...my emergency pants! Saturday night was a special treat for us. By treat I mean dinner at Lucio's fine dining Italian restaurant in Paddington (click for full menu). We started with an aperitif of warmed vanilla and carrot potage, and in no time at all the entrée arrived - just as well as we were starving.

I went with the fresh ravioli stuffed with ricotta and herbs accompanied with blood orange butter. The pasta was like none I'd ever eaten, melting unobtrusively in my mouth leaving only the tasty treats inside to be savoured. MYTW had the soft-shelled baby mud crabs with citrus salad, chili and basil oil.

Looking around, the walls of the restaurant are festooned with artworks both famous and obscure. I almost choked however when looking up to my left, right above us was an original Tim Storrier called Point to Point, my favourite Australian work of art. Imagine dining right beside an original painting (worth 120k+ if memory serves me correctly) that is one of your all-time favourites. The painting really comes alive when viewed in person - absolutely stunning.

But so of course was MYTW, and before long my gaze was returned to both her and the main course. I had the slow-cooked beef cheeks with baked celeriac, horseradish and herbs. MYTW had the grilled pork fillet with lentils, silver beet and grilled pears. If I was a judge on Iron Chef, I would have said the beef was a touch on the salty side, but it was still delicious and oh-so-tender.

Did I mention the wine? We shared an $80 bottle of 2003 Morellino di Scansano Val Delle Vigne Riserva - "to die for" as the trendy folk are wont to say.

But dessert was where the dining experience really came into its own. We decided on the tasting plate for two. And oh..my..god was it good. In no particular order, we sampled:

• Chestnut cake with sour cherries and olive oil ice-cream (suprisingly creamy and sweet)
• Triple chocolate and mocha tart (unbelievably rich) with liquorice sauce and almond biscuit
• Quince and lemon cake with strawberry sorbet
• Baked figs with crispy waffle

Topped with a coffee and some sweet orange biscotti, we rolled out of the restaurant and into a waiting taxi. And the best part about the whole evening? We DIDN'T EVEN BLOODY EVEN PAY! Take that Fatty!