The lover that loves you back @Padella, Borough Market

For me pasta is a way to celebrate life. There is a little inner Italian in me wondering how I was born under a red-white-green flag but in a completely different country and culture. And whilst I truly love my heritage, I'd rather cast myself as a self-made multicultural she/her. And all that starts with Italian.

I genuinely don't understand why a restaurant wouldn't let you book a table. Although I'm sure there is a good reason for it, my first thought would be to go somewhere else - mainly because queuing on an empty stomach is my personal hell. In fact I once broke up with somebody because I was too hungry to cope with life.

There is, however, a thing called virtual queuing and thankfully some of my friends are tech-y enough to do such things for food. Padella has an incredible reputation in London, so we had to give it a go. Two magical hours after getting a spot in the virtual queue, we got an actual three-dimensional table.

The menu was short and had all the buzzwords: tagliarini, fettuccine, pappardelle and ravioli. I'm trying to stay open-minded and adventurous with my culinary choices, but when my favourite dish is on the menu, I get disengaged with the rest of the offer. It's like being blindly in love with someone who loves you back: you're high on a feeling that gives you the greatest comfort. Pici Cacio & Pepe is always my number one choice - except when there is Carbonara or anything with truffle on the menu. How can something that is this simple be this delicious.

And the food is one thing. The ambiance is retro minimalist that just gives the experience another edge. The service is friendly, knowledgable and super quick. This place is an absolute hit, but please let us book a table in advance.