FRANCO'S, MAYFAIR

London has such a plethora of options for every cuisine you could imagine, that sometimes it's nice to be able to rely on an old school classic. Take Italian food.... in the last few weeks I've written about three or four brand new Italian joints in London. And yes, they were all good, but do you know which was the most authentic and despite being the most expensive, actually the best value for money.... the most classic of them all - Franco's in Mayfair. A place I went with my Dad when he worked in the area and it seemed the most obvious place to meet. Franco's is 70 years old and oozes the classicness of somewhere with that heritage, which in the London restaurant scene is few and far between. But that's also what makes it fun. And reliable. You know what you're getting. Good, classic, Italian food made with the finest, freshest produce available. Which is exactly what we had. Due to its location it is more of a weekday destination than a weekend one, but we went on Friday night and it was still buzzing.

We cozied down in our table for two, facing the rest of the diners for added interest. We went for the traditional four courses - starter, pasta, fish and mains. And maybe snuck a pudding in there too cos when in Rome.....

The whole menu is based around what is flown in from Italy that day so regularly changes, but keeps the favourites for those who love them. We started with the special of the day - poached lobster claw, and one of the classics, beetroot puree with steak tartare and quail's egg yolk. Both were absolutely perfect and a very good sign of things to come....

We could really taste the quality and provenance of the ingredients. Which was even more obvious in the next course. We'd asked to share their asparagus pasta special but were given our own plates of deliciousness - perfectly cooked pasta filled with *just* the right amount of filling and doused in flavoured butter. SO. GOOD.

Oh, and covered in truffle shavings too! The service throughout our meal was ideal - not too much, but always someone there when needed (including when I tipped a whole bottle of red wine over my white jumper, obviously) - just as it should be. For mains I chose the sea bream with artichoke, white wine and clam sauce (heaven!!) while Amina went for the duck breast with fennel puree and red onions. This whole meal has actually in theory been *slightly* tricky to write up as my blogger platform has decided that every word I write is spelt wrong.... so apologies if any have actually been spelt wrong! You know I hate that! What I don't hate though, is really good produce, cooked really well, and served so discretely that you don't even know your food's arriving. And if you're like me, then go to Franco's and have a feast, as that's what you'll get! As I said earlier, I've reviewed a lot of Italians lately, and while they're all really good, I feel like Franco's bashes them all out the bushes. Yes, it's expensive but I do think you pay for what you get?!

Oh, and pudding. Normally worth skipping in my books, but not here. Order pudding. One each. We went for tiramisu - so good. And Sicilian cannolo with pistachio ice cream. To be honest, I'd just order the ice cream. But I'm not a pudding person, and Amina loved it..... It's good!

All the food is very good. It is expensive. But you pay for what you get, which is freshly imported, very well handled, prepared and served Italian food, and they are quite often on Bookatable so if you can't afford their regular offering then keep an eye on Bookatable for very good value deals... In summary, just go! And thank you Daddy for taking me there all those years ago.... x