Ottolenghi, 297 Upper St, N1

I have a massive sweet-tooth and am not satisfied unless I've devoured a pudding or at the very least a few squares of chocolate at the end of a meal. Apparently my brother Matthew is exactly the same so I'm certain it's in my genetic blueprint and not down to hormones.

Every time I hit Islington I always take a stroll down Upper Street to gaze at the cakes and meringues on display at Ottolenghi- they really are the best food porn in town.

Since this restaurant-cum deli was voted 'best breakfast' by the Observer in 08, the crowds haven't left it alone at the weekends so on Thursday night Robert and I were killing time before the cinema so thought we'd try our luck for a spot of dinner. We bagged a seat relatively easily - mounting it was more of a challenge - we hauled ourselves onto some high chairs at the bar near the front and checked out the jams and spreads above our head. One of the staff brought over an assortment of breads and oil for us to snack on while we waited which was a nice touch, I thought. In fact, the curried bread was so good I'll be returning to buy a whole loaf.

I'd had a late lunch meeting and had been deprived of a dessert so eyed up my dinner at the window. It was a hard choice, there were various berry topped sponges, muffins and a tempting chocolate torte but I fancied something really sinful, so plumped for a large piece of cheesecake with butterscotch sauce and macadamia nut brittle. It was good, not the best I've had but the brittle made it and with my cravings I would have probably been happy enough with a bowl of that by itself.

As is often the case with cake-eating at supper time (I'm a bit of a veteran at this, you see), once over you're soon lusting for something savoury. Fortunately Robert was on hand so I dined in reverse and picked at his roasted pumpkin and feta salad with pine nuts and pesto and soup of buttered prawns.

Altogether with a beer and latte the meal came to a little over £30. I'd been warned it could be pricey but the ingredients were fresh and tasty, the room slick and after a week of battling the rainy streets of London I felt I deserved a sweet treat. My purse couldn't handle a weekly visit but I won't need to as when the bill came I spied a rather interesting jar of passion fruit and apricot jam which will be perfect with some natural yoghurt and a generous sprinkle of granola for my next postprandial dip!