AS drivers manoeuvre their way round the notorious Handy Cross M40 roundabout, they hardly spare a glance for the hotel on its rim. If you do manage to take your eyes off the job of changing lanes in dense traffic, you may have noticed that The Posthouse High Wycombe hotel became a Holiday Inn last year.

Lots of changes have taken place, with the cheerful Mongolian restaurant consigned to history and in its place a rather elegant new restaurant, The Junction.

Not a good name. Why highlight the fact we're on a road junction that many consider a nightmare? But that's all soon forgotten in the quiet, orderly lounge and restaurant of the hotel.

Bill Hitchcock, the catering manager, has big ambitions for the place. "Holiday Inn is of course a heavily standardised product. People have an expectation of high service and a certain style. But that doesn't stop us making it a fun and enjoyable place to eat. We're aiming to give excellent food and service in a relaxed and informal atmosphere."

At his last post at the Guildford Holiday Inn, Bill made it among the top two in the country in their good service awards. He's determined to make dining here a brilliant experience too.

So better have a look then.

We turned up on a wet Saturday evening and first impressions were good. It's to use the buzzwords printed on the menu contemporary, stylish and cosmopolitan. The lighting is clever, and the colours intriguing soft brown pierced by splashes of purple, highlighted with an elegant single iris on each table.

Pictures on the wall are the interesting, splodgy kind that get you musing "I'm sure I could do that". Yet you still get the crisp linen and sparkling glasses that make you feel you're in for a treat.

There's a set three-course menu at a very reasonable £15, and a diverse a la carte.

My husband ordered from the set menu. Starters include prawn cocktail, soup and pat, but he was intrigued with the selection of forest mushrooms in a creamy port wine sauce with a herb scone and blue cheese. He thought it excellent, a very tasty sauce bringing out the best in the mushrooms.

For main course he chose roast salmon fillet with vegetable couscous. He wanted to know why I couldn't make couscous taste this good. The salmon went down a treat, livened up with a honey and mustard sauce.

From a wide list of a la carte options I chose salmon fish cakes (£4.25). Here again there was clever use of a sauce to enliven what could have been bland in this case, a horseradish and tomato beurre blanc.

Braised lamb shank is one of my favourites, especially on a cold, wet evening. This came only with creamed potatoes (£13.95) so I needed to order a side dish of veg to go with it (£1.95).

I've tasted richer, bigger and more flavoursome lamb shank but it was pretty good.

What's excellent is the level of service from attentive but friendly waiters Bill is obviously hot on the training and it's working.

But on to the dessert menu. The set menu offered bitter choc truffle, fresh fruit salad, lemon sponge pud and ice creams, and my partner went for the icecream.

For me, temptation came in the shape of apple tarte tatin (£4.95). It's offered with clotted cream but I asked for ice cream instead. This was really superb. Loved it.

The restaurant was getting busy so it was pleasant to have a change of scene to the lounge for coffee. They also serve a light bar menu here.

The Holiday Inn (so inaptly named it's mostly used by business types) is certainly worth considering for a dinner date.

I must now find an excuse to go for lunch. They do what they call a deli lunch, hot and cold dishes served buffet style, costing £10 for two courses.

Before we left there was another menu I was intrigued to see: a pillow menu. Bill told us that overnight guests are offered a choice of five different pillows down/feather or synthetic, soft, medium or firm to ensure they get a comfy night. They certainly aim to please.

Holiday Inn 0870 400 9042

February 14, 2002 15:00