Aviator Hotel, Farnborough (From Daily Echo)

Aviator Hotel, Farnborough

2:58pm Wednesday 16th December 2009 in Restaurant Reviews By Ian Murray, Editor-in-chief

THE AIR was chilly, but then what did we expect on a Sunday lunchtime in December.

But the lounge at the Aviator Hotel in Farnborough was distinctly warming.

A glorious open flame fire was ensuring that any attempt to raise ourselves from the deep, luxurious sofas, was going to be an effort.

Yes, Mrs M and I agreed, the short drive to the Aviator had been well worth the effort From the outside the 169 room hotel, opened some 18 months ago looks, if we were honest, a little unexciting.

But looks can sometimes be deceiving and once through the doors the Aviator certainly does raise the eyebrows.

A circular lobby, set with modern plush furniture and centred around the most spectacular staircase, gives just a hint of what is to come.

For the jewel in the crown of this statement hotel is most certainly the Brasserie restaurant with its accompanying lounge and bar areas.

Mrs M and I were greeted as soon as we entered the hotel by helpful lobby staff who ushered us into the Brasserie.

Our table was waiting, prebooked which was lucky as it turned out the restaurant was to prove very popular as the afternoon drew on and the rooms filled with extended families and couples.

I say rooms, because the Brasserie itself is split into two separate areas, sectioned off by clever use of panelled walls set to allow views of the other area but arranged to ensure a cosy atmosphere.

The décor is modern glamour with the use of marvellous old photographs of stars from film and stage, many of them vintage.

But looks are not all, and certainly not for a restaurant, and we turned our attention to the menu.

As we perused the choices, we were provided with a surprise dish of delicious canapés as well as a superb tomato passata and goats cheese dips for our bread.

The menu did not disappoint.

Starters included pumpkin soup, half a dozen Fine de Claire oysters or steak tartare.

In the end I plumped for the tempting warm scotch egg with a crisp apple salad and Mrs M the endive salad with blue cheese and walnuts. Mrs M’s portion was quite huge and I was able to help her out – a chore but someone had to – and agreed that it was superb. My scotch egg was a revelation. I could have eaten several as a main.

For the main the choices included fillet of sea bass, roast pheasant, or even red wine risotto. I finally plumped for the pot roast sirloin of aged beef with seasonal vegetables and Yorkshire pudding and Mrs M the four-hour cooked shoulder of lamb with saffron couscous and Moroccan spiced jus which we discovered was a mixture of brandy, wine rose petals and spices. Mrs M’s lamb melted from the bone and luckily she took longer to tackle her meal so I was able to swoop in a help devour it. Delicious.

My pot roast beef was fantastic for a chilly day.

For puds I went for the traditional rice pudding – gorgeous but then I am a bit of a rice pud fanatic – and Mrs M for the bitter chocolate pot with hazelnut ice cream.

As with all of the courses the food preparation was beautiful and service exemplary.

The cost was £21 each for three courses.

The Aviator Hotel is a 45-minute drive from central Southampton but well worth the trip.