 This restaurant review was undertaken on
January 15, 2009
We
attended a taster day at Strada some time ago and still remember
the plates arriving through the kitchen doors displaying a
variety of fine dishes including risottos, baked flavoursome
pastas and the most appealing cuts of steak. Strada love to use
the finest Italian virgin olive oils and meats in their ever
packed menu. We were excited to see if they came up trumps
against the other restaurants in the area.
Drinks
Complimentary filtered water was placed on our table which added
a nice yet convenient touch as you are always left wanting
something to quench your thirst at the end of your meal. I went
for a glass of
Chardonnay
San Simone, Friuli Grave
(£6.30 250ml).
An unoaked
Chardonnay which concentrates on a smooth, rounded texture with
bright apple and melon fruit and just some hints of spiced honey
and fresh cream. This was delightfully smooth. My guest opted for the excellent
Pinot
Grigio Blush, Giacondi, Veneto (£6.50 250ml)
a
fresh and light strawberry fruit with a
hint of creaminess.
Food
We enjoyed
a generous portion of garlic bread with rosemary (£3.75) whilst
we pondered the menu. The garlic was light and combined well
with the rosemary whilst the bread was fresh and warm.
Carpaccio
di manzo (£5.75), thinly sliced cured beef with rocket, lemon,
parmesan shavings and extra virgin olive oil and Polenta con
funghi (£4.95) was my choice of starter. My guest opted for the
grilled parmesan polenta with sautéed chestnut mushrooms in a
mascarpone, garlic, marjoram, porcini & cream sauce. The beef
looked delicious, was a good sized portion and was full
wonderful flavours and textures that played off against each
other to form an amazingly tasty starter.
I decided to
go for something a bit different from the typical Italian
generic. I decided to try the Saltimbocca di maiale (£12.95),
fillet of pork with sage and prosciutto with potato purée, green
beans and a white wine, sage and butter sauce. This was
absolutely mouth watering and although I am not usually a fan of
pork, this was so tender and juicy that I cannot wait to return
to Strada and order this again. My guest predictably chose the
Rigatoni speck e gorgonzola (£9.25),
rigatoni with gorgonzola,
parmesan and cream sauce, finished with northern Italian smoked
mountain ham and rocket. I sampled this dish and whilst it was
tasty, the cheese was a touch overpowering and did not want to
allow any of the other flavours to shine through.
For dessert
I was disappointed to find the Pesca e Amaretti (£4.95), baked
peaches with vanilla mascarpone and crumbled Amaretti biscuits
were sold out. Instead I opted for an Italian classic, the
Panettone al forno (£4.95), warm panettone bread and butter
pudding with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce, which was a
commendable substitute for the peaches. My guest had a reliable
and popular favourite Fondente al cacao, a warm melting
chocolate pudding with vanilla ice cream. This looked totally
delicious with the oozing chocolate centre and this dessert
really hit the heights with my guest.
Décor
Strada are
renowned for their décor. This restaurant takes a modern twist
on contemporary dining with low red lighting and subtle music,
it was quiet enough to be refined yet not too exclusive that you
couldn’t relax and unwind. There is an outdoor seating area, and
despite the fact that it was heated, we did not feel brave
enough to chance this on a very cold January evening.
Service
The staff
were very attentive and friendly and offered me a seat at the
bar with a drink before my guest arrived. Strada is a chain, but
I was pleasantly surprised at how knowledgeable the staff were.
Right now, service is of paramount importance like never before
and for this reason we expect Strada to prosper where others may
falter. Our food came out quickly and polite enquiries were made
at regular intervals to see if all was satisfactory. An optional
service charge of 12.5% is added to the final bill.
Atmosphere
The
restaurant was quite busy with an appealing ambience. The
lighting and music make an ideal setting for a romantic meal
with a partner but Strada also has a classy and modern setting
that makes this the perfect venue for catching up with friends.
The bar area adds to the buzzing and lively atmosphere. My guest
and I really enjoyed our first, and definitely not our last
Strada experience. We both left with smiles on our faces. Yes,
Strada do come up trumps! |
