I know it’s unusual to go to a pizzeria for breakfast but when the restaurant is the latest offering by the same owner of the recently defunct Pearl Cafe it almost seems like a logical choice after all.

While the hordes are queueing up to get a table at Top Paddock, directly across the road, there are no crowds and table and chairs a plenty. It seems somewhat selfish, but I was secretly glad that the masses were elsewhere and I could stroll into the courtyard at Baby and immediately sit down and enjoy the beautiful sunshine.

I will admit to trying to find out what dishes were on offer for breakfast at Baby, but the online menu available only showcased the lunch and dinner options. I even asked a friend at work who had breakfast there recently what was available but the only information that I could glean was that Baby had the usual breakfast offerings. So with much anticipation, I waited for the menu.

With so many delectable things to try, my eyes stopped agog at the sight of the word “panettone”. Panettone and I have a very special relationship with each other. This past Christmas, my niece and I had toasted panettone, strawberries and Jalna vanilla yogurt for breakfast (sometimes with a healthy dollop of Nutella). I even made a panettone and strawberry bread and butter pudding for dessert over the holidays (which I think the muchkins and I had for breakfast one day as well!). Occasionally a good friend of mine will give me a little box of panettone as a Christmas gift, which is always received with a happy heart.

When breakfast arrived, the panettone was cooked in a French toast style and looked delicious with the strawberries, dollops of mascarpone and syrup drizzled over the top. As I took my first bite, I could only think of one word – Christmas. The sweet flavour of the fruit filled panettone and the cooked strawberries was incredible, mingled with the additional sweetness of the mascarpone and the strawberry-flavoured syrup, it resembled and tasted like Christmas on a plate. As I devoured my breakfast and with the summer sun still shining, I could almost believe it really was December again.