Unai Emery’s Arsenal kicked off their 2019/20 Premier League campaign away against Steve Bruce’s Newcastle United at St. James’ Park on August 11. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s 58th minute goal, however, settled the differences between the sides as the Gunners claimed three points.
Throughout Arsenal’s opening day 2019/20 Premier League match at St. James’ Park, the Gunners registered eight shots on goal and had 61.9% of the possession compared to the Magpies nine shots on goal; Newcastle United had 38.1% of possession throughout the encounter.
Meanwhile, Arsenal’s first home game of the 2019/20 Premier League season came against Sean Dyche’s Burnley six days later. The Gunners comfortably took the lead 13 minutes into the game courtesy of an Alexandre Lacazette strike. However, two minutes before the break, Ashley Barnes levelled the game at 1-1 for Burnley.
In the second half at the Emirates, Arsenal maintained advantage once more via a 64th minute goal from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who netted his second Premier League goal of the new season.
Arsenal registered 67.5% possession of the ball throughout the game at the Emirates Stadium; Dyche’s Clarets, however, held 32.5% possession throughout the game against the Gunners and registered 18 shots in total to Arsenal’s 15 shots.
Elsewhere, Arsenal’s next seven Premier League fixtures are against: Liverpool (Away – August 24), Tottenham Hotspur (Home – September 1), Watford (Away- September 15), Aston Villa (Home – September 22), Manchester United (Away – September 30), Bournemouth (Home – October 6) and Sheffield United (Away – October 21).
However, prior to Arsenal’s forthcoming away game this Saturday at Anfield against reigning UEFA Champions League holders and 2018/19 Premier League runners-up Liverpool, FOX Sports Radio 96.9 FM/1340AM’s Dean Perretta briefly caught up with Arsenal and Brazil defender, David Luiz, to discuss owning elegant Mayfair-based Italian restaurant Babbo, the quality of the food and drink at Babbo, as well as the Gunners defenders very own personal selections from the mouth-watering Babbo menu.
Dean Perretta: David, can you touch on the ongoing success and acclaim of Babbo restaurant and, of course, where your innate passion as a food connoisseur initially started?
David Luiz: Other than eggs, I cannot really cook, so it has been a dream of mine to finally own my own restaurant! We have a fantastic team of chefs who work very hard on providing an array of authentic Italian dishes, which have driven the success behind this restaurant (Babbo). The menu is updated every three months to encourage people to come back and experience new things.
Dean Perretta: How would you describe the overall aura and the atmosphere at Babbo and indeed the authenticity and high-end style of this classy Mayfair restaurant?
David Luiz: There is a great emphasis on family at Babbo. It is an important aspect of this restaurant; people need to feel at home while enjoying the delicious food on offer. Our dishes, and their ingredients, are sourced from all over Italy in order to delivery an authentic, high-quality experience for our customers.
Overall, Babbo is a warm and welcoming environment, as well as the perfect venue to enjoy the restaurant’s traditional, house-made signature dishes. This restaurant – the food, the cocktails, the atmosphere and the experience – is about family and tradition. We want people to bring their friends and family here, and enjoy spending time at Babbo!
Dean Perretta: With regards to Babbo’s succulent and diverse à la carte, which particular dishes from this very menu do you personally tend to opt for and also highly recommend?
David Luiz: Usually I come here in the evening, so I prefer something light, and I always go for the sea bass. For starters I’d highly recommend the burrata or perhaps the parmigiana. We’ve also recently introduced pizza to our menu, and so I’d recommend you try that! For the main course, I personally love the tagliolini pasta with the summer truffle, although I would definitely try the cote de boeuf too if you get the chance.
Dean Perretta: Elsewhere, what are your personal selections from the sumptuous Babbo Brunch menu and dessert list and why?
David Luiz: From the brunch menu, there is a wide choice to pick from, but I would have to choose either the grilled lamb cutlets or the smoked salmon. For dessert, if you’re not already full, I’d definitely recommend the bavarese!
Dean Perretta: Lastly, the elegant pre-meal aperitivo is available at Babbo every single day from midday until seven o’clock in the evening. Can you talk about the positive feedback which you have received from customers regarding the aperitivo and, of course, the range and quality of the aperitivo?
David Luiz: Our guests with Italian background often get very positively surprised when they realise we have some of their favourites available at Babbo! This especially goes for our range of portion sized bottled Aperitivo, which are actually mostly non-alcoholic; Crodino/SanBitter/Cedrata and for those who’d like a little ABV, we also have the CampariSoda bottles.
While some of them can be hard to find or not easily available in the UK, we have returning customers specifically for those beverages. Guest sees the Aperitivo menu and is often eager to learn more about it. Of course, the range. We’ve got a great selection on offer showing how diverse the Aperitivo cocktails category can be! This menu have since the start been a collaboration with some of our favourite brands in the category! The cocktails on the Aperitivo menu can change as the year/seasons go on.
What would a proper Aperitivo be without the nibbles?! Our chef does a daily selection of canapés, which we serve with the first Aperitivo cocktail ordered. How amazing is that? In true Italian style, the Aperitivo should be a cocktail and a snack!! If the guest wants more cocktails or the canapé, this can obviously be ordered by itself as well!! We also have some Italian childhood favourites (non-alcoholic) like Crodino and Cedrata.
Don’t be afraid, since we have strong back bar. If the customer wishes to have a classic Aperitivo, we can do this as well! Aperol Spritz, Hugo, Negroni Spagliato, Mi-To, CampariSoda etc. Quality of the Aperitivo? It’s outstanding!
