 IN the words of Huey Lewis, isn't it sometimes 'hip to be square'? But with a daughter fast approaching her thirteenth birthday, perhaps it's time to alter my own thinking on what's hip and what isn't? '...and then Jazz asked where we were going for my birthday meal and I said Panama Hatty's and she said wow, that's really cool, but be careful because they do that cheesy thing where they bring a cake and everyone sings 'Happy Birthday' and I said, well it's not my actual birthday, and I don't think my mum would do that - I mean it would just be so embarrassing...' I stared hard at the menu, muttering something about us all making our choices as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, looking at the size of the menu, there was no way her nine-year-old brother was going to make a decision in less than an hour. My husband, P, and I had that rising 'parent panic' - where we knew that if we didn't do something quickly, the ambience would be ruined. Except ruining the ambience at Panama Hatty's would be pretty difficult, considering how much thought the owners have given to making it so impressive in the first place. But before we could say 'Please don't worry about puddings now' one of the charming waiters had brought a children's menu, restoring equilibrium all round. 'The decor reminds me of colonial Singapore with a dash of Central America,' ventured P. 'That sounds like a cocktail,' I said, looking around at the wooden shutters, wood floors, candles, objets d'art and dimmed, atmospheric lighting. (The only things missing were the whirring ceiling fans). 'Cocktails?' said the nine-year-old, 'I'd love a pink berryade.' I had to admit, the non-alcoholic cocktails did look very tempting and so along with our 'birthday girl', I chose a pineapple surprise which came with a dusting of blue sugar and a chunk of pineapple on the rim. Refreshing, but rather pricey at £2.95 each, I thought. But we all needed the sustenance to read the menu - a long and involved journey to exotic holiday destinations with pure white sandy beaches, such as Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand and the Caribbean. (By now we'd all forgotten we were in an unassuming 1930's building in Spurstow.) Call it feminine intuition (or careful research) but I had a feeling that the portions were going to be generous, so I suggested a few starters to share, rather than one apiece. | 
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