I love airports

....I hate airport food.....it is terrible, inedible and overpriced.....but there is a nice exception out there. I had a long waiting time in Heathrow last Saturday on my way to Malta (nope...no vacation for the wicked...it was work related). My plane from Cork to Heathrow was delayed so I missed my connection flight to Malta....which gave me already a waiting time of 6 hours...just to be delayed for a further 3 hours. so you can imagine that I was close to collapsing (I normally avoid eating at all costs at airports). My flight was going out from terminal 4 but they are decorating and only Weatherspoons were there.....no way Jose...would I do that to my stomach so I took the transfer train to terminal 3...and strolled through the food hall there and found Cafe Rouge...It was build and decorated like a Parisian cafe with a lovely illuminated glass ceiling in the centre of the room. It looked very clean (not always a given in airports) and the menu looked okay. They had a lunch offer - 3 courses for £10.95. I didn't expect much for that price either but I was hungry. I ordered a Tarte au Fromage de Chevre (basically a goats' cheese tart) with caramelised red onions, rocket salad and a balsamic dressing. The pastry could have done with a bit more cooking as the inside was still rawish. More onions would have added more texture to the dish but the flavour was very good. For the main I opted for crepes filled with sauteed garlic mushrooms, spinach and leeks (a combination I love). Again, the flavours were really good but the mushroom mixture was overcooked and the french fries a bit too crispy for my taste. The dessert was a Belgium Waffle with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream. The waffle would have benefited being served warm but the ice cream was outstanding.

They had a lovely and well assorted wine list. The list was categorised in fresh & crisp, soft & fruity etc.....food matching made easy.

They are on the right track just not quite there yet. Nevertheless - a nice change to the rubbish you get normally served. Compliment to the staff.....attentive & friendly.....I forgot I was at the airport :-)