Just a moment's walk from Hyde Park, Alexandrie is an up-market Egyptian restaurant set over two floors. Based on Kensington Church Street, the menu at Alexandrie combines the traditional elements of Egyptian cuisine with an added level of refinement, to create flavour-packed dishes you may have never tried before. When combined with the elegant dining room and top notch service, this really is a special occasion restaurant despite the prices not being as steep as one might expect given the location.
The bright and beautiful interiors of Alexandrie immediately instill a sense of class to proceedings, yet avoid being over the top and garish. The striking twisted light fittings cast plenty of light over the beige and white surfaces below, while the few pieces of art hung on the walls add the odd flash of colour. There's also the option to sit up at the glowing bar, to enjoy mezzes alongside a drink or two.
When it comes the Alexandrie's food offering, this isn't the place to go if you're looking for an old-school kebab, with the menu instead being focused around traditional dishes from Alexandria. For example, you’ll find the region’s signature molokheya here (a thick, dark-green herb soup served with grilled poussin and rice), or perhaps delicate slivers of beetroot-cured salmon, charged with punchy flavour from spiced yoghurt and semi-dried tomatoes. Bamia is another traditional option, consisting of oven-baked okra and a garlic and coriander sauce, while larger appetites will appreciate slow-roasted lamb shank, gently spiced and paired with mash potatoes.
If you’re a fan of fish and seafood Alexandrie will serve you well, but save room for the texturally limber om ali, a dessert of filo pastry, baked in vanilla-tinged cream and topped with almonds. A predominantly French wine list is the main attraction drinks-wise but there are also a number of tempting cocktails available too.