Heathrow's Roux

Jet lag aside there is nothing one wants more after landing than some culinary miracle to help wipe out that taste of airplane food. Therefore I was more than exited when I heard that the owner of legendary Gavroche in Mayfair - Albert Roux is opening a Brasserie at Sofitel, Heathrow. I was even worried my casual flight attire would be frowned up on. I was hungry. The journey through terminals would have been complicated had I not had a good guide. Sofitel inside was a boring as an accountant. I did not care - Brasserie Roux met me with a better designed seating area done up in a color known as mulberry burst. "It has to fit in with the rest of the hotel", I reconciled myself as I leafed through the menu. The latter was very regional French and had a lot of what I would call Catalan undertones. Hence the Gazpacho that I'd ordered as a starter. A simple dish the Gazpacho but very easy to get wrong. And they did. It was too sour and oily. I didn't think much of this until the main of duck leg on mash came. It was dry and boring like Sofitel. It was one of those dishes you'd get served by your friend's mother. You 'd eat it thankful for the fact that it's so uncomplicated and you don't need to spend stressful hours trying to forget that strange taste when she mixed up the spices in her ratatouille. Perhaps Mr. Roux does not fly from Heathrow often as he prefers the more budget airlines but perhaps he should take a look at Terminal 5 where at Ramsay's Plane Food manages to deliver the goods despite its remoteness from Mayfair and management.