Babbo

I had a superb lunch today at Babbo - babbo means daddy in Italian, and with the wall of family photos and charming staff, it did have a homely feel.

First, we tried a special cheese made by a family of cheesemakers in Italy to the specifications of head chef Carlo Scotto. It's a 50:50 mix of cow and sheep milk so had an aspect of that crunch and tang characteristic of parmesan but also an interesting sheepiness (like pecorino) and subtle overtone of truffle.

I started with seared scallops, elegantly prepared with a delicious browning, served with a (slightly weird) purple cauliflower puree, piquant beetroot and very pretty bows of home-made pasta.

I loved the squid-ink black tagliatelle which was tossed with spicy crab meat. When I asked Carlo Scotto how to reproduce it at home, he said I should practise every day: make the pasta, get the best olive oil available, and hand-pick the meat from the best crab available - maybe one day!

For dessert, I really liked the burrata which was delicately encased in milk skin, and served with a strawberry sauce and fruit. The creamy cheese went very well with the fresh fruit and tangy sauce. I couldn't resist trying the profiteroles too - a yummy and decadent treat!