May 2004

Hawtrey's awarded 2 AA Rosettes.

September 2003

There has always been somewhere to eat at the Barn, however, Hawtrey's Restaurant is a recent addition to the hotel. You'd never guess that it was new though - modelled on an authentic Jacobean baronial hall, the intricately moulded ceiling is supported by carved hammer beams, and warm mahogany panelling covers the walls.

The delicate Wedgwood plates, crystal goblets and gleaming silver cutlery laid out on the table, hinted at the feast to follow, and when the menu arrived, courtesy of head waiter Philippe, we knew we weren't to be disappointed. In his delectable Parisian accent and ready smile, Philippe was charming, as he ran through the three course menu with us.

Freshly prepared by Chef de Cuisine, Jean Luc Sainlo who previously worked in the the kitchens of Gordon Ramsay's 1 star Amaryllis in Glasgow, the dishes we sampled were exquisite works of art.

A vine tomato starter arrived on a pretty, rectangular glass dish. On it was a filo pastry nest containing a tomato sorbet, a sculpted tomato filled with a fluffy tomato mousse and a china cup of gaspachio. The duck foie gras stuffed with shredded dates and fig brioche was exquisitely rich and smooth - the savoury foie gras combined with the sweetness of the figs was divine. Jean Luc changes the menu on a monthly basis to coincide with the seasonal ingredients he sources. It was incredibly hard to choose between the red mullet with fondue of fennel and red pepper coulis, farm chicken, mushrooms and tarragon sauce with fondant potato, fillet of beef in red burgundy sauce with gratin dauphinois or asparagus risotto with truffle oil, salad and jerez vinaigrette.

The desert menu was a sweet-lovers paradise. The bitter chocolate millefeuilles with cacao sorbet was the most heavenly bittersweet, thick chocolate confection and the summer red berries was a tumble of strawberries and blackberries, crumbled in biscuit, with a sweet peppermint coulis.

Never before have I had a dining experience that appealed as much to my sense of the visual as my sense of taste.

The Limited Edition - Middlesex

October 2003

Something very special has been happening at the Barn Hotel in Ruislip over the past year. Gradually, the reception area, bars, kitchens, restaurant and function rooms have been refurbished to an incredibly high standard, carefully preserving the historic structures and timbers beneath.

General Manager Patrick Murphy is very proud of his beautiful hotel. "It has been at least 30 years since most of the structures were last exposed." he commented "These are remarkable buildings, the Leaning Barn walls are at a 16 degree angle, and we wanted to be sure they will be safe for another 100 years."

He has visited marble quarries in Italy to find exactly the right colours for specific uses in the hotel and has personally selected wood for panelling and beams, all ethically selected from sustainable forests. Tapestries in the inner reception area have been specifically made, the carpet in the bar and restaurant made bespoke. Four miles of timber have been used in the roof, especially in the amazing coffer ceiling in Hawtrey's Restaurant, designed after a Jacobean baronial hall. Painstaking attention to detail has paid off, and the new-look Barn Hotel has a patina of quality everywhere. Nowhere is this more evident than in the new Hawtrey's Restaurant where the food and wine is fit for royalty. Jean Luc Sainlo is the Chef de Cuisine and his modern French style, wonderfully light and tasty, is at least as good as you will find in any London restaurant.

Every dish is a work of art, served with care and resepct. The service is superb and everything has been planned meticulously for ease and pleasure - even the tables have pedestal supports, so there are no intrusive table legs to interfere with diners' total comfort.

It is impossible to recommend some dishes above others, all are delicious, but the Breast of glazed Duck, Confit Savoy Cabbage, glazed Beetroot and Medeira jus, encapsulates the quality of this superb restaurant, it is the essence of perfection.

This will surely become a restaurant of choice for executives' business lunches and special family occasions, but the prices are realistic enough to make a frequent treat too.

Optima Magazine.