I’ve often struggled to find a decent restaurant in the South Ken area. If you’re visiting the V&A it’s nice to pop somewhere for lunch first and – aside from the usual chains – there isn’t really a whole lot else.

So, it was great to hear about the opening of a new Sicilian “neighbourhood” restaurant, which seems to answer to just that. A relaxed vibe, with a delicious wholesome menu full of freshly cooked dishes, this was the kind of authentic menu I loved to tuck into.

We opted for a selection of Sicilian dishes, salads and pasta to sample a range of the menu (my friend is a vegetarian so we didn’t go for the sharing meat platter, but apparently it’s delicious) and whiled away a lovely few hours drinking in the buzz of the place.

Our starters included marinated artichoke, apple and quinoa salad and asparagus, rocket and granola, with a sun-dried tomato and spaghetti dish for mains.

IDDU strikes a nice balance between cafe and restaurant, with a warm, relaxing atmosphere which is just what you want in a lunch spot.

The manager was surprisingly inattentive though, which is unusual when you’re reviewing a restaurant (maybe he was having an off day), but I was catching up with a good friend so it didn’t bother us too much and we just enjoyed the lunch at our leisure.

After lunch, we headed off into the sunshine to visit the Alexander McQueen exhibition at the V&A, which rounded off a lovely Sunday afternoon.

For reservations, visit the website at www.iddulondon.com

(I was a guest of IDDU)