948 Brighton Road, Purley,CR8 2LP Tel: 020 8660 0081

F rom luxurious lobster dishes to traditional spaghetti, this charming Italian restaurant dishes up portions Luciano Pavarotti would have been proud of.

Full of Mediterranean warmth and personality, Mamma Mia boasts an incredibly welcoming, friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

Crisp white wine in hand, my companion and I looked enviously at other guests' glorious food and perused the menu.

We agreed to share our starters so each of us could sample a little of each, but when our beautiful dishes arrived, both of us found ourselves regretting this moment of generosity.

I went for the funghi al gorgonzola – delicious crispy button mushrooms filled with lush, gooey cheese.

Every bite was delightful, as my friend found out when I begrudgingly forked over the goods.

In return, I got to tuck in to his Calamari Della Casa.

The pan-fried calamari with garlic, chilli, white wine and cream was truly wonderful.

The fresh, light tastes made me feel like I'd been swept away on a seaside holiday for a blissful moment – but alas, I was still in Purley.

For the main course, I chose the carre d'agnello – rack of lamb to you and me.

Cooked pink with a Chianti wine sauce and served with gratin potato and vegetables of the day, this gorgeous dish was magnificent.

The melt-in-the-mouth meat was cooked to perfection and the cheesy potatoes were superb.

Although the portions served at Mamma Mia are large , I could not bear to leave one delectable scrap on my huge plate.

My date opted for the half lobster with linguine which, in his own words was 'absolutely gorgeous'.

Despite feeling rather stuffed, neither of us could pass up the opportunity to order one of the tempting sweets from the menu.

Normally a chocoholic, I diverted from my cocoa addiction for the night and chose the lemon cheesecake for a change.

I was presented with a huge slab of buttery, lemony heaven and forgot about how full I was.

Every bite of this sweet dessert was totally scrumptious.

My friend went for a classic, creamy tiramisu – a perfect way to end an Italian meal.

Yes, I may have put on a couple of pounds thanks to this fantastic dinner but – and this means a lot coming from a girl working towards a perfect bikini bod – every mouthful was worth it.

Miracle Jarvis