Too often, the end of a meal is glossed over, condensed into a final paragraph, an afterthought. There is always mention of the first impression, but rarely mention of the last. Great detail is made of aperitifs, amuse-bouches and starters, but rarely do digestifs, petits fours and coffees get equal billing.
The fact that by then the reviewer has digested a good percentage of their weekly alcohol quota is purely coincidental, I'm sure.
So, to begin at the ending: the staff knew whose umbrella was whose, when they returned them to us from the cloakroom. That's always a nice touch...
