This chain of Italian style eateries are renowned for their retro style and feel to Italian cooking and deliver excellent results on the whole.

The Venue
This branch of Strada is positioned on Great Queen Street, a stone’s throw away from the throngs of shops and boutiques that line Neal Street and close to Covent Garden. The split level establishment is easy on the eye with its clean look, light maroon type walls, smart tables and chairs and earthy looking banquettes where you can sit back and enjoy the sights and smells coming from the kitchen.

The Atmosphere
There’s a constant buzz of diners who frequent this restaurant. The turnover is pretty impressive as far as customers are concerned and there’s an interesting combination of business people and romantic couples who rub shoulders with young twentysomethings who seem to making their first moves in the capital.

The Food
Authentic Italian dishes are served up to a hungry audience at Strada with a subtle twist. For starters try the Polenta con Funghi, roasted Parmesan polenta with a mix of sauteed mushrooms and finished with a mascarpone, garlic and marjoram sauce. The sauce compliments the woodiness of the mushrooms while the polenta is well cooked to a creamy finish. The Pesto e Pomodoro bread is wholesome handmade basil pesto and tomato bread that suffers a little bit from being slightly stale.

Onto mains and there’s a good choice of pasta, risotto fish and meat dishes with dishes on average coming in between £7 and £14. The Branzino al Pomodoro is a beautifully presented fillet of char-grilled sea bass which comes with a plum tomato salad that tastes of pure ripeness, roasted cubetti potatoes, a hint of garlic, basil and extra virgin olive oil. The potatoes are crispy but lack a certain something, but the fish shows care and attention. The Bistecca di Manzo is a char-grilled tender rib eye steak (10oz of pure beef) that comes with potatoes and a simple rocket and parmesan salad.

For desserts sample the Crostata di Fragole, a fresh and creamy combination of strawberry, mascarpone and vanilla all inside a flaky tart and rounded off with a strawberry coulis that’s sweet and hits the spot, The choice of ice creams is pretty sound and includes vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and pistachio. If the Italians can’t do ice cream then who else can really?

The Drink
The wine list prices are as restrained as a pitbull on a leash and you will be able to find a reasonably priced red or white to tickle your fancy on the whole for under £30. The Lacryma Christi from Campania is a full bodied white with hints of fresh peaches, apricots and citrus zest while the San Vicenzo is a fruity complex wine with bouquets of nuts and peaches.

The Last Word
This is a well priced chain of Italian restaurants that delivers equally well priced dishes to a public that wants that little slice of Italy in the heart of Central London.

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