and toffee concoction also loved by the Brits. Sadly it was also a letdown. It started off nicely with the flavours of cream and caramel in the mouth until the distinct taste of fake banana hit the palate...had they used sweetened dry banana or imitation banana essence...I wasn't sure but it wasn't right.

We also shared the Warm Dark Chocolate Tart (served with Madagascan vanilla custard sauce and yoghurt ice cream). At least it was an individual tart, which was pleasant enough, with an excellent crust. Although way better than the other two desserts, it was a little light on the chocolate for my dark-chocolate-loving dining companion.

In my mind the food being served at Alfie's by KEE is pub food. Not pub food from a sleazy rundown pub, but pub grub nonetheless. You certainly couldn't call it gastropub food and in my mind it is a long way away from the cuisine I expected from a collaboration of two brands of this calibre. For me, this is an example of style over substance, giving priority to expensive interiors and being trendy over good food, something I often experience in Hong Kong. But maybe that is what modern British Cool is all about, attracting a clientele that don't really care about great food, just being seen in all the right places. 

Service, Ambience, Price

On the whole the service was friendly and efficient, although at times when the restaurant was really busy it was difficult to get the staff's attention.

The Britishness/private-club ambience is everywhere, from the colour palate to the leather seating, dark woods and lighting. The dining area is split into two sections (dining and lounge, total 54 seats) and we were seated in the Lounge area close to the bar, not a good place for relaxed dining due to the noise level. 

Prices: our appetisers were $90, $85, and $130; mains were $220 and $290, and desserts $78 and $88. There is a limited supply of wines by the glass (4 whites, 4 reds, 2 champagnes, a dessert wine - $58-$150) but those tried did go well with our dishes, a reasonable selection by the bottle or you can pop into the Berry Bros cellar to select something special and pay corkage. 

The restaurant serves breakfast Mon-Sat from 7.30am; the breakfast menu had my dining companion curious as to the use of Australian Vegemite and not English Marmite. The a la carte menu is the same for lunch and dinner.