AT first glance, it would be easy to stroll past Basilico in Westbourne and think it is just a trendy deli.

But if you wander in past the round table in the front window and food counter, you will see that it opens out at the back into a seating area.

Simply furnished with wooden tables and chairs and soft white walls, Basilico’s no-frills decor is counter-balanced by its vibrantly rich and colourful Mediterranean style food.

The chef is from Sicily and his wife, who was our waitress on this particularly evening, is part Brazilian, Italian and Portugese. Apparently the place is owned by a London businessman but run by the husband and wife team.

Although it is a relative newcomer to Westbourne, it is already one of my favourite places for lunch.

But until a few weeks ago I hadn’t eaten during the evening so I went along with a couple of friends to check it out.

For starters I shared a vegetarian antipasto platter for two, which was beautifully presented on a large white oval platter.

Perfectly ripened slices of avocado nestling on a bed of grilled mushrooms, aubergines, artichokes, sundried tomatoes, topped with creamy mozzarella and fragrant basil leaves, freshly-made tomato salsa and pesto.

This was a feast for our eyes and taste buds and served with slices of toasted ciabatta and an extra portion of red pepper hummus.

As we were struggling to decide what to have for our main course, two of us decided to share an Insalata Mondello Salad and Linguine Allo Chef.

Our salad included prawns, cottage cheese, avocadoes, walnuts and sunblush tomatoes served with more toasted ciabatta.

The pasta was served with prawns, chorizo, chilli, tomato and white wine and garnished with torn basil leaves. Everything was well presented, a good portion size and perfectly cooked.

And not only does it look and taste delicious, it actually feels as if it is doing you good too!

Basilico is also open for coffee and cakes, lunch and evening meals – although it is only open in the evenings on Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays.