Birthday Lunch At Hawtrey's Restaurant in the Barn Hotel, Ruislip, London

Hawtreys has always been one of my two top favourite restaurants for food and historic atmosphere. The Barn hotel has a log fire burning in the central lounge under beams.

Starter
    The set menu changes daily. I am allergic to shellfish and did not feel like mushroom soup so I opted for the egg. I knew the chef would do something special. My egg appeared with a crunchy outside. Deep fried? the bacon was turned into a triangular sail. Hardly healthy. But very tasty.

Main Course
  My main course of lamb was perfect. I didn't really notice the potato. The beans were satisfying. Under the lamb I discovered asparagus.

Dessert
   I had phoned to ask for Happy Birthday to be written on my plate. The Happy Birthday was a delight. The chocolate and sorbet were not overwhelming in flavour, a slight disappointment.

The coffee was not impressive.

But all in all the near-perfect lunch. At a reasonable price.

Ladies
   The ladies toilet is always a delight. Lovely mirrors. Paper tissues as well as paper towels. Gel soap and hand conditioner. Elegant and colourful. You emerge feeling elegant, pampered and pleased.