Restaurants

By Ronnie Haydon

Follow the waddling mothers-to-be through the Mamas & Papas flagship store to find Cibo. This Italian café, especially welcome if you need to take the weight off following high-level negotiations about baby mobility systems and the like, is on the first floor of this swish nursery shop on Regent Street.

Cibo is a symphony in coffee and cream, with glass-topped tables set with wine glasses and gleaming cutlery, leather chairs and banquette seating and inspirational black-and-white prints of impossibly chic mamas and papas dangling winsome progeny. It looks a mite too posh to stagger into, laden with mewling infants and buggies, but Cibo's menu has been compiled with the dietary needs of pregnant people and small children in mind.

A bevy of young men bustle about their customers, solicitously erecting high chairs for the tots. The menu runs through an appealing breakfast section to lunch-time smoothies, paninis, salads and hot dishes. The wine list is mostly Italian, with a prosecco or champagne option if boats are to be pushed out. Children's dishes include raw vegetables and dips, Heinz organic tomato soup, organic hamburgers and ice-creams. Everything is presented with a flourish, as if to remind customers that new parenthood doesn't mean compromising on style.

We made short work of the organic salmon fishcakes (a golden-brown patty stuffed with big chunks of pink fish, potato and parsley), but were taken aback by the price of the adult mains - a mozzarella and tomato salad was £8.75; the same items in a panini £7.25. A £3.50 strawberry and banana smoothie came in a small glass. Cappuccino (£2.25) was big on froth and low on caffeine, but was redeemed by the generous provision of soft amaretti and biscotti on the side.

Cibo does a good job of spoiling its customers. It is a restful place, but we reckon they wouldn't be chuffed to see organic tomato soup pawprints all over their nicely positioned cushions.

Time Out London Issue 1870: June 21-28 2006